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ScarlettMay Losing faith in the Mental Health system
  • replies: 5

After a series of unfortunate life events, I have been diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression. In the last 8 months I have tired every avenue available to me in an attempt to counter this dibilitating health issue. Tried various types of medica... View more

After a series of unfortunate life events, I have been diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression. In the last 8 months I have tired every avenue available to me in an attempt to counter this dibilitating health issue. Tried various types of medications, including serveral anti-depressants, all of which have just given me more problems to contend with than I had to start with. Don't even get me started on all the horrible side effects of anti-dep meds. I have Seen and worked with countless doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, CAT teams, HITH teams, plus my local GP. Most of these people say the same things - Meditation, breathing/counting exercises, distraction techniques, listen to rainforest music etc which I'm sure are a great help to some however to me and others at the height of a full blown anxiety/panic attack or episode in which you feel as though you are dying, I can tell you they are useless. I have stopped taking all medication now ( safely ) as I feel after taking it for 8 months and to be feeling worse, I don't think it's doing what the doc's are saying it should be. My latest doctor took me off her books without letting me know ( I found out when I called the reception to make an appointment ) and I am now unable to speak with her. Kind of a slap in the face actually, especially to someone who is so actively trying to fix my health. I'm sure because I refused anymore medication she felt she couldn't help me. I really feel as though there isn't enough known about these serious mental health issues and how to fix them. I am aware meds can take some time to fully work however I think 8 months is plenty of waiting. Everyone says you need to have patience, you won't be like this forever, or its just a bad patch, but for someone with serious mental health issues RIGHT NOW to know there is no answer or helpful advice RIGHT NOW is a terrible terrible feeling. I really have lost faith in the system and in my doctors. I feel as though what I am expressing is falling on deaf ears and unless I continue with medication they cannot help me. (Even though meds haven't helped me at all ) Surely I cannot be the only person feeling this way.

Cas221 Hello. I need advice.
  • replies: 5

Hi. I'm going to see a psychiatrist soon (for severe depression - I've had it for three years now and I want to feel better) but I need some advice. I saw a psychologist a year or so ago but had to stop going because it was anxiety inducing and I fou... View more

Hi. I'm going to see a psychiatrist soon (for severe depression - I've had it for three years now and I want to feel better) but I need some advice. I saw a psychologist a year or so ago but had to stop going because it was anxiety inducing and I found it hard to speak. I have autism which means when I'm nervous and need to speak I laugh instead of talking. I guess you could say I'm partly non-verbal. As you can probably tell, this is a problem because it's important for me to be able to communicate with the other person. I don't know if the psychiatrist will have much patience for my laughing. The psychologist I saw last year kept thinking that I found something funny which was frustrating because I was actually trying really hard to speak but could only laugh. So I need some advice. Is there any way for a partly non-verbal person to communicate to a medical professional? Has anyone else had this problem and can share advice with me please? Thankyou. If I'm not making any sense please let me know

Waterfalls See the doc but not just ANY doc
  • replies: 9

Hi. There are good docs out there, but unfortunately i dont have one right now. I've learned the hard way that i have to 'shop around' and i cannot just place my faith in someone just because they are a psychiatrist. 2 experiences recently i consider... View more

Hi. There are good docs out there, but unfortunately i dont have one right now. I've learned the hard way that i have to 'shop around' and i cannot just place my faith in someone just because they are a psychiatrist. 2 experiences recently i consider as serious misconduct. 1. Psyche I've seen for years gives up, implants negativity that I'm not 'one of those people that can meditate', that it's 'my personality' = your fault. 'No pills are going to work for you' Icing on the cake is when she fell asleep in my last session. 2. Tried new psyche. After the usual painful preamble he says 'I'm suprised you haven't offed yourself already. Had to call lifeline after that Question: i want to report these people. They are in positions of power and i deem this an abuse of it. I'm afraid though as if I'm not anonymous, they have the money and ego to sue me for defamation of character and icant give proof add sessions not recorded. At the same time i dint want anyone else having this experience with these 2 doctors EVER.

