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Facing
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by Jentri Anders, PhD
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The
“doctor” end of the doctor/patient dynamic has been well-covered
in the literature. I only went into it in such detail because it works
as a model for so many other interactions a Lyme patient might have. The
wider problem, the effect of Lyme symptoms on the way patients relate
to everyone, is one that has not been so well discussed. I have been turning
an observant eye on that dynamic for a while now, as both patient and
professional.
Here is a short list of words that have appeared in print, describing the typical Lyme personality: perfectionist, overemotional, maudlin, super -critical, impatient, anxious, restless, agitated, easily frustrated, hypersensitive, angry, forgetful, easily confused (can’t learn new things rapidly, misplaces things weirdly, reverses words, can’t prioritize information, get your tongue tangled a lot), disoriented (get lost a lot, go to the wrong place), clumsy (bump into things, fall over things, drop things).
Add physical symptoms and odd-appearing behaviors the patient came up with to compensate for them, and you do not have a picture of the person most likely to succeed --professionally or socially--in America. This person is not confident and “can-do.” This person may well be an alcoholic or drug abuser. This person is going to be disliked. If it has been going on for a while, this person is probably poor. Not only is this person going to have a hard time holding her own with the doctor, but she might have trouble just shopping. Not surprisingly, social withdrawal is high on the list of psychiatric Lyme symptoms. Generating a personality acceptable to normal people just requires more energy than a chronic Lyme patient may have and slight blips in the social flow may hurt too much when the B-flats* have destroyed one’s emotional resilience. One might conclude that it is better to avoid people altogether. (*B-flat=Bb, the abbreviation for both Borrelia burgdorferi and the musical key of B-flat. I call ’em B-flats to amuse myself, as a handy visualization technique and because it’s easier to say than Borrelia, spirochete or Lyme bacterium.)
I think that what Lyme patients experience socially, as a result of the impression they make on others, impedes diagnosis and self-diagnosis and exacerbates symptoms. It is a vicious circle worth trying to break. Here are some thoughts that are helping me break it.
1) The definition of mental illness. What is or is not accepted as normal behavior depends entirely on who’s doing the accepting. A diagnosis of mental disorder is greatly influenced by the gender, race, ethnic group, age, social class, politics, language and religion of both parties. That is not to say there is no such thing as mental illness, only that it happens in a social context that must be included in any truly objective diagnosis.This is the theme of Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the sociological version of which is Erving Goffman’s Asylums. Both describe a social dynamic familiar to chronic Lyme patients. Once someone describes you as having somatization disorder or hypochondria, every doctor you see is going to think “mental” before they think “physical” and God help you if your mental slate was not entirely clean when the tick bit you. Not only that, but the more you dispute the doctor, the more certain the doctor is that your problems are psychiatric, regardless of any credentials or expertise you may claim. If the doctor is inclined to attribute mental instability to particular groups of people and you ‘re in one of those groups, forget it.
A suggestion: First, reduce all mental assessments others make of you in direct proportion to your assessment of their objectivity. Depending on the results, you may wish to swallow your pride and take them up on it. Go see a mental practitioner, if you can afford it. All the ones I saw (all female) eliminated mental illness after hearing my story. They said no wonder I was depressed and supported my determination to find an LLMD before gobbling antidepressants. One said only one percent of patients referred for hypochondria actually have it. Another said, “Yes, I see the swelling in your knee and the bumps on your joints.” (Most of the medical doctors had ignored them.) Another was overjoyed when I handed her a copy of Brian Fallon, et al, The Neurological Manifestations of Lyme Borreliosis and said I’d saved her looking for it. My psychologist helped me plan for my visit to the LLMD I finally found. Maybe a mental practitioner can help you sort it all out--just don’t get committed! next
Here is a short list of words that have appeared in print, describing the typical Lyme personality: perfectionist, overemotional, maudlin, super -critical, impatient, anxious, restless, agitated, easily frustrated, hypersensitive, angry, forgetful, easily confused (can’t learn new things rapidly, misplaces things weirdly, reverses words, can’t prioritize information, get your tongue tangled a lot), disoriented (get lost a lot, go to the wrong place), clumsy (bump into things, fall over things, drop things).
Add physical symptoms and odd-appearing behaviors the patient came up with to compensate for them, and you do not have a picture of the person most likely to succeed --professionally or socially--in America. This person is not confident and “can-do.” This person may well be an alcoholic or drug abuser. This person is going to be disliked. If it has been going on for a while, this person is probably poor. Not only is this person going to have a hard time holding her own with the doctor, but she might have trouble just shopping. Not surprisingly, social withdrawal is high on the list of psychiatric Lyme symptoms. Generating a personality acceptable to normal people just requires more energy than a chronic Lyme patient may have and slight blips in the social flow may hurt too much when the B-flats* have destroyed one’s emotional resilience. One might conclude that it is better to avoid people altogether. (*B-flat=Bb, the abbreviation for both Borrelia burgdorferi and the musical key of B-flat. I call ’em B-flats to amuse myself, as a handy visualization technique and because it’s easier to say than Borrelia, spirochete or Lyme bacterium.)
I think that what Lyme patients experience socially, as a result of the impression they make on others, impedes diagnosis and self-diagnosis and exacerbates symptoms. It is a vicious circle worth trying to break. Here are some thoughts that are helping me break it.
