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Stargirl23 Concerns about Diagnosis?
  • replies: 7

Hey everyone, bit scary putting this out here but I need some advice and you all seem very knowledgable about all things mental health. A little context to start: I'm 20, currently going through pretty rough time. Been diagnosed with anxiety & depres... View more

Hey everyone, bit scary putting this out here but I need some advice and you all seem very knowledgable about all things mental health. A little context to start: I'm 20, currently going through pretty rough time. Been diagnosed with anxiety & depression for a long time now, also on meds...though I really question whether they are the right ones for me or not. I also (unfortunately) relapsed with self harming and have been generally pretty low. See a doctor, psychiatrist and counsellor semi regularly, although am waiting for a referall to come through for a new psychiatrist. Have you ever wondered your diagnosis is right though? Is it good to get a second opinion or just a waste of time? I know its not ideal using Dr Google but I've been reading a lot about bipolar recently and am wondering whether its possible that I may have it...the ups and downs, feeling boosts of energy where you have all these ideas and try and take on a lot and then end up crashing? I can be pretty impulsive sometimes, spending money I don't really have/can't justify, engaging in behaviours for which I later feel aren't even me and later regreting them. Feeling like you can do everything, be anyone and then oversleeping, no energy, no motivation, depressed and crying etc. My doctor shut me down when I suggested it and whilst that could be completely valid, I wonder whether there is more to it? She said what I was describing were both causes of anxiety and depression. It is without a doubt that I suffer from anxiety but sometimes the depression just feels like so much more? (I don't even know if that makes sense...) I just feel like I'm all over the place all the time, no middle ground and I don't know whether I'm overthinking it all or shoul trust my instincts that there's more to it? Any advice?

Elizabeth CP How to react when asked by doctor if you are depressed when you don't want to discuss it.
  • replies: 5

I had an appointment with a specialist for the first time for a physical issue. My husband had previously seen this specialist many times so he recognised me & first question was are you depressed. I said I was OK. He then insisted I didn't look OK. ... View more

I had an appointment with a specialist for the first time for a physical issue. My husband had previously seen this specialist many times so he recognised me & first question was are you depressed. I said I was OK. He then insisted I didn't look OK. I had recently returned home from overseas holiday & still adjusting to jet lag so I thought I was tired rather than depressed. The doctors questioning led to a number of negative thoughts: I must look terrible for him to think I'm depressed, He probably thinks my problems are mental health related rather than a 'real' illness so he won't bother trying to fix me, I'm stupid because I can't control my depression/anxiety. (of course 'other' people have 'real' mental health issues so need/ deserve treatment but I don't so I'm wasting health professionals/ other people's time because I should be able to manage better.) I just wanted the doctor to discuss the physical problem I'd been referred to him for. Do others feel like me & how do you deal with it. I have difficulty determining whether I'm just very tired or actually depressed because the two are so closely linked.

Alznth Need Help In Discussing Problems to Professional?
  • replies: 2

Hi. Since I can't ask for recommended practitioners due to the forum rules - I'd instead like to ask everyone what their advice would be as to what avenue I should go down. I've seen counselors, psychologists and psychiatrists over the last...10 or s... View more

Hi. Since I can't ask for recommended practitioners due to the forum rules - I'd instead like to ask everyone what their advice would be as to what avenue I should go down. I've seen counselors, psychologists and psychiatrists over the last...10 or so years. I'm open to medication (as that has worked the best) but not keen on CBT (because I've never found it useful). What I find extremely difficult is that most of the people I see often start out with questions like "what do you want to discuss?". Part of my problem is that I can't understand how my anxiety works and there is...nothing that I can think to discuss? I sort of want someone that knows the questions to ask to understand what is going on and then offer suggestions to manage it, if that makes any sense? I get too anxious and uncomfortable to volunteer the information myself right off the bat and it's been a huge hurdle when seeking help. Is there are particular practitioner I should preference based on this? Is a psychologist, psychiatrist, gp or just a counselor better for that type of questioning/support? There is so much information on what treatment and support is available but I don't know what I need so...that makes it kind of difficult. And it's hard on my wallet to constantly be 'trying out' new people. Any help or advice would be appreciated.