CrazyKitten Should I quit before applying for centrelink
  • replies: 5

Hi there, I'm sorry if this is the wrong place. I suffer severe psychiatric issues including a multiple personality, severe anxiety and hallucinations. The worst part is that its trauma related so anti phycotics don't work. I am seeing a psychologist... View more

Hi there, I'm sorry if this is the wrong place. I suffer severe psychiatric issues including a multiple personality, severe anxiety and hallucinations. The worst part is that its trauma related so anti phycotics don't work. I am seeing a psychologist. Its making it impossible for me to keep working, my performance is going down and I'm hanging on by a thread. I'm thinking of applying for a disability pension. I have heard that its really hard to get a pension for mental health but I'm not coping. I'm so scared that if I apply while I'm still working (three days a week) they'll reject me to encourage me to keep working. But I'm scared if I quit first and then get knocked back then I'm leaving myself financially stranded, I'm so stressed out trying to cope with life, I'm not sure how much longer I can hold on. Can someone please advise me?

Coffeebean Nervous about counselling
  • replies: 97

I thought I should post a newbie hello. It seems the polite thing to do, rather than lurking. I am married, mother of two, working part time. I've been taking an antidepressant for almost four weeks now, (first time) and need to see my gp again to ar... View more

I thought I should post a newbie hello. It seems the polite thing to do, rather than lurking. I am married, mother of two, working part time. I've been taking an antidepressant for almost four weeks now, (first time) and need to see my gp again to arrange counselling (also first time). Side effects haven't been too bad, just restlessness and low appetite. I've realised that I'm particularly bad at talking about myself. I am a really, really good listener, but when it comes to talking, nothing comes out. It's almost as if saying "I'm fine" has become automatic.

d7 Neurofeedback - Have you tried it?
  • replies: 2

Hi all, has anyone tried Neurofeedback for Anxiety? I've seen different results showing positive or placebo effects. I'm interested to try it but it's very expensive and so I want to find out as much as I can about it first (typical anxiety symptom r... View more

Hi all, has anyone tried Neurofeedback for Anxiety? I've seen different results showing positive or placebo effects. I'm interested to try it but it's very expensive and so I want to find out as much as I can about it first (typical anxiety symptom right ) thanks Dave

lobbymusic Time for medication - what has your experience been?
  • replies: 5

Working in the mental health field, I know all the tools - from CBT to exercise to eating well to mood boosting vitamins and so forth. Unfortunately, there comes a time when you have to admit you need more. I went through a traumatic period 1.5 years... View more

Working in the mental health field, I know all the tools - from CBT to exercise to eating well to mood boosting vitamins and so forth. Unfortunately, there comes a time when you have to admit you need more. I went through a traumatic period 1.5 years ago and haven't been able to crawl myself out of the it since. Lately, the depression/anxiety has gotten to the point where it can't be ignored. Sleeping all day, no motivation, a permanent sense of doom and sadness...the usual, I suppose. I've been putting off drug therapy - I guess despite everything, I held onto optimism that things would get better given time and effort. Not so. What have your experiences been on anti depressants? I recognise all that our experiences will be different but I guess I'm looking for a bit of a nudge organisation optimism that they will could work - not miraculously but something - no matter how little - to the positive. Thanks in advance

Raven88 First appointment with a psychologist
  • replies: 6

Hello everyone, hoping someone can help or even just talk in the hopes I can calm down, tommorow after years of putting off talking to someone about my anxiety, I am finally seeing a psychologist and I don't want to go, I am scared, no i'm terrified.... View more

