[andymania]

After reading so much about all the stories about DR/DP on this site, I can't fathom the ones who had this disorder at a chronic level for most of there lives. 20 yrs of chronic DR/DP........How do you guys do it? I had it real bad for only 6-7 months but it seemed like eternity and words can't describe the terror. I applaud all of you who have been battling this for so long.

Now, such common problems in life such lack of money, getting a job, etc seem so petty in comparison to what DR/DP is. Everytime I hear some college chick being stressed out about Diesel Jeans running out of jeans, I just want to slap her. That aint stress. That's a Nintendo Game dilemma.

I applaud all you.

-Andy

 

[Television]

Haha, i completely agree. My friend was completely stressing and worrying because her friend was possibly going to cheat on her boyfriend, and she's 17. I'd love that to be my main dilemma.

 

[Milan]

When ever I hear someone whingeing about something petty, I can't help but think - shut the f**k up! If you only could have this sh*t for half a day you'd know what real suffering is and never complain again. But then who am I to talk - I use to worry about all that petty stuff before. Enough said.

 

[lemontea]

I would so much like to worry about such stupid things again. :?

 

[Scattered]

And yet our suffering is petty compared to someone starving to death in a third world country, dying of AIDS, or dying of any other of the many degenerative brain diseases that slowly takes away your ability to function as a human being. Suffering is truly relative. Your complaints can be considered just as ridiculous to someone who goes through a greater pain that you can't fathom.

Point being we should be understanding of all suffering, no matter how great or how small.

EDIT: obviously some things may take priority over others.

 

[andymania]

I'd rather starve to death than have this.

 

[Sojourner]

The solution is for you to focus on the small stuff, folks.

Haven't you been listening? 8)

 

[lemontea]

I try to focus on small things - but even when I do that, I don't care about what I'm doing. It just makes no sense. Even If I was starving to death, I wouldn't care about it.

 

[Scattered]

I think its easy to make quick judgements about how bad you're situation is when you have no reference as to how something else may or may not feel. Its simple to experience alot of mental pain and then claim there is no greater pain. The truth, as I see it, is that you just don't know. You're going through alot of problems that are serious and seem to be the center of you're existence, so much so that you can't really see beyond it. You can't see that others go through similiar but different pains everyday, and yes there are many who are probably worse. The only function I think this serves is to give a greater perspective and allow you to realize you are not as bad off as you claim you are, and you still have the ability to improve.

 

[andymania]

Scattered,

Sorry, But I think this illness is up there in rank. Sure, probably dying of AIDS, or starving in Africa is worse, but I would never say this is illness is "petty" or hardly anything compared to those two. No way.

 

[Scattered]

I said its petty compared to someone going through a life threatening illness, or a psychological/physical illness that wouldnt even allow them the ability to come to a message board and post about how bad they feel. All problems are serious to those who are experiencing them subjectively and consider them to be so. The same way having a problem with your girlfriend or something not going you're way during the day is serious to someone who hasn't experienced depersonalization or mental illness.

The whole point is that this robs you of perspective. Completely. If you're saying that starving to death is as bad as this, then perhaps you have a problem that is far greater than DP/DR. Otherwise you're like everyone else, including myself, who consider their own personal tragedies to be of greater value, or of a greater degree of suffering, than those of many others.

 

[andymania]

Of course this disorder can be life threatning. An uneducated person could kill themself if he is not aware of how this disorder works.