GAD diagnosis

[Lici]

Hi, first time posting, hopefully someone can help.

So I went to a new doctor the other day (apparently he's registered with beyond blue) and he diagnosed me with GAD. The thing is I'm a bit dubious about this diagnosis as I don't excessively worry about things and have a previous diagnosis of PTSD which would fit most of my symptoms. His diagnosis consisted of asking me a few questions while I was there to see him for a shoulder issue.

I'm wondering if GAD can be diagnosed without the excessive worry and anxiety? The information that I can find on the DSM V diagnostic criteria states that the patient must have the excessive worry. The doctor has given me medication for treatment and I'm a bit nervous about starting a drug that's going to make me gain weight and be tied all the time while I'm at university (studying psychology funnily enough) and have spent a few years learning how to finally deal with things without medication. Should I ask to see a psychiatrist to get a definitive diagnosis before starting treatment? I'm really unsure what to do at the moment as I feel like the clinical psychologists and psychiatrists would have diagnosed me in the past if I had GAD.

Thanks for reading

[Lici]

Hi startingnew,

I'm sorry to hear you've been struggling. Feel free to talk about it here if it will help. Never be sorry for not being around. I know what it's like to need some time out. Hugs.

I've been doing ok. It's a bit boring with no deadlines or exams to study for etc so I've been reading and cleaning and trying to organise the house a little. It's hard though, there's absolutely no storage space in this house so it's making it almost impossible to go through my belongings that are still in boxes from when I moved in last year. I think I'll just stick to organising the kitchen lol at least that is doable!

I'm definitely proud of my marks for sure! I just know there's room for improvement so I'll keep pushing myself to do better and not be complacent with just keeping up with the marks I get consistently if that makes sense?

Seriously, if you need to talk I'm here 😊 I am going away for a week on Sunday though and there's no reception where we're going, but I'll always reply when I can.

I hope you feel a bit better soon.

Lici

[startingnew]

thank you Lici for the offer, but i generally keep my 'stuff' to my thread " its mostly just a drop in mh and my hand injury giving me grief the past few days or more like weeks.

yep that all makes sense, keep up the great work! you can always strive to do better but your marks are still amazing.

it can be boring when we are so busy then we arent. i know im one of those 'what do i do now' sort of people. maybe picking up a hobby might be a good idea

urgh moving isnt much fun, unpacking is so annoying esp with no storage space. my house is like that too.

ooh i hope you have fun while your away! you deserve a break from all your hard work youve been doing!

[Lici]

Oh you have a thread! I wasn't sure, what's the name of it? I'd love to pop over so I can have a read and follow your journey too.

I've got hobbies, unfortunately it's so cold that I don't really have the motivation to get out and do them! I love photography and fishing, but the weather hasn't been the best to get out and do either of them lol.

I moved in with my boyfriend coming up to a year ago now, there's such little room for everything that it's frustrating sometimes. We're slowly getting storage shelving etc from Ikea so we can organise everything but money has been tight and then we wanted to reward ourselves by going to Arkaroola in the outback to get some good milky way photos and do some bird and landscape photography as well. If only gumnuts were money, we'd all be rich then! 😂

In the meantime I just look on the Ikea website and the wish app at all of their storage ideas and make giant wishlists of things I want to get eventually. One day this place will be organised!

[startingnew]

hey Lici, yes i do have a thread it is called 'not coping after disclosure however my sory has changed very much since then (your welcome to read the first page or 2 if you like but can be triggerring) so the last few pages are probably best to catch up on.

do you have any indoor hobbies like arts and crafts? or baking? or puzzles?

i really hope you enjoy the time away! it sounds really great!

oh yes it can be sooo frustrating having no room! i shared a room with 2 siblings at one point. that wasnt fun! thankfully that has since changed!

[Lici]

Hi startingnew,

I'll have a look at your thread soon 😊 thanks for telling me the title of it!

I used to love drawing and painting but as like any skill, I lost it from lack of practice after I left high school and was living on the streets etc.

