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Surrender Meds and Therapy
  • replies: 3

Hi - I have had anxiety/depression for a long time. I stopped meds some months ago because i thought they were making me worse. A year down the track and my life is totally out of control. Looking back i should have sought medical help instead of sto... View more

Hi - I have had anxiety/depression for a long time. I stopped meds some months ago because i thought they were making me worse. A year down the track and my life is totally out of control. Looking back i should have sought medical help instead of stopping all meds.I have been feeling guilty for feeling extreme anxiety and depression. People see i am sad and say things like "geez what have you got to worry about"? Look at all the disasters, etc around the world. The worst is that i don't have anything big to worry about (although i have had to deal with a few close people passing the last couple of years) but i can't help feeling everything is a struggle. I am either very angry, very sad, having panic attacks, compulsive irrational persistent thoughts etc and I don't have a reason to feel like this. I have had lots of different therapy over the years and have finally found someone i really trust and I enjoy this particular type of therapy (ACT). Although I have been in therapy for a while it has been very frustruating as i am not really making much progress. My therapist suggested i go back on ADs and continue therapy. Some days i can put some of the skills i have gained from my therapist into practice but most days i really struggle with overwhelming thoughts/feelings/emotions and can't find space in my head to practice what i have learnt. I also don't sleep much. Just wondering if people have found taking ADs whilst in therapy has worked for them. Will i be able to hopefully carry these skills over when and if i come of meds again? My issue is: Whilst i am on ADs I am more motivated and focused and able to practice the skills but will these skills be as easy to practice without meds? Thank you for your thoughts.

S_A_D_ Worst physical experience resulting from mental illness and/or treatment
  • replies: 9

Describe your experiences of some of the benefits and side effects of medication you've been on: What would you suggest sufferers avoid if possible? What should we consider? What worked great for you? Note: We're not allowed to mention specific medic... View more

Describe your experiences of some of the benefits and side effects of medication you've been on: What would you suggest sufferers avoid if possible? What should we consider? What worked great for you? Note: We're not allowed to mention specific medications or doctors, or give specific medical advice For example: I had to take a disgusting tasting medication that needed to be dissolved under my tounge. I was told I couldn't eat or drink anything for a specific period afterwards, so the meedication would be absorbed into the bloodstream through the mouth. My strategy for dealing with the disgusting sensation was to use hyperstimulating distraction (spontaneous vigorous exercise) to ride out the habituation process, and after 90 seconds or so I couldn't taste the medication. As soon as I was allowed I would consume a strong citris fruit (orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit), chewing to excess and getting as much of the juices under my tounge as possible.

Jay95 sleep tablets, do you get "hooked"?
  • replies: 10

I'm having trouble sleeping at the moment - mainly due to stress (sick family member who is in the ICU) and I've been recommended to try a certain sleeping tablet, but I'm worried it is something I will rely on to sleep at night and eventually get st... View more

I'm having trouble sleeping at the moment - mainly due to stress (sick family member who is in the ICU) and I've been recommended to try a certain sleeping tablet, but I'm worried it is something I will rely on to sleep at night and eventually get stuck on, like I won't be able to sleep without it. Anyone have an experiences with this sort of thing?

Guest138 Is it normal to have to try a couple of different medications?
  • replies: 3

Hi everyone im new here I was diagnosed with depression and was given medication i felt good for the first couple of weeks then the medication started to make me say and do things that were really bad to my wife this was my first experience with depr... View more

Hi everyone im new here I was diagnosed with depression and was given medication i felt good for the first couple of weeks then the medication started to make me say and do things that were really bad to my wife this was my first experience with depression medication things got real bad it made me heaps worse im not taking anything now my wife and son have left me........ im ready to try again and really want to get help but im really scared that if they give me the wrong stuff again I will hurt the people I really love again (not physically) I dont want to hurt anyone again is it normal to have to try a couple of different medications before you find the right one for you??????the way I acted has really made me scared to take more medication now I hate myself for hurting my family

Fontenoy Cognitive Behaviour Therapy vs Acceptance Cognitive Therapy
  • replies: 6

Can someone please tell me the difference between Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Acceptance Cognitive Therapy? I have recently made enquiries about the Wellbeing online ecource which goes for 8 weeks advised its emphasis is on CBT. I also have the b... View more

Can someone please tell me the difference between Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Acceptance Cognitive Therapy? I have recently made enquiries about the Wellbeing online ecource which goes for 8 weeks advised its emphasis is on CBT. I also have the book The Happiness Trap and understand it is based on ACT. What is the difference? Can you do both at the same time? Also, can both these approached help without the support of a psychologist? Last week I attended a meditation evening which I found good but since have seen more relaxation exercises for negative thoughts. Of late unknown to me I have experienced negativity and talking and thinking badly about others. I am not sure if relaxation exercises are within the Happiness Trap ACT or the CBT. Can someone give me some answers here. Thank you.

Christine14au My GP won't listen
  • replies: 4

Hi my name is Christine and I am new to this forum. I have suffered from major depression for about 9 months now. I have a lot of health issues which seems to never end. I have tried to commit suicide twice.The first time I felt like commiting suicid... View more

Hi my name is Christine and I am new to this forum. I have suffered from major depression for about 9 months now. I have a lot of health issues which seems to never end. I have tried to commit suicide twice.The first time I felt like commiting suicide I told my colorectal surgeon. He was very nice and told me to ring him if I need his help. It took me two days of not eating or sleeping to work up the courage to ask for his help.When I did ring my surgeon he helped me by contacting my gp. My gp thought it was funny in the way that I tried to kill myself and I had to ask him to prescribe me antidepressants. The first thing he told me that I scared my surgeon and still feel guilty about this..I never received any counselling until now and I have changed gp's. I now have trust issues and only trust my surgeon.I need his support again but I don't know how to ask him face to face. I have emailed him asking for his support but haven't got an answer. How do I ask him without feeling needy?beyondblue’s clinically-trained moderators often work offline (invisible to you) on issues relating to suicide or self-harm. At the same time, general supportive comments from the community are encouraged. If you have concerns around suicide or self-harm, please phone our support service on 1300 22 4636.

