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Treatments, health professionals and therapies

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HaysieFantaysie Starting the process
  • replies: 5

Hi, I've been suffering with mild anxiety/depression for years on and off. Mostly I've been able to deal with it myself and don't get many really dark days. Recently though I've noticed that I've been suffering more episodes and I'm finding it hard t... View more

Hi, I've been suffering with mild anxiety/depression for years on and off. Mostly I've been able to deal with it myself and don't get many really dark days. Recently though I've noticed that I've been suffering more episodes and I'm finding it hard to handle. The last couple of weeks I just don't know what to do with myself, I feel sad and helpless a lot. A year or so ago I mentioned it to my gp, it took a lot of courage for me to speak about it, and he basically brushed it under the carpet and I left feeling worse than when I went in. A friend of mine who is struggling with similar issues suggested I complete the questionnaire on here and it said that I was moderately depressed/anxious and recommended seeing my gp. I'm really struggling with this after what happened last time, imagining the same thing happening again, or that I'd lose the plot in the appointment and have to do the walk of shame back to the receptionist desk with tear stained face/crying. It's really stressing me out and I just feel out of control. Does anyone have any advice on how to get over this? How do I find a sympathetic gp?

Countrymusicgirl Looking for a new psychologist or no?
  • replies: 3

Ive left headspace because I'm 25. But not to worries my doctor put me in with a psychiatrist about meds it was a waste of time and I dont need to go back to them so they said I can make an appointment with the psychologist. I did that in November. T... View more

Ive left headspace because I'm 25. But not to worries my doctor put me in with a psychiatrist about meds it was a waste of time and I dont need to go back to them so they said I can make an appointment with the psychologist. I did that in November. The psychologist is only free every Tuesday and wednesday- Ive seen them once or twice. The last time I saw them was the first week in December. I could of seen them just before Christmas but I couldn't due to work. They are now on holidays. I'm struggling at the moment I can't wait for much longer. So I've done googling and found another place. Seems great and they have places everywhere and can get them me in. Do I switch ? CMG

Out_the_window psychologists keep letting me down
  • replies: 9

Hi group.any one else feel fed up with the unreliability of a psychologist. I was to have my 1 st appointment with a new one this week.she got her receptionist to cancel it for me.ive told her many times its serious .i need to see her asap as my spec... View more

Hi group.any one else feel fed up with the unreliability of a psychologist. I was to have my 1 st appointment with a new one this week.she got her receptionist to cancel it for me.ive told her many times its serious .i need to see her asap as my specialists found new lung tumor.and its freaking me out. So she dosnt hhave a fax machine.never answers her phones.her receptionist is never in. Then she is very vague each time i do talk to her. I give up on that profession as they do nothing to help me.

Out_the_window too many tags for illnesses
  • replies: 0

Hello again.im just confused why so many people who already know and understand.identify with an illness.still look for more tags to add to already confused state of mind.?? Anybody?? I was like that at 17 yo.till about mid 20s.then i had enough. I w... View more

Hello again.im just confused why so many people who already know and understand.identify with an illness.still look for more tags to add to already confused state of mind.?? Anybody?? I was like that at 17 yo.till about mid 20s.then i had enough. I wanted to just be simple ole me again.no matter what the drs diagnosis was. It helped me regain self esteem and stop trying to put restrictions on.myself.i competed in surfing again.did fun things.played guitar to 150 people..sold some tattoo designs to a tattooist. Changed my beliefs from family ones to my own. Backpacked Australia at least twice. Stopped seeing psychiatrists and just saw psychologists. Didnt listen to negative people. Now i see myself better.its easier to accept .cheers...wayne.

Lawns Couple of questions
  • replies: 7

Hey All, first time poster here - go easy Been struggling with an issue for a long time.. probably close to 20 years now representing 2/3rds of my life. After watching a few friends go through their struggles over the years, some unsuccessfully - I'v... View more

Hey All, first time poster here - go easy Been struggling with an issue for a long time.. probably close to 20 years now representing 2/3rds of my life. After watching a few friends go through their struggles over the years, some unsuccessfully - I've decided that I really to sort something out, or at least make sense of it. I recently came across a section over at psychforums regarding AvPD, and reading the posts, especially the 'you know you have avpd when you..' draws uncanny parallels with my own experiences.. I'm planning to speak to a GP to get things rolling, but have two questions 1. Am I able to see an alternate GP to initiate the process? My current one over the years is loosely attached by means of being a friend of a friend(mutual friend i guess), and I'd rather keep things private 2. Is it a bad idea to bring up what I think would be the diagnosis, or would it be best to let them figure it out without any bias?