Hello everyone, hoping someone can help or even just talk in the hopes I can calm down, tommorow after years of putting off talking to someone about my anxiety, I am finally seeing a psychologist and I don't want to go, I am scared, no i'm terrified. Every time I try to research what to say, what the first session will be like, wondering if that person is the right psych for me, will she diagnose me properly, will I say too much or will I say to little because I will be scared..well every time I try to do or think these things it's just making me worse, tried to sleep and couldn't coz I am too anxious, my heart is pounding a million miles!! I'm so terrified, I am freaking out, I am so worried I am going to have a panic attack soon and i'm surprised I haven't had one by now with all the things going on in my head. I am so lucky, because I have a wonderful group of supportive family and friends but I just can't stop stressing about this, and i'm also rambling, which is another thing I do but I don't know I was just hoping maybe someone will read this and would be able to help me out or even just listen. Thankyou beyond blue.

LaraW The struggles of seeing a psychologist...
  • replies: 3

Hey guys. I have a question about seeing psychologists, maybe you guys can help? So for a few years now, I've been struggling with low self esteem/low self confidence and anxiety issues related to childhood trauma, which has been causing me a lot of ... View more

Hey guys. I have a question about seeing psychologists, maybe you guys can help? So for a few years now, I've been struggling with low self esteem/low self confidence and anxiety issues related to childhood trauma, which has been causing me a lot of stress and resulted in unemployment too. Initially, I was seeing a counsellor at my uni for free, but I was struggling to implement any of the strategies they were giving me, and although it definitely helped to speak up about the issues I was facing, it didn't really feel like I was taking away much from my sessions nor taking practical steps to recovering from mental illness. So eventually, I left because I wasn't really making much progress at all. I went back to my GP to get a mental health care plan, where we discussed the options of medications and seeing a psychologist outside uni. I was really resistant and chose not to take medications (and i don't regret that decision). Anyway, one of my good friends was seeing a private clinical psychologist under a mental health care plan and she recommended them to me, so i got a referral and I've been seeing her ever since. It's been about a year now, and things are going pretty awesome, i feel valued, cared for and respected by my psychologist and i really do feel a bond with her, I've shared a lot of my struggles and she's always listened and been there and given me really helpful strategies to take really small steps to regaining my confidence, working through negative thought patterns and emotions, coping with trauma and managing daily life stresses. Overall its been a pretty awesome experience. But, she's also been consistently late for my sessions which is super frustrating sometimes, and other times my sessions will end really early and we won't use up the full 50 minutes. I've also noticed sometimes she'll just seem really bored, this sounds super lame, but i kinda feel like she's probably frustrated with me for not being able to recovery from my anxiety quickly, and at the moment it just kinda feels like we're going around in circles. Has anyone else faced similar problems when seeing a clinical psychologist? I know this probably doesn't sound like best practice, but i actually feel like i really bond with my psych and care about my sessions, so I'm hesitant to leave. Also, I have a quick question about mental health care plans. My psych told me my care plan expired and to get a new one before coming back, but i thought you could only get one a year?

CoffeeTime Depression onset possibly from contraception - anyone else?
  • replies: 1

Hi there, this is my first post and I'm a little nervous about this... so long story short I've been dealing with depression and anxiety over the past 2 years - it's been very up and down. Sometimes I'm great, but it never lasts too long. I was talki... View more

Hi there, this is my first post and I'm a little nervous about this... so long story short I've been dealing with depression and anxiety over the past 2 years - it's been very up and down. Sometimes I'm great, but it never lasts too long. I was talking to my partner about this last night, and he unexpectedly asked me if it can be a side-effect my my contraception, as he thinks everything started around the time I had that put in. I had never made the connection as to the possibility of this before, so I jumped online to have a look and there are countless women online who have had a similar experience. I have booked in to see my GP to have a chat about this, and I'm seriously going to consider getting it removed. So to get the point, my question is - has anyone else had their depression symptoms start after starting a hormonal birth control / symptoms worsened? I know realistically it's likely to be a combination of things, but it this turns out to be a major contributor, it would be great to discover! Thank you!