It actually does sound like your flat affect. I can overall see when I am being interesting or not to someone. But, I am completely unable to engage in the way I used to before. I can still tell from eye contact when someone has lost interest in what I am saying etc. I am just completely unable to smile in my mind and that doesn't allow me to connect with people.
I was a business consultant in NYC. I have a business background but have always thought heavily about depression, suicidal instincts, interaction stemming from my dad's heart attack and death when I was 12.
But, that said, my personality is of an extreme extrovert. I was going out every couple of days, meeting new people connecting before I got hurt. That obviously feels so far away right now.
The doctor I saw was a Neuropsychiatrist. He is based in Pittsburgh (referred to from a work connection as an expert in PCS) so we had a Skype meeting. I visited his website, he has published several articles on post concussion symptoms, apathy following post concussion, and has been practicing neuropsychiatry for over 25 years.
In terms of testing, he was more interested in just hearing how I interpreted my shortcomings. Since I continued to work for months following my last setback in July, doing a very high quality of work (such that my manager found it hard to believe anything could be wrong other than me just acting "like a weirdo" at work), it seems very unlikely that cognition, analytics are impaired. I can still break down issues and understand problems the same as before, so not as worried about that. I do have trouble finding the right word and accessing memory to some extent, but on days of that blockage removal that didn't feel like a problem at all, so not necessarily my focus right now.
Mark, how did you go about treating that flat affect? Are there certain foods or vitamins more important than others?
Thanks for your answers and concern once again. Since I joined this forum to now, while my "thinking blockage" symptoms themselves have not waned, my anxiety is completely under control which has made life somewhat livable again, and I thank you and everyone here for that.
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Originally Posted by Mark in Idaho
You have lost me about the unsuccessful thinking issue. I know what it means to struggle to think. Accessing memory. word finding. calculating, processing thought, understanding spoken words, spacial relationships, math, imagining, imaging, recognizing facial expressions, etc. None of this sounds like what you describe.
What kind of work did you do ?
You sound like you have a psychology background, at least to me.
Your explanation of interactions sure sound like what I went through back in 1982-3. The depression that was diagnosed was not the morbid, I feel worthless, suicidal, etc. classic definition of depression.
He diagnosed me as having a depressed state of functioning. I had extreme flat affect. I struggled to communicate. I would struggle to finish a sentence/thought. I had a scattered presentation. It was like I was not there in my body. I looked gaunt. I lost weight. He explained it as a chemical overload of my brain cells due to stress and over-attending. It had been years since my last minor concussion. I was just under stress due to being ripped off for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Were you seen by a NeuroPsychiatrist (rare) or NeuroPsychologist ? What kind of diagnostic testing was done ?
I hope the concussion clinic can help you.
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