![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by MHK on April 3, 2000, at 18:41:38
One of the major problems I've had concerning medication use and depression in general is that I tend to "forget" how bad things were or how much better they can be. I'm an extremely adaptive personality and can get used to anything.So... by the time things get so bad that I notice, I've usually been going downhill for quite a while.
For instance, right now I'm feeling pretty lousy -- colossally unmotivated, easily moved to tears, etc., and I realized due to an old post (to this very board) that I've been feeling this way on and off for about 6 months.
I've been thinking that perhaps I should start using a weekly questionnaire or something similar in order to keep better track of my moods and experiences. (I've tried keeping a journal in the past, but I lack the discipline to write regularly.)
I've seen some depression questionnaires on the 'net, and I was wondering if anybody out there uses them as tracking aids.
Any thoughts?
Posted by ChrisK on April 4, 2000, at 7:14:57
In reply to Keeping Track of Progress, posted by MHK on April 3, 2000, at 18:41:38
MHK,
You may want to try one of these sites for self-evaluation. I usually check myself every few weeks to see where I percieve myself to be. They are pretty simple to kep track of.
http://www.wellbutrin-sr.com/eval/guide.htmhttp://mentalhelp.net/guide/dep2quiz.htm
Posted by MHK on April 4, 2000, at 17:28:46
In reply to Re: Keeping Track of Progress, posted by ChrisK on April 4, 2000, at 7:14:57
> http://www.wellbutrin-sr.com/eval/guide.htm
>
> http://mentalhelp.net/guide/dep2quiz.htm
Thanks very much for the information, Chris.If anybody else has others they'd like to share, I'd still love to hear about them. I would especially like to find one that I saw a while ago which will give you running results in graph form.
Thanks again.
Posted by quilter on April 5, 2000, at 0:18:25
In reply to Re: Keeping Track of Progress, posted by MHK on April 4, 2000, at 17:28:46
> > http://www.wellbutrin-sr.com/eval/guide.htm
> >
> > http://mentalhelp.net/guide/dep2quiz.htm
>
>
> Thanks very much for the information, Chris.
>
> If anybody else has others they'd like to share, I'd still love to hear about them. I would especially like to find one that I saw a while ago which will give you running results in graph form.
>
> Thanks again.The Stanley Bipolar Network can provide a couple different forms to track meds, moods, cycles, and life events. I found them through a link that I can't remember but a search should locate it for you. They are located in Bethesda, MD.
Posted by bob on April 5, 2000, at 1:41:07
In reply to Re: Keeping Track of Progress, posted by quilter on April 5, 2000, at 0:18:25
I like the system I came up with, but like you said MHK, it's that danged journal keeping that makes it such a pain. Maybe I should write it up as an HTML Form and publish it....
I like even better my own therapist's suggestion, though the thought of it somehow frightens me. She suggested that I tape-record myself every month or so ... just a brief message to me about how I am feeling, how I'm doing, and in a form so I can hear the quality of it in the tone of my voice.
try that one on for size! Great idea, but intimidating as all heck.
bob
Posted by allisonm on April 5, 2000, at 21:26:29
In reply to Keeping Track of Progress, posted by MHK on April 3, 2000, at 18:41:38
I know this doesn't work for you, MHK, but I find keeping a journal quite helpful. I don't write in it all of the time. When I am feeling bad I tend to write in almost daily. This in itself is a kind of gauge. When I look back and see large gaps I can be pretty sure that things weren't so bad that I was obsessing over things or wishing I was dead. It also helps me keep track of what was happening at the time so that I can try to piece together possible correlations to mood and circumstance. It also helps me see over time when a slump begins, or when it eases up.
I have tried the questionnaires, but know I can easily skew the result. It's pretty easy to tell which answers will elicit which ranking. I'm not sure my answers are completely honest anymore. I begin to question my own intentions. Am I answering in this way because I want to still think I am depressed (or conversely, not depressed)?