Debzmites How to know your meeds need to be stronger?
  • replies: 4

so I've started to ponder lately how you know when your meds need a change or you just need to harden up and deal with the depression/anxiety. I've been feeling quite down and struggling. It's interesting I am trying to do things to move forward but ... View more

so I've started to ponder lately how you know when your meds need a change or you just need to harden up and deal with the depression/anxiety. I've been feeling quite down and struggling. It's interesting I am trying to do things to move forward but everything seems to cost money and it is so frustrating! I reached out and asked for help from an organisation to finish a massage course but it's not going so well, in the mean time the University has offered me a grant to help buy text books so i'm thinking i'll just go back and finish my Uni Degree, at least i'll be busy! Am sick of feeling so pathetic and irrelevant, I just want to be able to move forward and achieve some goals and attract a great spouse. *grumbling*

Guest_4DC6D4DC Osteopath? Chiro? Physio? All 3?
  • replies: 3

Hi everyone im just wondering what peoples opinions are.... so at the moment im using a chiropractor in conjuction with a physiotherapist and ive recently started using an osteopath. My question is would you remain with all three professionals or wou... View more

Hi everyone im just wondering what peoples opinions are.... so at the moment im using a chiropractor in conjuction with a physiotherapist and ive recently started using an osteopath. My question is would you remain with all three professionals or would you just go to an osteopath?

CupcakeTiger Concern over referred psychologist.
  • replies: 12

I got a referral from a doctor today (not my usual GP, as they are unavailable for a few weeks), and apart from the doctor I met with seeming to be a bit lost with my request, I tried to look up the psychologist I was referred to and couldn't find an... View more

I got a referral from a doctor today (not my usual GP, as they are unavailable for a few weeks), and apart from the doctor I met with seeming to be a bit lost with my request, I tried to look up the psychologist I was referred to and couldn't find any registration under the name. Also when I called the number, it went straight to voicemail and there was no mention of their profession in their outgoing message. I am nervous about not being able to find their name registered, is this normal?

Tessera Natural ways to increase serotonin?
  • replies: 5

Has anyone had any positive effects increasing the uptake of serotonin naturally? I know tryptophan converts but is it a lack or inability to take up serotonin. What I have read seems divided in opinion of its role in depression. I would be intereste... View more

Has anyone had any positive effects increasing the uptake of serotonin naturally? I know tryptophan converts but is it a lack or inability to take up serotonin. What I have read seems divided in opinion of its role in depression. I would be interested to know of anyone's personal experience with this.

danman UPDATED: Impending ECT Treatment
  • replies: 11

Hey everyone,Just new here and thought I would get some feedback on Electroconvulsive Therapy. I have suffered from chronic depression and anxiety for 13 years and despite trying different meds/dosages and talk therapies nothing has worked.I havent w... View more

Hey everyone,Just new here and thought I would get some feedback on Electroconvulsive Therapy. I have suffered from chronic depression and anxiety for 13 years and despite trying different meds/dosages and talk therapies nothing has worked.I havent worked for 18 months and when I did beforehand, the longest I ever worked for a company in the same industry was about 16 months.I have had enough of this insipid, draining and tiresome illness and have been assessed as being suitable for an ECT program. I have researched the ins and outs of ECT and at this point, the pros outweigh the cons.I will be going in as an inpatient for 4 weeks in 6weeks time so would appreciate any feedback from people that have had ECT.Anything positive would be greatly appreciated.Cheers GuysDaniel

cait_louise PERTH eating disorder sufferers
  • replies: 0

I'm in contact with the CEO of the butterfly foundation and I just want as many opinions as I can get! I'm currently writing a list of problems with the WA eating disorder treatment system, and hopefully some potential solutions too. So far I have th... View more

I'm in contact with the CEO of the butterfly foundation and I just want as many opinions as I can get! I'm currently writing a list of problems with the WA eating disorder treatment system, and hopefully some potential solutions too. So far I have the limited private beds, and no public beds, but I know I'm missing things and I can't come up with any solutions yet. Any ideas/suggestions?

Muser91 Wanting to change medication
  • replies: 11

I'm a long time sufferer of depression, anxiety and borderline personality disorder but only in the last few years have I been diagnosed and treated. I've been on my current medication for 3 months now and am happy with how it helps my depression, af... View more

I'm a long time sufferer of depression, anxiety and borderline personality disorder but only in the last few years have I been diagnosed and treated. I've been on my current medication for 3 months now and am happy with how it helps my depression, after 2 years failing on anoter medication it's good to finally have a clear head. The problem is it is a huge pain when it comes to weightloss! I've put on 10kgs and am desperately trying to lose weight but can't get a single bit of it to budge! For the last 6 weeks I've gone to the gym at least 4-5 days a week and have been eating seriously healthy but haven't lost any weight at all. This just makes me feel worse! So my question is how would I go about getting my medication changed? When I was deep in the midst of my depression, I went to 5 different GPs begging them to let me try something new but was continually waved away for overreacting, it wasn't until it was so bad I had to go to hospital that they said well maybe this isn't working. How am I ever going to get anyone to listen to me now when it's not even that serious this time? I'm worried that if I stay on my current medication I will just continue to balloon up because if I have one slightly bad meal I gain a whole kilo from it and it never goes away. I used to be able to lose weight easily but not anymore! I want to change my GP as he definitely doesn't listen to me, is always messing up my psych referrals and just generally doesn't seem to know anything about mental health but every other doctor I go to is just as bad! At a loss on where to go from here!