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
Jump to
Start a discussion

All discussions

Start a discussion

Blakey86 Here we go again
  • replies: 6

Hi all. I lay here wide awake with worry at 4am. Long story short..... 6 years ago i suffered from bad health anxiety which naturally lead to depression. 2 years ago i went on AD which completely made me free. However after a few life stressors and 3... View more

Hi all. I lay here wide awake with worry at 4am. Long story short..... 6 years ago i suffered from bad health anxiety which naturally lead to depression. 2 years ago i went on AD which completely made me free. However after a few life stressors and 3 week old baby I have found myself back down this dark hole. I now have am issue with an inflamed prostate which apparently is a end result of anxiety and stress. Im taking the dive again however im terrefied of the adjustment phase. My anxiety tripled, I had several weeks off work which I can't really afford and my wife and new son needs me. I feel so alone. I know I should be feelig happy my son is here but im so tied up in my own issues. I know i need to do the meds, just so scared to start.

Bluey_moon How effective are SSRI at treating anxiety and OCD
  • replies: 8

I am on an SSRI for GAD and obsessive thinking. I've been in them for about four weeks, I thought I was noticing some improvement but then bam the anxiety and obsessive thoughts are back. We are trailing a dose increase starting tomorrow. Am I impati... View more

I am on an SSRI for GAD and obsessive thinking. I've been in them for about four weeks, I thought I was noticing some improvement but then bam the anxiety and obsessive thoughts are back. We are trailing a dose increase starting tomorrow. Am I impatient, or expecting too much?

ianken51 Long Term Affects of Antidepressent Use of Your Health
  • replies: 1

Hi. I have been on antidepressents for over 27 years now. I've been told I overproduce ? seretonin and must use these antidepressents for the rest of my life. My problem is that over the years I've developed impared kidney function which has resulted... View more

Hi. I have been on antidepressents for over 27 years now. I've been told I overproduce ? seretonin and must use these antidepressents for the rest of my life. My problem is that over the years I've developed impared kidney function which has resulted in weight gain (120kg at 5ft 8 inches), a heart attack (10 yrs ago), type 2 diabetes (2 yrs ago), and now have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis In my left hip. From various articles I've read there seems to be a common factor with my health issues - long term use of antidepressents. Has anyone read information related to such health issues? I'm not sure that GPs and the medical profession subscribe to this theory at present. I'm also unsure whether or not I'm just wishfully hoping my health issues are depression related I certainly have NO DESIRE to drop my medication as I'm all too aware of the "Black Dog" as Winston Churchill called his depression.

Riss transition period
  • replies: 5

Hi all. I was diagnosed with anxiety 10 years ago and have been taking the same medication since. It worked very well occasionally it had to be increased but always worked well. Now unfortunately my medication has stopped working my body has become i... View more

Hi all. I was diagnosed with anxiety 10 years ago and have been taking the same medication since. It worked very well occasionally it had to be increased but always worked well. Now unfortunately my medication has stopped working my body has become immune to it now I'm in a process of dropping my current meds and starting new ones. I'm very afraid that my new meds won't work and my negative thoughts and worry won't go away I have always relied on my previous medication at the start as it made an amazing difference for me. I I'm also afraid of the side effects. Has any one ever been through this before ? I'd love to hear about your journey if so. Thank you

desfax anxiety what a trip
  • replies: 7

Hello allAbout 9 months ago i was working away and i had this heart thing happen to me,i was sent to the medical station were they did a ECG and everything was fine,but i wasn't convinced so i went to hospital and they said the same thing.So i went b... View more

Hello allAbout 9 months ago i was working away and i had this heart thing happen to me,i was sent to the medical station were they did a ECG and everything was fine,but i wasn't convinced so i went to hospital and they said the same thing.So i went back to work but had this feeling in the back of my head that it could happen again which was kind of scary,as the weeks went on i noticed that i was constantly thinking about it especially when i was in bed at night were i was transfixed on my heart.Then i noticed that i would get these rushes that would really scare me,but i continued on as men do until after xmas where i had this full on panic attack,then after that it seemed to be all down hill,i was having panic attacks all the time and felt scared.When i went to the doctor and told him he said to go on antidepressants which i did,i have experienced antidepressants before due to relationship break ups so i thought sweet these things will kick in and work, problem solved,but they didn't work,by this stage it was impacting everything,work,family,life in general,i was really starting to worry until i found some meds that started to work 80% of the time but still used these little white tablets (benzodiazepine),talk about a life saver.But i don't like taking pills so i continued getting better and slowly getting of the little pills,everything was mostly fine until i got sick over seas then i got pneumonia in the space of a month,i was so run down but luckily for me work had given all of us a month off waiting for the next job,so i was in bed for about 3 weeks.After i started getting well i noticed that the anxiety was back and was really starting to scare me and i thought that i was going to have to go threw this all again,it has only been about 2 weeks of me getting better but i am back on those white pills and worried that i might be on them for a while,so i thought i would join beyond blue and see if people could answer a couple of questions for me.ps i have found a good psychologist but i have only been twice1 what drugs do people recommend i am on a SNRI2 can this type of anxiety be beaten3 outside of drugs what can a person do to beat thisAny help would be greatly appreciatedSincerely ////////