Anyway, just some thoughts.
allisonm
Posted by MA on April 5, 2000, at 23:50:54
In reply to Re: Keeping Track of Progress, posted by allisonm on April 5, 2000, at 21:26:29
Same as Allison...
I write in a journal and I have been doing this for many years and I'm someone who never kept a journal before I was treated for depression.
Actually I had such problems with medications that I kept a record of what I was on, what dosage, how I felt, when it was increased, etc.
When I was really having a hard time remembering things, I would take the journal when I went to see my pdoc to remind myself of how I was feeling day to day. I don't know about many of you, but I have a very short memory for things and I could never be very specific with my doctor. So I would write down things like if I felt my heart was racing, if I couldn't sleep, if I couldn't eat, if I had no energy or motivation, etc. Notes like this are invaluable when speaking to your doctor.
I still have the journal and I write very brief notes if things are going well. For example: "On wellbutrin 150, Celexa 30, Neurontin 400, good energy, working X hours/week, sleeping well, and any other details you think are important to remember.
If things start going badly, the notes increase dramatically and I know my meds need adjusting.
YOu really should try it for awhile, especially during drug trials.
MA
Posted by MHK on April 6, 2000, at 0:34:41
In reply to Journal, posted by MA on April 5, 2000, at 23:50:54
Thanks to each of you for your input and support. I am anxiously awaiting my first appointment with a new pdoc and have hopes for good things to come.
Posted by bob on April 6, 2000, at 11:37:33
In reply to Thanks, posted by MHK on April 6, 2000, at 0:34:41
MA's got a great point ... even as difficult as I find it to keep a diary, it can be oh so crucial in understanding what changes are taking place when you change your meds.
As for other "inventories" or on-line tests ... well, you could always go to www.emode.com ... I wonder if I'd be a different type of dog on Wellbutrin (probably a rabid junkyard dog) than I am now on my current meds ....
cheers,
bob
Posted by medlib on April 7, 2000, at 19:02:09
In reply to Keeping Track of Progress, posted by MHK on April 3, 2000, at 18:41:38
MHK- Often I wish I had progress to keep track of! My short-term memory is virtually nonexistent; it is infuriating to me to be able to remember the quadratic equation or the Krebs cycle with perfect clarity and not be able to recall whether I took a pill ten minutes ago. I am so incredibly undisciplined that I could not possibly keep a journal--I'd lose it in my mess. "Canned" questionnaires often contain too many items I consider irrelevant and I lose my focus or temper before completing them--and then lose the papers themselves before pdoc appts.
Yet, keeping some sort of record is essential for those of us playing musical meds--and moods. In the spirit of "Keep it simple, stupid", I have resorted to a calendar with big blocks for each day. Each day I record a main number for mood, using a scale of -5 to +5. Most days that's all I put down. For med changes, I'll record +Effexor 37.5 or -Prozac 25. I represent new or strong symptoms with +s or up or down arrows, i.e. +4 nausea. With this system it's easy to plot results, if you wish (I use Excel when motivated, but graphing by hand would be just as easy). It's also simple to see the connections between med changes and symptoms. Best of all, it's quick, hard to forget and harder to lose (I keep it on the refrigerator.)
Best wishes, medlib
> One of the major problems I've had concerning medication use and depression in general is that I tend to "forget" how bad things were or how much better they can be. I'm an extremely adaptive personality and can get used to anything.
>
> So... by the time things get so bad that I notice, I've usually been going downhill for quite a while.
>
> For instance, right now I'm feeling pretty lousy -- colossally unmotivated, easily moved to tears, etc., and I realized due to an old post (to this very board) that I've been feeling this way on and off for about 6 months.
>
> I've been thinking that perhaps I should start using a weekly questionnaire or something similar in order to keep better track of my moods and experiences. (I've tried keeping a journal in the past, but I lack the discipline to write regularly.)
>
> I've seen some depression questionnaires on the 'net, and I was wondering if anybody out there uses them as tracking aids.
>
> Any thoughts?
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.