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Durras The Face in the Mirror
  • replies: 5

Hi all, I'm seeing my psychologist tomorrow and found something to help me prepare for it with questions she may ask and questions I may ask her. I realized I can't answer any questions that she may ask if it is these ones I have found such as: What ... View more

Hi all, I'm seeing my psychologist tomorrow and found something to help me prepare for it with questions she may ask and questions I may ask her. I realized I can't answer any questions that she may ask if it is these ones I have found such as: What is your main reason for being here? - Ok I don't know who I am, I'm confused with the way I am. How long has this been a problem? - Ok all my life, can't remember my childhood so I have to say all my life. This brings me to think if this is all I can say then who am I. Who is it that is looking at me in the mirror each day when I brush my teeth, when I get dressed etc. I know I have been feeling lost with myself for awhile but now when I say MYSELF who am I. What has this person been for the past 44 years and who is she now and where is she going or heading or what is she doing. I really don't know this face in the mirror at all. I try to think back to my past for help but it is all a blur a fuzzy screen and hazy. I recall bits and pieces like an overseas holidays when I was 8 or 9 and doing a school play, the house where I lived and the school where I didn't fit in but noting of close family ties. Well this is all I thought I would put in for today, REALITY has hit me that I don't know the face in the mirror, maybe she was fake all a long, a pretend (if that makes sense) got the name but no identity to her. I'm thinking of writing a story based on this, thought it might help in my recovery and bringing things up to surface and clear and air. Hope everyone has a good day thinking of you all Carol

Elizabeth CP How to Work effectively with 2 different professionals eg psychologist & psychiatrist
  • replies: 3

I have been seeing a psychologist for several years and he has helped me deal with a number of crisis including a son who was suicidal & had several psych hospital admissions, a husband who has a degenerative condition and has had a large number of h... View more

I have been seeing a psychologist for several years and he has helped me deal with a number of crisis including a son who was suicidal & had several psych hospital admissions, a husband who has a degenerative condition and has had a large number of hospital admissions, injuries and acute illnesses including becoming blind. I have also had a few injuries and episodes of illness as well and we had to move house. I became the sole breadwinner but I am now a full time carer. I have always had a tendency to be depressed and have always struggled with low self esteem The stresses over the last few years led to me becoming very depressed and I reluctantly went to my GP and tried some anti depressants. The side effects made me worse rather than better. I was then referred to a psychiatrist to see if he had any alternative ADs The medication he prescribed made no difference to my mood except for feeling worse due to the side effects so I stopped taking them on advice of my GP and refuse to take any others despite pressure from the psychiatrist. I am now seeing the psychiatrist once a month except for Jan and I return next week. I still see the psychologist fortnightly. I am wondering what should I be doing to ensure I am getting benefit out of both and avoid just repeating things. The things I would like to achieve are: Ongoing support to deal with the crisis in my life so I can pick myself up and keep going. Gradually learning strategies to better cope when things go wrong rather than relying on therapists To change the negative thinking patterns so I don't feel worthless and guilty To eventually change behaviours that are destructive to my wellbeing I currently either do too much and become exhausted or feel guilty becomes I'm not being productive. I need to learn to relax and enjoy myself (Even things I previously enjoyed I no longer enjoy) This is really hard as I often feel like why bother as I won't enjoy it or it will go wrong I would like to learn strategies to deal with my PTSD How can the psychiatrist help me if I won't take medication. Any advice on how others used their different professionals effectively would be appreciated

rosiecat Dumped by my Psychiatrist
  • replies: 5

Has any one else been dumped by their doctor? Went to Psych today, feeling crap as usual and was told that I should look for someone else because he couldn't help me any more. I was in this huge rut and he didn't know how to help me, someone else mig... View more

Has any one else been dumped by their doctor? Went to Psych today, feeling crap as usual and was told that I should look for someone else because he couldn't help me any more. I was in this huge rut and he didn't know how to help me, someone else might. This is after nearly 10years. I feel terrible, sad, angry, hopeless and despairing. I'll get over this in a few days I suppose, when I can think a little clearer. All that is going through my head now is "what's wrong with me that nothing helps?"

Elizabeth CP How to make therapy sessions effective Rather than repeating the same things over & over
  • replies: 19

I started seeing a psychologist several years ago to cope while supporting my son who was depressed and suicidal. Over time he has helped me deal with lots of issues. My husband has a degenerative condition which has progressed over the last few year... View more

I started seeing a psychologist several years ago to cope while supporting my son who was depressed and suicidal. Over time he has helped me deal with lots of issues. My husband has a degenerative condition which has progressed over the last few years with lots of hospital admissions some were he became extremely ill, he became blind and has problems with eating so he sometimes requires feeding by tube. He manages to use a white cane to walk around now so when he is well he isn't too bad. Prior to my husband's illness I had looked after my mother for 12 years while bringing up my children but I am finding it harder to be a carer for my husband. Over time I have had to take on all the tasks we previously shared and had to move house as the block was too dangerous for my husband and too hard for me to look after. I have had several health issues myself. I'm currently recovering from a broken ankle. Each thing on its own would be OK but I have lost resilience and become overstressed. My problem is that my sessions end up about damage control -Just dealing with the latest problem. Each time we start something to help the root issues it is sidetracked because I'm unable to cope emotionally and then feel guilty for being dependent on him and not progressing. I have very low self esteem due to bullying when I was a child. I also have PTSD from being caught in a bushfire when 10yrs old. I feel like my life is over and my relationship with my husband is lost as we can't do the things we used to enjoy or they are very hard for me. Medication for depression made things worse because of the side effects and I am too scared to try anything else. My ways of coping are no longer working Has anyone got any suggestions to help me so I'm not wasting seessions talking about everything which is wrong and actually addressing the problems so I don't feel so bad about myseld and can deal with things which go wrong

