The Student Room Group

Am i mentally ill?

Right Heres The Deal,

Last October I was diagnosed with crohns disease (wich is inflamation of the bowel for those who dont know) I was in hospital for a week and sent home on enternal feeds and was not allowed to have anything o eat for six weeks i maged the first month or so quite well but the in the last two weeks i just gave up and started eating any way i didnt tell the doctor or my parents.

Recently i was admited to hospital and they said it was thje crohns flaring up again wich i pressume it is because i ate last time i was in hospital for just over a week and sent home again with the enternal feeds and anti biotics.When i got home i found it really hard adjusting to normal life again i so io decided to not take my tablets so i could go back to hospital (because they said if it didnt work i would need surgery). I went back to the hosital on friday and they said it seems to be getting better and gave me another corse of anti biotics wich i have not took any of wich i dont know why because im not bothered about goin back to hospital anymore i just dont bother taking them.

Am i mentally ill? because i read thid thing about people making them selves in for attention.Do i need help?
As i know i should be taking my tablets but still dont.

Sorry about the big long paragraph but advice would be apraciated.

Thanks xxx

Reply 1

I don't think you're mentally ill, no. I just think someone from the hospital needs to talk to you about the implications of Crohn's later on in your life (whether this is a counsellor, nurse, whoever) so that the reality of the situation might hit home and make you take your medication. I've heard of recently-diagnosed diabetics doing similar things such as eating lots of sugary foods when they know they shouldn't, just because they're having trouble adjusting and just want to be normal. Good luck getting it sorted out - as you say, you know you should take your medication.

Reply 2

Hi
I can understand you are feeling a little frustrated by all of this, and just so you know I dont think you are mentally ill, but i do think it is a way of you coping maybe?? My friend has Crohns disease, and she was very ill in hospital, and she didnt think she would ever get over it, it took her a while, with support, but she did get over it. I dont know if that helps you.

Maybe speaking to your parents or your GP or someone you trust will make you feel better, just so that you can talk and get things of your chest.

I hope that this helps???
xxSammixx

Reply 3

The mental illness you're most probably thinking of is Munchausen's (or you might have heard it called Hospital Addiction Syndrome colloquially), where the sufferer fakes an illness to get attention. I would say you're almost definitely not suffering from this, as you clearly do have a real illness, you're just avoiding treating it so that you don't have to deal with "real life". However, if you don't know why you're not taking your antibiotics, I would urge you to speak to a psychologist to help you deal with the emotional aspects of your diagnosis. The hospital staff who you've dealt with so far should be able to arrange this pretty easily. I also think it would be a good idea to tell your parents, because you are jeopardising your health and for now it's important you have someone to make you take your tablets whether you want to or not. Don't feel ashamed of your behaviour - Crohn's is pretty serious and involves some fairly major lifestyle changes so it's no wonder you've felt pretty overwhelmed, but you can rest assured you're most likely not suffering from any mental illness, just having a little difficulty coming to terms with the whole thing. It is best you get professional help so that you can work through it.

Reply 4

Anonymous
io decided to not take my tablets so i could go back to hospital (because they said if it didnt work i would need surgery). I went back to the hosital on friday ....gave me another corse of anti biotics wich i have not took any


If you continue being noncompliant, you will have surgery and will walk around with an ileostomy bag. . Imagine having a squishy leaky bag full of faeces glued to your abdomen when you go to a party :eek: :eek:

And if the non-compliance continues even then, in a few years, you will have vaginal and cutaneous fistulas and faeces will leak out of your vagina and perineum. You can then say goodbye to boy/girlfriend or any sort of normal sexual or family life. On the plus side, coprophiliacs will adore you. :eek: :eek:

I know people who have done this and have had these consequences.
You are not mentally ill. Just mentally stupid.

Reply 5

Anonymous
Right Heres The Deal,

Last October I was diagnosed with crohns disease (wich is inflamation of the bowel for those who dont know) I was in hospital for a week and sent home on enternal feeds and was not allowed to have anything o eat for six weeks i maged the first month or so quite well but the in the last two weeks i just gave up and started eating any way i didnt tell the doctor or my parents.

Recently i was admited to hospital and they said it was thje crohns flaring up again wich i pressume it is because i ate last time i was in hospital for just over a week and sent home again with the enternal feeds and anti biotics.When i got home i found it really hard adjusting to normal life again i so io decided to not take my tablets so i could go back to hospital (because they said if it didnt work i would need surgery). I went back to the hosital on friday and they said it seems to be getting better and gave me another corse of anti biotics wich i have not took any of wich i dont know why because im not bothered about goin back to hospital anymore i just dont bother taking them.

Am i mentally ill? because i read thid thing about people making them selves in for attention.Do i need help?
As i know i should be taking my tablets but still dont.

Sorry about the big long paragraph but advice would be apraciated.

Thanks xxx



It seems like you are finding it hard to accept it and get on with your life, like you are putting it to the front of your mind rather than the back, or vica versa, which is it? Maybe you feel that if you let it get to its worst and keep going to hospital they will do something about it and you will be cured?

Try taking the anti biotics, they could benefit you for a lifetime, you could still go to hospital if you wanted to lol. You don't sound mentally Ill just not bothered and laid back, which is good.

Reply 6

fundamentally
I know people who have done this and have had these consequences.
You are not mentally ill. Just mentally stupid.


Shes not stupid or else she wouldn't be questioning herself and posting on here (sorry if its a he). The hospital should have informed them better.

Reply 7

Thanks for the advice
I Dont really have anyone i can talk to about this but im just going to try and get through it.
I have just taken one of my anti-biotics not sure if they will still work but its worth a try i spose.

Reply 8

The antibiotics will still work in the sense that they will rid you of any bacterial infection still present. Whether you have done other damage to your gut remains to be seen. You say you have no one to talk to, but several people here have recommended telling your parents and/or talking to a hospital psychologist/GP/nurse?

Reply 9

You need to take your medication, this is coming from someone who suffers from Crohn's. I was diagnosed with Crohn's at a young age and i've been off of medication for around ten years. Taking your medication is incredibly important, if you want to go back to leading a "normal" life then you best take your medication because without it, you are making things worse. You keep this up, where will you be in five years time?

Dealing with something like this is very difficult but we are speaking about your health here, is your health important to you? If it is then you need to speak to someone about the problems that you are having coming to terms with your illness. Speak to your parents and speak to your doctor, they can refer you to someone and speaking to them will hopefully help you realise that what you are doing can harm your health in the long run.

Take your medication....

Reply 10

I saw someone with pyoderma gangrenosum from untreated Crohns.
Nasty. Dont let this happen to you.