1) The definition of mental illness. What is or is not accepted as normal behavior depends entirely on who’s doing the accepting. A diagnosis of mental disorder is greatly influenced by the gender, race, ethnic group, age, social class, politics, language and religion of both parties. That is not to say there is no such thing as mental illness, only that it happens in a social context that must be included in any truly objective diagnosis.This is the theme of Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the sociological version of which is Erving Goffman’s Asylums. Both describe a social dynamic familiar to chronic Lyme patients. Once someone describes you as having somatization disorder or hypochondria, every doctor you see is going to think “mental” before they think “physical” and God help you if your mental slate was not entirely clean when the tick bit you. Not only that, but the more you dispute the doctor, the more certain the doctor is that your problems are psychiatric, regardless of any credentials or expertise you may claim. If the doctor is inclined to attribute mental instability to particular groups of people and you ‘re in one of those groups, forget it.
A suggestion: First, reduce all mental assessments others make of you in direct proportion to your assessment of their objectivity. Depending on the results, you may wish to swallow your pride and take them up on it. Go see a mental practitioner, if you can afford it. All the ones I saw (all female) eliminated mental illness after hearing my story. They said no wonder I was depressed and supported my determination to find an LLMD before gobbling antidepressants. One said only one percent of patients referred for hypochondria actually have it. Another said, “Yes, I see the swelling in your knee and the bumps on your joints.” (Most of the medical doctors had ignored them.) Another was overjoyed when I handed her a copy of Brian Fallon, et al, The Neurological Manifestations of Lyme Borreliosis and said I’d saved her looking for it. My psychologist helped me plan for my visit to the LLMD I finally found. Maybe a mental practitioner can help you sort it all out--just don’t get committed! next
Ticks carry more than just
Lyme disease! Including:
0 -Ehrlichia;
o -Bartonella;
0 -Babesia;
o -Q- Fever;
0 -Tularemia;
o -Tick-borne Encephalitis;
0 -Mycoplasma;
o -Relapsing Fever;
0 -Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and others.
Never WAIT and SEE about a tick bite, please! Quickly and properly treated infections are less likely to progress to later stage or chronic disease.
Sometimes tick bites are
mistaken for spider bites!
Some diseases may be spread by animal bites or scratches and from mosquitoes, fleas or lice.
There is still so much to learn about Lyme disease and related infections.
Sometimes Lyme disease and related infectious diseases are undiagnosed for years, even decades!
Watch closely for symptoms after tick bites. Some never see a tick or a bulls-eye rash.
Don't ignore tick-borne disease symptoms!
If you feel sick, ask a doctor!
SYMPTOMS may include:
0 -Tick bites;
o -Fever; Flu symptoms;
0 -All kinds of Rashes;
o -Muscle; Joint; Neck Pain;
0 -Body Aches; Weakness
o -Light /Sound Sensitivity;
0 -Bells Palsy; Nerve pain;
o -Insomnia; Poor memory
0 -Headaches; Numbness;
o -Mood disorders; Confusion;
0 -Extreme Fatigue; Exhaustion
Never let tick-borne diseases progress!
Lyme and associated diseases are often MISTAKEN FOR OTHER ILLNESSES, Including:
0 -Chronic Fatigue;
o -Fibromyalgia;
0 -Hypochondria;
o -Multiple Sclerosis;
0 -Lupus;
o -Rheumatoid Arthritis;
0 -Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS);
o -Alzheimer's and
0 -Parkinson's disease
******************
Don't be fooled about ticks and their diseases.
******************
Directly affecting humankind, worldwide:
W H A T H A P P E N E D
when the U.S. Senate addressed the Centers for Disease Control regarding Lyme disease?
Consult a good doctor!
Visit ILADS, LDF, LymeNet or LDA to find a specialist in your location.
Protect your children and your family.
Learn about ticks and their many diseases.
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TICK
BYTES:
- TICKS KNOW NO BOUNDARIES -
Tick-borne diseases are spreading rapidly in many countries across the world -not only in Scandinavia, UK, Hungary, Scotland, USA, France, Germany, China, and Australia.
- ONE BIG PROBLEM WITH TESTS -
There is NO 100% accurate Lyme disease test currently available to detect infection or cure. more...
- WHERE TICKS LIVE -
Ticks can be found in and around leaf litter; grass; logs; animal fur; bird feeders; and deer, mice, squirrel, and other small animal habitats.
- HOW TO REMOVE TICKS -
There is only one right way. Promptly and properly remove ticks to avoid infection. Here's how...
- TICKS KNOW NO BOUNDARIES -
Tick-borne diseases are spreading rapidly in many countries across the world -not only in Scandinavia, UK, Hungary, Scotland, USA, France, Germany, China, and Australia.
- ONE BIG PROBLEM WITH TESTS -
There is NO 100% accurate Lyme disease test currently available to detect infection or cure. more...
- WHERE TICKS LIVE -
Ticks can be found in and around leaf litter; grass; logs; animal fur; bird feeders; and deer, mice, squirrel, and other small animal habitats.
- HOW TO REMOVE TICKS -
There is only one right way. Promptly and properly remove ticks to avoid infection. Here's how...
How
to Properly Remove A Tick
Never let tick-borne
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Tick-borne diseases can
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of the body.
Lyme disease and Syphilis are both caused by a type of bacteria called a spirochete.
Tick-borne diseases can KILL!
Ticks travel on mice!
ALWAYS Get Ticks Tested!
Never let tick-borne
infections progress !
Tick-borne diseases can
affect any body part,
organ, and any system
of the body.
Lyme disease and Syphilis are both caused by a type of bacteria called a spirochete.
Tick-borne diseases can KILL!
Ticks travel on mice!
ALWAYS Get Ticks Tested!
Lyme Disease Foundation
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