Surrender Any suggestions please?
  • replies: 7

Hi - Wondering if anyone has tried Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)? It sounds very interesting and i like that it is very structured. Have been depressed anxious for a very long time. Probably more anxious than depressed. I was put on meds a long ... View more

Hi - Wondering if anyone has tried Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)? It sounds very interesting and i like that it is very structured. Have been depressed anxious for a very long time. Probably more anxious than depressed. I was put on meds a long time ago then they stopped working and tried different types of medications- for another 5 years. I also experienced sleep paralysis at a very stressful time- this terrified me. I have been seeing a therapist and this has been very helpful. I am not functioning with daily life very well and at my age there are people that depend and expect from me and all this is very overwhelming at the moment. I have seen a number of doctors and a number of psychiatrists and they are all telling me i have severe anxiety. They have all handed me prescriptions for AD. I am too scared to take them...however i have been self medicating with OC medication to get some sleep. I stopped working due to mental state. Prior to this i managed to hold down jobs for decades. I am living with Anger/Terror/Crying/Out of body feelings and a feeling that i am going to explode into psychosis even though i never have had psychosis. Can anyone relate please? My psychologist that i see often has been helpful in that she gets me to see things logically and is teaching me acceptance and meditation. This all helps when i am with her but i find it hard to do this in daily life when things start spinning out of control. One thing is for sure....I will keep doing all possible to get back to a functioning life. Thank you for letting me write this.

hope4joy Schema therapy? Or a way to grow positives in one's life?
  • replies: 11

Hi there, I'm currently reassessing whether therapy is helping me after having a huge fall back to depression in the last few months. I know that xmas and being on holidays are difficult times for me, as well as my psych being away for 6 weeks, but I... View more

Hi there, I'm currently reassessing whether therapy is helping me after having a huge fall back to depression in the last few months. I know that xmas and being on holidays are difficult times for me, as well as my psych being away for 6 weeks, but I am so tired of going around the same merry go round and keeping on getting unwell. I've just started meds to try to increase my base-line for mood and try to add a little more resilience. But I also believe I need some change in therapy approach. I've been with the same psychiatrist for about two years now (mentalisation based therapy) and have also done CBT and DBT previously. I've got a much better handle on managing emotions in healthy ways, self care, communicating assertively, self awareness and am no longer impulsive, suicidal or disassociating which is great. I also moved around for many years so being stable geographically is huge. So I feel like I get support to manage the problems and difficulties in my life but little support to help to grow the positive, in particular I find it really hard being able to increase and maintain a healthy network of friends. And I find that similar thought patterns (like feeling inferior to others etc) keep recurring and shutting me down in social settings. I've read that schema therapy can be good for changing these deep-seated beliefs? Does anyone have experience with schema therapy? Or know any other approaches that I can use with my psych to help focus on and grow the good in my life? With thanks, Christina

Saphira New here, medications aren't working, looking for the next step?
  • replies: 6

Hi there, Joined today, hoping to find people that are a few steps ahead of me. Medications have been changed/upped numerous times over the last year and I am still not getting anywhere. I'm assuming I need to see a psychiatrist and or a Psychologist... View more

Hi there, Joined today, hoping to find people that are a few steps ahead of me. Medications have been changed/upped numerous times over the last year and I am still not getting anywhere. I'm assuming I need to see a psychiatrist and or a Psychologist but not sure who to see first or what is more important. Hoping someone who has been through it will a good idea of who to see or what to do from here. I'm frustrated and fed up!

Mimi1979 Mindfulness and tapping...im struggling to do this.
  • replies: 5

Hi everyone, so...my psychologists has suggested i practice mindfulness. I find this really really hard. I've tried...even downloading an app for helping me. I find it really hard to 'be in the moment '. Does anyone else have this problem or have tip... View more

Hi everyone, so...my psychologists has suggested i practice mindfulness. I find this really really hard. I've tried...even downloading an app for helping me. I find it really hard to 'be in the moment '. Does anyone else have this problem or have tips for me?. Also, a friend of mine suggested 'tapping'. I also find this 'weird '. She swears by it. I.Just.cant.do.it!!! Does anyone feel my pain?

BluWren13 How do you know if you're addicted?
  • replies: 4

For the past four months I've being having trouble getting sleeping and staying asleep. I was given a sleeping tablet to help me (non addictive), but in order to not build up a tolerance to it I also started to take an anti-anxiety (a benzo). So now ... View more

For the past four months I've being having trouble getting sleeping and staying asleep. I was given a sleeping tablet to help me (non addictive), but in order to not build up a tolerance to it I also started to take an anti-anxiety (a benzo). So now I take one sleeping a night for two nights, the one benzo for two nights,and so on. My problem is it's been four months of the alternating and I don't want to get addicted to the benzo. How would I know if I were addicted? Any advice?

nayellie New here - seeking support - SSRI withdrawal
  • replies: 7

Hi there. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to write here, but I thought I'd introduce myself. I am 30 years old, have been suffering from anxiety, OCD and emetophobia for around 17 years. I am a mum of two beautiful children. I have recently been diagn... View more

Hi there. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to write here, but I thought I'd introduce myself. I am 30 years old, have been suffering from anxiety, OCD and emetophobia for around 17 years. I am a mum of two beautiful children. I have recently been diagnosed with SSRI toxicity and need to come off the antidepressant which I have been on for 15 years on 200mg. I have been trying to search for a place to chat with others who may have been through SSRI withdrawal - I feel alone in all of this