Bellaboo Restarting medication
  • replies: 6

Hi, This is my first post but I have been looking at this site for a long time, have finally decided to post because I need some advice. I have come off antidepressants about 2 months ago and am wanting some advice about whether I should restart meds... View more

Hi, This is my first post but I have been looking at this site for a long time, have finally decided to post because I need some advice. I have come off antidepressants about 2 months ago and am wanting some advice about whether I should restart meds. I was on an SSRI for approx. 2 years with good success, I have anxiety and recently depression also. I regularly see a Psychologist and have good support from my husband. I stopped the meds because I felt good and thought I was now fine, which I know is not a good idea, but I also stopped because I had gained weight and wanted to see if I stopped it would magically fall off!! Of course this didn't happen and 2 months later I am the same weight and slowly my symptoms are returning. I have had anxiety most of my life and know I will have to manage this forever. I am coping ok but I constantly have to manage my symptoms and exercise a lot to keep the anxiety away. Im sure a lot of you can appreciate this is hard work. Anyway I would like some advice about whether its too soon to go back on meds or should I push through, knowing I will probably go back on them at some point?? Thankyou for reading and hopefully I will hear back from some of you.

helpplease Can we use more than one psychiatrist?
  • replies: 1

Hi, Our psychiatrist is in town 2 weeks out of every 4. We have a referral from our GP to a private one who is based here full time. We are really happy with the present one (who actually mentioned the second one was here all the time), but would lik... View more

Hi, Our psychiatrist is in town 2 weeks out of every 4. We have a referral from our GP to a private one who is based here full time. We are really happy with the present one (who actually mentioned the second one was here all the time), but would like to have the other one as a 'back up' if the need arises. Here's the thing - the clinician involved is suggesting it is inappropriate and she is the best one to manage in the absence of the 1st psychiatrist (in the past, the only help offered by her has been to go to the hospital until we can have the appointment with the psychiatrist when she comes back, sometimes a week later.... the hospital doesn't help, they just say come to Emergency). My impression is she is not happy to 'share' what she sees as 'her' client. We are happy to sign a release of info form so everyone is on the same page, so it's not like we're 'doctor shopping', just want access to high quality care all the time. We would love to find a psychologist, but there is not one that is a good fit for us - the good ones have a waiting list- we have tried, we live in a small town. So to reiterate, neither psychiatrists have a problem and the GP says it's a good idea, what is the best thing to say to the clinician when she suggests it's too confusing and we're better just relying on her? She's a nice person and has been of limited help, but things are not progressing as we would like.

Emmy. Numbness
  • replies: 2

Is it common to just be numb to emotions when you're on antidepressants? Ive been on antidepressants for just over 2 years now, and during that time (about a year ago) lost my Mum very suddenly. About 3 months ago I tried to come of the medication (w... View more

Is it common to just be numb to emotions when you're on antidepressants? Ive been on antidepressants for just over 2 years now, and during that time (about a year ago) lost my Mum very suddenly. About 3 months ago I tried to come of the medication (with the assistance from my doctor), unfortunately the panic attacks, anxiety and black fog came back home to me and as a result I'm back on them again. But during the 6 weeks I was off my medicine I grieved differently. I felt it in a totally different way. Same with all emotions joy and sadness. Is it normal to just feel numb? I suppose it just means the antidepressants are doing there job.

Louise15 Has anyone attended CBT therapy as a day patient? I would like to hear about your experience.
  • replies: 1

Hello I have depression and more recently anxiety, I have been recommended a 2 week day patient CBT course. I know that there is a lot of positive research about CBT, however I would like to hear first hand from people who have tried this treatment. ... View more

Hello I have depression and more recently anxiety, I have been recommended a 2 week day patient CBT course. I know that there is a lot of positive research about CBT, however I would like to hear first hand from people who have tried this treatment. Did it work? Thank you

autumnzephyr On meds for almost a year with continuing anhedonia
  • replies: 5

Hi, I've probably had depression for many years. I previously had depression but had recovered. This time it took a lot longer to realise what was going on. Last year around february I started seeing a psychologist who didn't help at all and didn't a... View more

Hi, I've probably had depression for many years. I previously had depression but had recovered. This time it took a lot longer to realise what was going on. Last year around february I started seeing a psychologist who didn't help at all and didn't actually diagnose me with depression. I stopped seeing her after she basically recommended i split with my partner and then was suprised that this didnt help. In November last year I started on an ssri which I took for almost 6 months with minor improvement. Meaning I no longer felt horribly guitly and ashamed all the time. This also followed me splitting with my partner (who was lovely). I was then switched to another medication and went backwards. Now I've been to a one off psychiatrist appt and am on a different ssri at a high dose, and am supposed to increase next week after six weeks at this dose. I'm occasionally seeing a new psychologist. But I still don't feel like anything is working.I still lack interest in life. I have a terminally ill family member and I feel I'm squandering the time we have left because my feelings and emotions are so numb. I keep wanting and hoping the meds will work. I've tried mindfulness techniques, eating well,exercising. Can anyone offer any hope that the meds will work when I increase my dose? I'm being treated for severe depression and some level of anxiety.