Personality Loss

[GMR09]

Hi I'm a 20 year old male and for the last 16 months I have been suffering from what I can only describe as loss of personality and humor. It began when I started suffering from chronic headaches.
Its hard to describe but its almost like I've had my personality sucked out of me. I've been finding it hard to socialise and have abit of banter with my friends which has led me to virtually not go out for the last year and abit and become very depressed.
I've tried to various exercises like cbt but it doesn't make any different as it doesn't seem to be a confidence or anxiety problem. I was just wondering if anyone has suffered or suffering with anything like this? Any comments would be grateful.
Rg

 

[Ainsworth]

hey GMR09



did they sort your headaches out? are you on meds for it?

also did a doctor dx depression or anything else and try you on anti-ds?

depression can have a knock on effect with socialising as you do lose the joy of everything, it all becomes an effort but i would of thought the doctor would of seen this if you have visited in the last year, as you got given CBT

 

[schizzzoid]

Hi, I suffer from clinical depression, and I lose all sense of who/what/where I am, I lose my sense of humour and virtually everything else! I also manifest physical symptoms, headaches, numb fingers, back problems, and cold like symptoms, to name a few!

You say you have tried a few CBT exercises, is that a prescibed therapy, or is it something you are doing yourself? I have done some CBT, approximately five years ago, and I still use these techniques on a daily basis. CBT isn't necessarily about low confidence and anxiety, it's more about everyday functioning. The problem with CBT is that usually it doesn't cover the underlying psychological problems. I would suggest you visit your GP, he'll most likely want to prescribe medication, which maybe all you need to pick yourself up and start functioning again, and it wouldn't hurt to ask if there is any psychotherapy treatment available.

Hope this helps in someway.

 

[GMR09]

Thanks for the replies. Yes I have already seen a GP who has reffered me onto a neurologist who has then reffered me onto a headache specialist. Through them I have been tried on Amitriptyline on 2 different occasions, Topiramate and Nortriptyline. I have also been referred to a phyciatrist has perscribed me on cipralex which I have been taking for the last 5 weeks and currently on 15mg, which has had no effect so far.
Yes I am still having the constant headaches which came on the same time as the personality loss. I was just wondering if anyone else has this symptom of personality loss and how they have been treated.

Rg

 

[schizzzoid]

I've had a lot of group psychotherapy (I had one to one, but I didn't/couldn't engage or take it onboard), and it has done wonders for me, I still have a lot of issues and problems, but, I cope a whole lot better, and a lot of my physical symptoms have subsequentally lessened. It seems to me that psychotherapy can address virtually anything, as long as the person involved engages with it (which can be a real mountain to climb in itself!).

For me, depression and 'personality loss', and a whole host of other crap, go hand in hand, it's not uncommon, every aspect of your life is changed by depression, the more depressed you become the less you can expect from yourself, if you lost a leg you wouldn't expect yourself to be running marathons, similarily, if your depressed you can't expect to be the life and soul of the party (all a bit extreme I know, but, I don't know any other way of trying to explain things!).

You're on the right track, you have set wheels in motion with your GP, you're taking the meds he prescribed (don't be too disheartened when the meds aren't doing anything, sometimes they take 6 - 8 weeks to kick in, sometimes you may need a higher dose, and sometimes you need to be put on something entirely different. I can't remember how many pills I went through before hitting on the right ones - I take a combination of two! - as long as you do it under the guidance of professionals, and keep them informed as to what's going on) and most of all you are aware that you have a problem, it was years before I realised I was ill. I had to really fight my way out of being depressed, and I have to fight now to not allow myself to get depressed - that's how I try to look at it now - I had a lot of help from the Mental Health service (which I had to fight to get on some occaisions!), but, ultimately I did the work.

I seem to be rambling... and I've lost my thread, as they say......I'm a tad nuts y'know!

Anyway I hope there's something for you in all that! If it all magically comes back I'll let you know!

 

[theblackcat]

Headaches and personality change can be a sign of a brain tumor.