These days I write, but uni has kind of killed my motivation to work on my novel idea because I write so much during semester 😂 so I've started reading the set readings for my English topics next semester. We're reading the handmaid's tale, 1984, clade and the violent century for one topic and Frankenstein, Dracula, Dr jekyll and mr hyde and a few others for the other topic. So gothic fiction and dystopian. I'm looking forward to the story assignments for those! Will be interesting to try writing a gothic story and a dystopian.

I've already finished the handmaid's tale, it's really quite scary to read with the way the world is at the moment. I'm on to 1984 now which is also going to be quite scary given today's political environment. It's amazing how such old books can have so much relevance still!

Today I went shopping and got some baskets and other storage things and attacked my kitchen. It's much more organised in three cupboards now! I might try attacking the plastic container cupboard tomorrow. It's such a mess though that I'm scared to open it! I don't know what's brought on my sudden organising obsession but I'll run with it while I have the motivation!

I'm definitely going to enjoy the time away. I loved flinders ranges national park when we went there a few years ago, hopefully the northern flinders ranges will be just as spectacular! We try to go somewhere like that once or twice a year just to relax in nature and take photos etc. It's great for my MH too!

Sharing with siblings is the worst! My family lived in a caravan at one stage and there was 4 of us kids. It was a nightmare!

I hope you're having a good night!

Hugs

Lici

[Lici]

Sometimes I wish I lived in a different state or country. Somewhere far away from my mother where she can't follow me.

I love her and everything (I guess) but we have a very tentative relationship due to the stuff she did to me in the past and the fact that she says that she can't remember my biological father's name so I've grown up since 18 feeling like I don't really know a whole side of myself. She's also pretty narcissistic and she suffers from some sort of MI but she's never been diagnosed and never will be. She also likes to downplay any of her kids MI (such as saying things like I worry too much and should just get over it when I'm feeling anxious about something). She never lets me talk about things going on in my life, she either ignores me by looking at fb on her phone and then talks over me about whatever she's reading or switches topics so it's back on her.

Anyway, she runs a charity (what she usually changes topics to be about whenever I'm talking about uni etc) and recently there was an article put up about her and the charity on a national news fb page. The charity helps a lot of people and she does do a good job (even if my sister's and I sometimes wonder about if her motivations are truly selfless).

So this article goes up and she calls me today and says that a father at a church contacted her and is going to set up a proper premises and that she's moving... to my suburb.

Just when I thought that I had moved far enough away to get some distance from constantly being guilted into driving her around everywhere and helping in her shop because she "doesn't have anyone else to help" and suffering through her tantrums when I say no and being made to feel like crap etc. She moves near me again. It's like she's following me.

Even though I'm glad that she's finally getting the help she needs for the charity, at the same time my muscle tension is back so I know I'm starting to get anxious because I know she's going to try and start the same old stuff she did when she was living close to me before. It makes me feel like a really crappy person because I should just be happy that she's gotten the help and recognition that her charity deserves.

I'm actually tearing up right now I feel so crap about it. I just keep thinking out of everywhere that could have contacted her, why did it have to be a church in my suburb?!

[startingnew]

Hey Lici


wow youve had it rough havent you!, maybe you could take up an art again one day. Im always encouraging people to do the things they like to do.


Oh my ive been watching the handmaids tale on sbs its so intense!


Yay good on your for getting through your kitchen! Slow and steady but once its done it only needs some maintenacne not full on work!.


Where your going sounds really lovley! Youll have to take a pic to share here on yoru avatar! I love photography.




I just read your post from today. It sounds really rough with your mum, I dont have a very good relationship with mine either. Urgh! Poor you of all places to be shes moving to your area. Perhaps even though shes close you can still keep a comfortable distance from her. Fingers crossed that she wont start trouble for you.
Hugs xox

[Lici]

Hey startingnew,

Yeah I've had a pretty rough life, I never really realised how rough it was because it was normal for me. That's why I want to become a psychologist, so I can put everything I've been through to some use and make it all into a positive!

