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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!

eckybecky How can I pay for help?
  • replies: 4

This is mainly aimed at nsw people. I have already used my Medicare rebate on my mental health plan, but I still need psychologist help. I am too unwell to work and my husband is a student so we have no money. I am desperate. I don't know how to pay ... View more

This is mainly aimed at nsw people. I have already used my Medicare rebate on my mental health plan, but I still need psychologist help. I am too unwell to work and my husband is a student so we have no money. I am desperate. I don't know how to pay for appointments. I need proper sessions not just a quick chat, which means it costs a lot more. Does anyone know any way around this? It's really upsetting me not having someone to help. Rhankyou for listening

Nellym PSYCHOLOGIST and MYSELF????
  • replies: 5

Hi, So I have been recently diagnosed with PTSD and anxiety from several traumas, in my past and also recently. I have been seeing a psychologist and had about 6 sessions so far. I really don't know if they are helping me and that is probably because... View more

Hi, So I have been recently diagnosed with PTSD and anxiety from several traumas, in my past and also recently. I have been seeing a psychologist and had about 6 sessions so far. I really don't know if they are helping me and that is probably because of myself. I find it very difficult to sit there and talk to someone about what I am going through. I think of all these things to say before hand, and when I get in there I seem to 'freeze' and cannot tell them everything. I sometimes come out feeling worse than when I went in. How do people know if their psychologist is the right fit for them? How do I get past the 'freezing' part and tell them everything I need to? Any help would be great.

BlackNBlue Mental Health Plan
  • replies: 22

A while ago I spoke to my GP about issues with depression. This was very hard to do. Have been seeing him for over 20 years now Mentioned about getting a Mental Health Plan. He said that they are a waste of time and don't do any good. I have left it ... View more

A while ago I spoke to my GP about issues with depression. This was very hard to do. Have been seeing him for over 20 years now Mentioned about getting a Mental Health Plan. He said that they are a waste of time and don't do any good. I have left it at that. What else can I try instead?

KMTE Positive results please...
  • replies: 3

Hi I'm a 28 yo mother of two and have recently been diagnosed with anxiety (mostly health anxiety) ocd I've had panic attacks and now I have depression. I've spent hours searching and reading other people's posts about treatments to find mixed mostly... View more

Hi I'm a 28 yo mother of two and have recently been diagnosed with anxiety (mostly health anxiety) ocd I've had panic attacks and now I have depression. I've spent hours searching and reading other people's posts about treatments to find mixed mostly not so good results. So please can people tell me there positive results with medication and anti depressants and how they overcome their issues? I'm meeting with the doctor tomorrow to start some medication and have my second app with health care nurse next week

b_l_u_e_b_e_l_l_ What is "trauma work" in therapy?
  • replies: 6

I saw myour psychiatrist today... for the first time in about 2 years. I've recently been seeing a psychologist and have had to resume medication for severe depression and anxiety. Psych Dr today asked if I have done "trauma work" with a therapist (I... View more

I saw myour psychiatrist today... for the first time in about 2 years. I've recently been seeing a psychologist and have had to resume medication for severe depression and anxiety. Psych Dr today asked if I have done "trauma work" with a therapist (I have a long history of trauma) .... and I said no. Why? I don't know. I'm terrified I suppose that once the lid is off I'll not be able to put it back on and I'll never be ableasier to even pretend I'm ok ever again. What would trauma work entail, in therapy sessions? Has anyone done it and been able to see the long term benefit of having done so? Many thanks in advance..

Retchey Learning about the effects of alcohol while on AD
  • replies: 5

Hi guys, I am currently on AD, the last week and a bit I had been feeling quite well and somewhat balanced (somewhat) just.... Any way last Saturday I went out to visit family friends with my family, and I consumed 4 craft beers over 4-5 hours, since... View more

Hi guys, I am currently on AD, the last week and a bit I had been feeling quite well and somewhat balanced (somewhat) just.... Any way last Saturday I went out to visit family friends with my family, and I consumed 4 craft beers over 4-5 hours, since then I have kind of relapsed into the "hole", I have been racking my brain as to why, and today I dawned upon me (der) it was the amount of alcohol I consumed. Has anyone else experienced this? Regards

highlysensitivepersonhsp My positive experience with CBT
  • replies: 10

Recently I joined mindspot, which is an online course on CBT supported by a therapist if you wish. I have had remarkable success in a short time. Why did it work? Because I studied the lessons and applied the theory to myself. I was smart enough to k... View more

Recently I joined mindspot, which is an online course on CBT supported by a therapist if you wish. I have had remarkable success in a short time. Why did it work? Because I studied the lessons and applied the theory to myself. I was smart enough to know that if I believe in the theory then it might just work. And it did. The key was to challenge my negative thoughts to make them realistic, helpful and true. No matter how true my negative thoughts felt, I was going to use my mental powers to overturn them and reconsider the evidence. I used the list of biases to recognise the tricks my mind played on me and I managed to eradicate them completely. Now I am working on seeing the positives of my experience like the significance of my involvement with my treating team who I have come to appreciate and respect. We are working together after all. Thoughts become negative or destructive when we are anxious or depressed, but by challenging the thoughts and dealing with the underlying problem you can bring yourself out of anxiety and depression. This leads to feeling good about yourself, even if you can't change everything about your situation. Remember the serenity prayer. Although, I now have a renewed optimism for where my life is heading. The journey really is important. It's what carries you through life's challenges. Each success is a feather in your cap. Each failure is a reminder to keep trying or do something different, whatever works for you. Along my journey I set small goals...reading a book, joining a new group, etc. Dealing with negative thoughts makes the journey more enjoyable. Life can be good. It starts with your thinking. Sandra

KMTE Difference between anxiety and med side effects
  • replies: 6

So I know you guys aren't health care professionals but I just thought I would write in for a vent and see if anyone has felt similar. I've recently started medication (4 days in) for health anxiety, anxiety, ocd and I have also suffered from panic a... View more

So I know you guys aren't health care professionals but I just thought I would write in for a vent and see if anyone has felt similar. I've recently started medication (4 days in) for health anxiety, anxiety, ocd and I have also suffered from panic attacks. My anxiety seems to be manageable for a few days then I have a random bad day thrown in which is annoying. So I had a pretty good weekend but last night I hardly slept, which caused a headache and lightheadedness this morning which then caused anxiety and other symptoms which caused a day of panic in general. I calmed myself down over lunch a bit but at school pick up all of a sudden my breathing felt really shallow and I really started noticing it and it felt like I couldn't breathe and I thought I might need to call 000! I did some breathing modules on the headspace app and wound the car window down and settled my breathing down and I managed to finish my day somewhat normal. But the possible med side effects are- anxiety, light headed ness and shallow hard to breath but they are also symptoms of my anxiety. Have called the hospital and health direct and both think if it was a reaction it would be getting worse and wouldn't have settled itself. I am seeing my doctor tomorrow. Has anyone ever experienced anxiety over the possibility of it not being anxiety and a reaction to meds?