Pounce they want to stop my happiness
  • replies: 22

My psychologist and doctor suspect I have bipolar. My current medication is just not working I still get depressed and have frequent suicidal thoughts. My doctor told me to stop taking one of my medications because I was getting too "high". But I was... View more

My psychologist and doctor suspect I have bipolar. My current medication is just not working I still get depressed and have frequent suicidal thoughts. My doctor told me to stop taking one of my medications because I was getting too "high". But I wasn't crazy, just amazingly happy and confident, and people seemed to like me for a change. He's now given me a new med. I've investigated. It's an antipsychotic with a side effect list as long as my arm. I don't want it. It will take my happiness away. Why do they want to take my happiness away??? I'm just looking for a way to be rid of the depression without being rid of the happiness. Know of anything that helps? beyondblue’s clinically-trained moderators often work offline (invisible to you) on issues relating to suicide or self-harm. At the same time, general supportive comments from the community are encouraged. If you have concerns around suicide or self-harm, please phone our support service on 1300 22 4636. Normal 0 false false false EN-AU X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}

Jodes1 Lying to my psychologist
  • replies: 7

Yesterday I told my psychologist that I was better.. After just one session.. Truth is I'm not.. I'm not sure what made me say it.. I don't know how to take it back.. She wants to see me again to work on my shyness rather than my depression/anxiety..... View more

Yesterday I told my psychologist that I was better.. After just one session.. Truth is I'm not.. I'm not sure what made me say it.. I don't know how to take it back.. She wants to see me again to work on my shyness rather than my depression/anxiety.. I really just want to deal with the depression but I'm not sure how to tell her that...as clearly I can't be honest about it even though I feel I can trust her. Has anyone else been down this path or can anyone tell me why I felt the need to lie to the one person that may be able to help me. Thanks.

MissBenthos Finally seeking treatment but losing more hope.
  • replies: 2

Hi, I’ve had depression and anxiety for around 5 years. I started seeing a doctor and psychologist about it last year when I realized it was heavily affecting me at work. For a long time I was telling myself that I was just being a sook, I even thoug... View more

Hi, I’ve had depression and anxiety for around 5 years. I started seeing a doctor and psychologist about it last year when I realized it was heavily affecting me at work. For a long time I was telling myself that I was just being a sook, I even thought that some symptoms like being tired all the time were normal, and I guess that’s what I was hearing around me as well – things like: “cheer up, life’s not so bad”. This year I started trying anti depressants, which have been amazing for sleep, but not seeing any improvements with mood, now waiting to see where to go next with medication. It also wasn’t until this year that I have started talking about it with friends and family. The sessions with the psychologist are hard, I’m doing everything she’s suggesting and I think the hardest thing is not seeing any results yet, seems like a huge amount of effort that’s not really going anywhere. I know I need to work on my communication skills, I feel a lack of deep and meaningful friendships where we would have common interests and really get to know each other, the friendships I have feel so shallow right now. I’ve gone out a lot this year, pushed through the anxiety and met people, however, I’ll probably never see them again. Not really sure how to take that next step to becoming closer friends and I have always been a fairly quiet person, so starting conversations in the first place is already a difficult task. I feel guilty for feeling like this, there’s nothing terribly wrong in my life, there are so many people worse off than me and I don’t understand why I find it so hard to cope. I can’t relax even when I’m at home, I don’t know how many times I’ve edited this post now, the only time I have relief from the anxiety is when the depression gets so bad that nothing matters anymore. The more I do to help myself and realize nothing’s changed the more I feel hopeless. How do you measure improvement? I’m told that I’m doing healthy things but I’m still in that haze, confused and like a zombie living a pointless half-life.

BeeGee Coming off my SNRI - feeling at sixes and sevens
  • replies: 6

Here I am nine months into treatment, after trying two SSRIs and an SNRI. None of them have done a damn thing - not anything helpful anyway. I've hated my SNRI. I committed to going three full months, but I've felt like a robot - all emotions complet... View more

Here I am nine months into treatment, after trying two SSRIs and an SNRI. None of them have done a damn thing - not anything helpful anyway. I've hated my SNRI. I committed to going three full months, but I've felt like a robot - all emotions completely gone. Not happy, not sad, not angry, not hopeful - nothing. Just empty. So I've been looking forward to this week when I'm winding down, so that I can actually experience something again. Now that it's here, I feel like I'm starting to come alive again, but that's a mixed bag. Feelings are coming back, but that includes feeling glum which I had forgotten for a while. Still - they say you've got to take the good with the bad, so hopefully some of those positive feelings will also come back soon too. I can't help feeling really discouraged about AD therapy though. I've read a bunch of medical research studies and it seems the evidence in favour of pharmacological treatment for my condition is ambiguous at best, in terms of choosing a suitable AD but also whether they really conclusively make a meaningful difference. Sigh. I'm going to take a break from meds for a little while and rediscover my baseline before my next foray into drugs. Maybe TCAs next... zzzz....zzzz...zzzz...