We're going to watch the latest episode of the handmaid's tale tonight. It's a lot different to the book, but the tv show is awesome at expanding what was written. It's such an intense show but I really think it's needed to wake people up a bit as to the path society could go down if we let it.

I'll definitely put one of my pictures up as my avatar when I get back! I've been thinking of changing it to another of my bird photos actually. The brown falcon that I'm using is one of my best bird photos though. I was so proud of the detail in it! I might leave changing it until I get back, I'll have way too many photos to choose from though!

It's really hard to describe my relationship with mum. We're ok as long as I never disagree with her and let her have things her way. I can say no to her as long as I have a valid reason. If I say no just because I don't want to, she has a tantrum. I guess in the end it's a pretty toxic relationship if I let her get to me. The thing is, it's hardly ever the things she actually says, it's her tone and the things she doesn't and what's between the lines. For example, when she asks for something it's never actually asking. She'll say something along the lines of "I don't know how I'm going to get to the bank. Such and such was supposed to take me but she's sick and I don't have money to catch the bus. Guess I'll sort something out." And then if I don't say "oh I'll take you" she'll have an attitude when she talks to me and then will say "never got to the bank and now I'm behind in rent. I'll end up on the streets at this rate" which makes me feel like crap. She does it to my sister as well (my other sister stopped talking to her). It had calmed down for me and my sister who lives closer was copping it instead because I moved 45 minutes away from her, but now it's going to start again. Before she got this help from the church, she got an eviction notice so was all "I'll just live in the charity's van, people do it all the time" she said it to both me and my sister and I know it was so one of us would say "you can't do that! Stay here" the thing is neither of us have the room. So again we're left feeling like crap. The manipulation is really draining!

[startingnew]

hey Lici

i think its so great you want to be a psychologist, i was told i would be a good one or a nurse. they are both options for the future but atm need to focus abit more on the here and now.

i watched the handmaids tale last night, it is really intense. i can only watch it when im ok otherwise can be really upsetting.

ah yes i have a similar situation with my mum however she only does it to me. my sisters couldnt do anything wrong by her. i guess thats life though. i really hope that your mum isnt going to have any more troubles with her though now that she has help etc.

[Lici]

Hey startingnew,

Definitely don't rule anything out for the future! I'm 39 and in my third year at uni. It took most of my life to get to a headspace where I felt well enough to do it. I read a quote on fb the other day that said:

"You're not behind in life. There's no schedule or timetable that we all must follow. It's all made up. Wherever you are right now is exactly where you need to be. Seven billion people can't do everything in exactly the same scheduled order. We are all different with a variety of needs and goals. Some get married early, some get married late, while others don't get married at all. What is early? What is late? Compared with whom? Compared with what? Some want children, others don't. Some want a career, others enjoy taking care of a house and children. Your life is not on anyone else's schedule. Don't beat yourself up for where you are right now. It's YOUR timeline, not anyone else's, and nothing is off schedule."

it really resonated with me because I was so hard on myself in my 20s because I was mentally messed up, had no job etc. I thought "I should be in a career, married etc by 30" it always added to my depression. I wish I had seen that quote then. Now I know that it doesn't matter if I'm 45 by the time I actually become a psychologist. All that matters is that I've done it.

Handmaid's tale was indeed really intense! I'm interested to see how Serena acts now. The season finale is going to be interesting that's for sure!

Ugh I saw my mum tonight and made the mistake of saying that she should see if the church that's helping her would also help her get her license. You would have thought I had said something really offensive. As far as she's concerned she doesn't need or want a license because other people will do everything for her. I'm not enabling that anymore. I swear I'm never going to drive her anywhere again. My boyfriend joked and said he'd make me a taxi sign. Not going to happen! He also said that he's noticed my anxiety has increased since my mum told me about moving and it's like I've gone backwards and it's undone everything. I didn't think it was that bad. I guess I can see why my second sister said that she stopped talking to mum because mum isn't good for her mental health. How messed up is that?! Your mother is supposed to support you etc. Instead she's one of the reasons we're so messed up mentally.

I can't wait until we go away tomorrow. I really need a breather lol