Replies to '06/21 "Throw It Out!"'

 
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June 22, 2006, 3:11 pm PDT

Definitely Chemical

Quote From: jmurphy301

I am 46, male and experiencing the same problem, currently.  I am off of work, due to a Dual depression, and Generalized anxiety disorder, which I have had all my life. I am using a Cpap machine for Sleep Apnea, and going to a psychologist and psychiatrist. I am on Lexapro for deprssion, and it does not seem to be working. I still have not gotten motivated to clean my condo.  

  

I am a big music collector and most of the cluuter is records, but I have another seperate room for that. I have records all over the front room, clothes that have not been taken out and hung up, and I do not open mail, or go thru the bills. I found a very helpful website called: www.squalorsurvivors.com. 

  

 The one thing they do mention is that if you live in squalor or know someone who does, DO NOT pick on the person, or tell them to get moving, which will make them retreat further. I did find out that I am not producing Cortisol, and I do have to have an MRI today, focusing on my Pituitary gland. I also was diagnosied with Chronic fatugue, so an Endocrinologist would not be a bad thing, for someone like this, to look into the matter, further, and have some blood work done, to check your chemical levels. My Dr. said the worst case scenario would be I may have ot take a pill for a year or 2 to get my Adrenaline levels uo. He said JFK  had the same problem, and it is treatable. Also, he  wants me to have an ultrasound on my kidneys.  

  

The show was right on, and would like to see follow ups on the topic. It is more common than people realize. Many friends and family, do not understand why ANYONE would not clean their place up. It is more complex than that. For me, I hope to get better, but have not always been a real messy guy or real neat guy, for that matter. Mine seesm to be lack of motivation, depression, lack of energy. Alos, www.flylady.net is useful too, as it is a free site, and you can register and receive a daily email. Flylady, teaches you how to get organized, and each day of the month a different area of the home is focused upon, to be cleaned, therefore, after a month, you have cleaned the whole house, at least once. Squalor survivors teaches you, for those who do not know where to begin, to start cleaning something simple, like the top of the tv, refrigerator, so that you will have a feeling of accomplishment, but just START, somewhere.  

  

I have other problems, that can be attributed to this problem, such as financial debt, and a chapter & is not an option as I file din 2000.  

  

Any one that has been there, knows what I am talking about. Any suggestions if you have been there, would be helpful to me. I must also mention that I thought I was going thru Andropause, and had 3 Dr's shrug it off, as I am reading on the interent, Again! I took it upon myself to find an Endocrinologist and he DID find something wrong with my Hormones.  

  

Hopefully this will be a start to a cleaner house, and some peace of mind. Thanks Dr. Phil for addressing the issue, hope to see more on the topic, and maybe Male Menopause. 

I have very similar medical conditions...narcolepsy, manic-depression, extreme fatigue, and hormonal imbalances because I have a problem with my pituitary gland also. It seems that there are too many people with such similar health issues who also have issues with clutter or procrastination for this to be just coincidental. It would only make sense for this to be some type of hormonal-neurochemical imbalance. Including the reason behind having a lack of motivation...which other people mistake for laziness.   

   

I have been trying to organize my inordinant amount of things for years and have barely made a dent, although its gotton alot better recently, yet in other areas of my life I'm super clean and a great organizer...like when helping a friend or family member clean up and organize their stuff. I actually really enjoy doing it too.   

   

But different medications definitely make a difference, its just a matter of finding the one that fits you best, which can take awhile and you may feel like a guinnea pig, but the right one will make a huge difference...trust me! I've realized that some part of my brain is very overactive...I over-think things (without even realizing it sometimes), instead of just jumping in and doing what needs to get done. Its seems so strange to be constantly focused on the very thing that you can't seem to conquer.   

   

And I'm not saying this as advice, more as an observation...but I've noticed that if I've had a beer or taken certain medications that seem to slow down or turn off, (so to speak) the overactiveness in my brain, I all of a sudden just get in this frame of mind where I'm motivated to start cleaning or working on a project that I've been planning to accomplish for a long time, because somehow my mind is relaxed, and I'm not thinking about the overwhelming task ahead of me is...i'm just doing it.   

It's like my brain is on autopilot.   

   

I'm not trying to oversimplify the problem, but that has just proved to me that there has to be some kind of imbalance that the right medication can help to manage. So keep trying until you find the right one...or the right combination of meds. Also, in addition to taking a multivitamin, I've been taking a B12 complex and omega-3 supplements which have really helped my mood and energy level, and there are all kinds of articles that have done studies to show that many people with anxiety, adhd, depression, ocd, sleep disorders etc, have had big improvements from taking them also.    

This is one of the best articles I've read about it...   

http://www.discover.com/issues/may-05/features/vitamin-cure/   

 


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