What perceived mental health issues did you have that were actually physical health related/rooted?

16 comments

1. I had severe depression/anxiety/fatigue from my teens until my mid-20s. I tried therapy, meds, exercise, meditation, sleep studies, lifestyle changes, etc. but nothing helped. Then I tried birth control (so I could delay my period for a vacation) and my mental health issues basically disappeared overnight! I’ve been period-free and almost depression-free ever since.

2. Anxiety. My anxiety manifests very strongly in my GI system. I feel it in my body first and then my brain interprets it as anxiety.

3. [removed]

4. Anxiety, depression, lack of focus, brain fog, insomnia, apathy, etc

   It turns out I have pcos , and because of high cortisol, insulin resistance and magnesium deficiency, I was having all those symptoms.

   They all went away after I adjusted my lifestyle and supplements

5. Depression: pessimism, absolute lack of motivation at work, mental and physical exhaustion, crying crisis, anhedonia…

   Turned out to be just a severe case of Hypothyroidism.

6. Violent mood swings, almost to the level of unhinged. Turns out, it was the birth control. Once I stopped, I evened out so much.

7. I was diagnosed with anxiety, depression and stress as a teenager. In my early twenties all the physical symptoms got worse and I was finally referred to a neurologist. Turns out it was MS all along.

8. I’ve always had anxiety since I was a kid, and I know how it manifests in me. But about five years ago I had REALLY BAD anxiety, dizzy spells, constant shaking and heart racing to where I couldn’t even leave the house. I work from home and I found myself hyperventilating over having to write an email. I love my job! It just was way way worse than anxiety I usually experience.

   I went to the doctor and everything came out normal. I even had a lump on my thyroid biopsied but it was a benign cyst and my hormones were normal. I really thought I was losing my mind and considered therapy again.

   Then my doctor called me back with some blood tests and very casually said “your iron is pretty low. I’d get some vitamins.” Turns out my ferritin was at a 9, and the healthy levels BEGIN at 11. My other iron count was also really low. It took six months of taking a 300% iron pill before literally all the symptoms of my anxiety went away. Now I’m just back to the regular anxiety I always have lol.

9. My parents were neglectful, so I was never taught the basics of physical health: exercise, healthy diet, proper hygiene, hydration, sleep routines, etc. My father bullied a psychiatrist into putting me on SSRIs at 13. I struggled with extreme suicidal ideation and emotional disruptions from ages 11 to 24.

   Over time, I taught myself all of those healthy habits, and my mental illnesses disappeared. Don’t get me wrong, I can still be moody, but it’s nothing like how I used to be. I feel like an entirely different person.

10. I have dealt with Chronic Pain since around 1998. Beforehand I had issue but I could work through them. I have dealt with depression and suicidal thoughts for the past 25 years. Attempted suicide in 2014 and the recovery from that has been excruciating, but here I am.
    Edit: forgot to say that anemia has been another life long “friend” of mine.

11. Vitamin B deficiency reduces brain function and induces depression- gotta eat the greens and veg

12. Irritability, shaking, dizziness, loss of focus, memory loss, loss of communication. I thought it was adhd or nerves, but turned out I’m hypoglycemic.

13. PMDD. Everyone told me it was just pms and I needed to get over it because “everyone has it!”. Turns out there was a reason I was literally crawling out of my own skin every month, and I wasn’t being dramatic.

    There’s no specific cure for it, but putting a name on it has been really helpful. My mindset about it has changed from “I’m being dramatic” and white knuckling my way through life to “this is not something everyone else has and it’s healthy for me to relax and focus on taking care of myself during this time”. It still feels like shit, but it’s nice to not be beating myself up about it anymore.

14. anxiety, depression and brain fog from having terrible gut health. i take my medications in the morning on an empty stomach with coffee 💀 so basically the absolute worst things you can do.

    i started taking those mini activia probiotic drinks in the morning and occasionally eating more throughout the day and probiotics have changed me for the absolute best.

15. Hereditary Angioedema. For years & years I had tightness in my throat, stomach upsets (bloody painful), I felt lumps in back of my throat, hoarse voice etc and because I have bipolar it was written off as anxiety. It almost killed me & i spent a lot of time in the ICU before anyone bothered to help with a proper diagnosis. I live in Australia where we have mostly free medical btw. I’m just now getting past the anger after being diagnosed for 3 years.

16. Went to the ER for chest pains, got told was anxiety. Turned out to be h pylori.