My Physicalmental Illness

In which John discusses labyrinthitis, OCD, categories, the body in thought, and the body in pain.
TWO MAJOR NOTES:

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[cynnicysm]

My wife shared a quote with me once that I find really helps me de-categorize the way I think of things: “Categories are useful. Categories are not real.”

[maddieesme]

The way John talks about OCD & health is so comforting. I always feel calmer when I finish a video - frankly, I would listen to you read your grocery lists! <33

[vlogbrothers]

Hi. There is a typo in the footnote in the video. This a catastrophe. I am immensely sorry. Here are the promised expanded footnotes to this video. Also, thanks for being here with us and I hope you like the video and I hope you are doing okay.








If you have any further questions, feel free to leave them in replies! -John

[aimeeaikins]

As a person who deals with anxiety, depression and an autoimmune disease that is exacerbated by the other two, I have a deep understanding of this issue. Thank you again John for your candid conversations about topics that are usually avoided.

[austinhehir]

My dads a physical therapist. He talks about "rewiring the brain" all the time but struggles understanding my mental illness. I never thought of it like this and I think this way of thinking about it will be super helpful with him and others. Thank you!

[LucijaC]

John - here's the thing: I think about you every time I garden, because I think I enjoy it almost as much as you do :) So if you ever run out of ideas for videos - I think I speak for all of Nerdfighteria when I say a veggy garden tour would be really nice!

[dcowan]

"Of course it is all happening in your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean it is not real" -Dumbledore

[StellarSpell]

“To have great pain is to have certainty and to hear about pain is to have doubt” I'm in love with this quote now, it makes so much sense sadly.

[jobriq]

Every time John tells this story, I think “How will I ever get out of this labyrinthitis?” and it’s still incredibly funny to me

[loc]

The older I get the more life feels like a “both/and” and not an “either/or” but medicine and diagnostic criteria doesn’t always account for that complexity or duality.

[Thoughtspresso]

I have never before felt more seen than now, by the eyes of a man not looking at me, but at a camera, telling through it that the illness and pain I felt is not any less real. Thank you for this, John.

[sophierice]

The phrase “it’s all in your head” never made sense to me because yeah, you got it, that’s where the problem is. My brain is in my head, and it’s a whole organ that’s part of my body! What do you mean my illness isn’t real because it’s in my head!

[meri]

With Simone Biles stepping out of the Olympics, I’ve been seeing a lot of discussion about physical vs mental health. I think this idea that the two aren’t so separate is a really good solution to the unnecessary discourse around Biles’ decision. A mental health issue is a health issue.

[Sydney-ochd]

John, I want to thank you for this video. In 6th grade I suffered from a severe concussion that has now led to me having chronic headaches. During the first few months of near constant migraines and headaches, staff and teachers dismissed my pain and thought I was lying for attention or lying to avoid school because of my anxiety. To hear the words “other people’s pain is as real as our own” is not only a reminder for myself but is a reminder that there are people out there who believe you and your pain.

[Dasnazzypenguin]

Something a friend said that's always stuck with me on this topic. "Telling someone with poor mental health it's 'just in your head' is like telling someone with pneumonia that water is 'just in your lungs'"

[nintando]

"we just don't really understand those differences very well yet."
yet.
that one word brought me so much hope.

[nataliekimmerlein]

I was diagnosed with vestibular migraines about six years ago when I was 14. That was after about two years of a misdiagnosis of virus-caused inner ear nerve damage. That physical therapy you talked about just didn’t work for me (because what I was dealing with was actually not supposed to be treated by it) and I had pretty much come to terms with the fact that I’d be dizzy and untrusting of my balance for the rest of my life. Luckily though, a new and wonderful doctor took a second look and diagnosed me with migraine. It made a lot of sense- my bouts of vertigo were often stress induced, which migraines often are and I was a “high achieving female” (🙄) which migraines seem to affect more frequently. The second best part of this diagnosis, behind the fact that I was getting answers after two years of confusion, is that it could be treated with a pill (an antidepressant, actually) which I’ve been taking for six years and have had immense improvement in my quality of life. Thanks John for putting into words the weirdness that is vestibular illness. Describing the indescribable symptoms is one of the hardest parts of having a messed up inner ear. Though I would never wish vestibular migraines on my worst enemy, they certainly are a great way to understand how the mind and body are inextricably linked.

[xliquidflames]

As a chronic pain patient, I cannot thank you enough for saying all of this out loud. I've had doctors actually roll their eyes when I tell them what I have. Doctors! It's so frustrating.

[yonbonny]

I was not ready for that bombshell at the end.

"Other people's pain is as real as our own."

That's an incredibly comforting statement. I needed that, thank you.

[thejesuschrist]

Thank you so much for this. I really needed this right now.