Nebulous A dilemma about treatment
  • replies: 4

A year and a half ago I first began to show signs of having major depression. It was several months after I had begun university and the shock of moving away from my family had begun to set in. For a while I tried to deal with it on my own, and ended... View more

A year and a half ago I first began to show signs of having major depression. It was several months after I had begun university and the shock of moving away from my family had begun to set in. For a while I tried to deal with it on my own, and ended up driving my girlfriend - the only person helping me at the time - to break up with me. In a way this was good, because it allowed me to realize just how much I needed to change things in my life. I went on antidepressants and started seeing a therapist, and signed up for clubs in my university which provided me with some acquaintances etc. to lessen the loneliness. At present I am much better than I was, but I am sort of suspended in the mild-moderate area and feel unable to break free completely of my depression, which is frustrating. I am continually tired and lonely and feel as if the few people who are around me are mostly uninterested in me. Part of the problem is that I see myself as an eccentric, and have a constant sense that I am bound to be lonely because of my difficulty relating with other students. For one, I am an American in a foreign country (Australia), and to compound that I have niche interests (literature, philosophy, current affairs) which do not lend themselves to small talk and light humor. My current therapist is good, quite good compared to what I've had before. She is sympathetic, a good listener, great at switching angles and bending to my arguments rather than butting up against them. My issue is that, first of all, she is rather beautiful, and because she is so caring I have slowly grown attached to her. Most of the time I stifle it well, but on some weeks my attraction resurfaces and I will refrain from telling her things, especially in connection to relationships and women. This is bad, since I think relationships and women make up a large part of why I am still depressed. The second problem is that, while extremely clever in her way, she is somewhat practical and less able to talk about abstract ideas with me; this is only important because I believe that my worldview is at least in part causing my mental issues to go on. Without going into too much detail, I feel that my materialism (the view that everything has physical causes, including consciousness and mental states) feeds into the depression because of the logical conclusions which follow from it. My question is one, should I go on with her, and two, how might I break through this stage and complete my recovery?

ZyGirl_DogLvr3 New Antidepressant
  • replies: 11

I know it can be 'normal' to get some side effects when starting a new AD, but these are the most concerning to me: *Frequent mood changes during the day - sad, depressed, anxious, happy - It keeps cycling all day long. *Intense Hot flushes throughou... View more

I know it can be 'normal' to get some side effects when starting a new AD, but these are the most concerning to me: *Frequent mood changes during the day - sad, depressed, anxious, happy - It keeps cycling all day long. *Intense Hot flushes throughout the day (even when it's not too hot) - My temperature rises *I get shaky, panicky and very scared *Dissociation when afraid/overwhelmed and I 'freeze' and 'zone out.' With this particular med it may take up to 3 weeks to start taking effect. Is there anything in particular that you guys recommend I do or not do during my 'transition' period? I can't see my psychiatrist for a couple of months because he's away so that's not an option. Thanks very much for the support here!

kanga_brumby Sleep apnea
  • replies: 5

I have been diagnosed with sleep apnea. But no one has offered treatment for it. Where do I go to get treatment it's not helping my sleep at all. Plus I'm not sleeping it's working on my depresion. Which is making me not sleep well. I have to break t... View more

I have been diagnosed with sleep apnea. But no one has offered treatment for it. Where do I go to get treatment it's not helping my sleep at all. Plus I'm not sleeping it's working on my depresion. Which is making me not sleep well. I have to break this cycle somehow. Thanks for your advice.

gowonzu Ideas on where to get help?
  • replies: 2

So I'm new to this site, so sorry if this is in the wrong place but, I'm recently becoming aware that I'm more depressed than I thought I was, a friend of my mentioned counseling/therapy, saying it worked for him, however I'm kind of tight on money a... View more

So I'm new to this site, so sorry if this is in the wrong place but, I'm recently becoming aware that I'm more depressed than I thought I was, a friend of my mentioned counseling/therapy, saying it worked for him, however I'm kind of tight on money and can't afford a $150 something session with a professional, I've tried dealing with it myself, better exercise, trying to stay healthy, etc, but its been years and its not really working how id like.