Immediate support
Immediate support

Treatments, health professionals and therapies

Information on a range of different areas, including managing relationships with GPs and psychologists, and finding the right services for you.

Start a discussion

FAQ

Find answers to some of the more frequently asked questions on the Forums.

View the FAQ

Forums guidelines

Our guidelines keep the Forums a safe place for people to share and learn information.

View the guidelines
Categories
Start a discussion

All discussions

Start a discussion

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!

Faithh traumatised after trying medication for 6 days.
  • replies: 4

Hi guys, Hoping to find some other people that have had a similar experience with this. Whilst trying medication for the first time almost 2 weeks ago, it left me feeling really broken. With the Drs guidance I stopped taking it then and there. Worst ... View more

Hi guys, Hoping to find some other people that have had a similar experience with this. Whilst trying medication for the first time almost 2 weeks ago, it left me feeling really broken. With the Drs guidance I stopped taking it then and there. Worst side effects were going way too deep with thought leaving me dissociated and scared out of my mind like as if i wasn't even real. Although I know it's not permanent, it was and the thought is still is scaring me and i just feel unhappy and aching to feeling like myself again. Hope to hear from some of you with some positive recovery stories Faithh

Guest_4DC6D4DC What to Look For in a Psychologist?
  • replies: 9

hi everyone ive been struggling for quite a with a few severe mental health conditions and have decided its time to seek some more professional help but I'm just not sure where to start? I'm just wondering what traits you find to best the best for ps... View more

hi everyone ive been struggling for quite a with a few severe mental health conditions and have decided its time to seek some more professional help but I'm just not sure where to start? I'm just wondering what traits you find to best the best for psychologists? e.g friendly, loud etc what should I look for when I'm seeking for one? e.g Is there any information I should find out before commiting to this psychologist? do you think arranging a face to face with a few different psychologists would be worthwhile to see which one works best for me? thank you

Chronic_Resistive Treatment-Resistant Depression
  • replies: 1

As expressed by my username and the above title I'm interested in discussing the above topic. People who have had Treatment-Resistant Depression that was fixed or made better who could give me some insight would be great. As of 11/02/17 I have seen 3... View more

As expressed by my username and the above title I'm interested in discussing the above topic. People who have had Treatment-Resistant Depression that was fixed or made better who could give me some insight would be great. As of 11/02/17 I have seen 3 Psychologists 2 Psychiatrists (Not including two seen in ED on seperate occasions) 2 GPs I have attended an estimated 60+ sessions with the above I have unsuccessfully used 2 SSRIs 1NaSSA I am currently using an SNRI. None of these have helped my symptoms, instead I have gotten worse over the few years I have seeked treatment. Does anyone have any advice or could preferably shed some light on their personal experience. I've read some science but looking for anecdotes.

Jane321 Problems more serious than you realise?
  • replies: 1

So my psychologist told me today, I have severe anxiety and depression with obsessive thinking (I've seen him for a while). But I've always thought my issues are extremely mild. However when he explained his reasoning with me and I thought about it. ... View more

So my psychologist told me today, I have severe anxiety and depression with obsessive thinking (I've seen him for a while). But I've always thought my issues are extremely mild. However when he explained his reasoning with me and I thought about it. His diagnosis does make sense. I have a tendency to minimise (?) my problems. Like, I was scared of answering the phone because I was worried it'll be the police and they'd arrest me for ~ a year. And pee in my room because I was too scared to go outside etc (not anymore). I still thought my issues weren't serious. My point is, no matter how serious the problems get I have a hard time believing(?)/accepting it. Even though rationally, I know something's wrong. Anyone deal with this too, how did u overcome it. And what was your reaction when u were told u have xxx diagnosis?

SarahLulu changing or increasing dose of meds
  • replies: 1

Hi. My name's Sarah and I'm 16. I'm on medication. I'm pretty lucky in the sense that the first med I tried was the same medication and it didn't do much. After doubling it and persevering I found it worked well to the point where I was often numb an... View more

Hi. My name's Sarah and I'm 16. I'm on medication. I'm pretty lucky in the sense that the first med I tried was the same medication and it didn't do much. After doubling it and persevering I found it worked well to the point where I was often numb and couldn't cry. But then again, I couldn't really feel sad and was a bit more positive as well as getting some motivation back for work. I've found my meds are slowly stopping working. Is that possible? Something that use to work stops working? I used to have a psychiatrist and psychologist but no longer see a psychiatrist so am unsure how to go about this. Do I go speak to my local gp? Tia

StudioBird Bulk billing psychiatrist for child
  • replies: 10

Is there any such thing as a bulk billed psychiatrist for a child? How do I find one, without going through CYMHS? My child is seeing a clinical psychologist through ATAPS, has GP involvement, multiple family case workers (for my mental health), and ... View more

Is there any such thing as a bulk billed psychiatrist for a child? How do I find one, without going through CYMHS? My child is seeing a clinical psychologist through ATAPS, has GP involvement, multiple family case workers (for my mental health), and discussions about medication has come up. CYMHS has discharged us from the waiting list as we are seeking private psychology services - and their waiting list is too long. But that means we have no access to their psychiatrists. My child has a health care card if this makes a difference? I am not asking for names - that's not allowed - but wondering HOW to find one. Is it just a matter of calling them all and asking?

Infinite_Faith CBT Access
  • replies: 10

Hi, I was wondering if there is any online CBT courses available that you guys might knoow of. I know of the Government funded (12 or so sessions) Anything else available online that might be worth while? Thank you IF

Hi, I was wondering if there is any online CBT courses available that you guys might knoow of. I know of the Government funded (12 or so sessions) Anything else available online that might be worth while? Thank you IF