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fat_and_depressed ECT, and other alternative treatments for depression.
  • replies: 1

Hi. I have been on 6 different medications, had 4 years of therapy and been hospitalised around 7 times for my depression, none of which have made any improvements. I am highly considering talking to my psychiatrist on Tuesday about alternative treat... View more

Hi. I have been on 6 different medications, had 4 years of therapy and been hospitalised around 7 times for my depression, none of which have made any improvements. I am highly considering talking to my psychiatrist on Tuesday about alternative treatments, like ECT, to help my depression. My question is to those suffering depression, especially those with the treatment resistant strain. Have you received ECT and if so, what is your opinion on it? Also, are there any other forms if treatment you have undergone that don't include medication or therapy? what was it and was it useful? Thank you x

MOC1 Medication Dilemma
  • replies: 3

I'm the mum of an almost 18yo guy who has depression and anxiety. His first bout with anxiety was as a 13/14yo for approx 8 months. He saw a psychologist for this time and it really helped. He appeared to travel along OK until approx November last ye... View more

I'm the mum of an almost 18yo guy who has depression and anxiety. His first bout with anxiety was as a 13/14yo for approx 8 months. He saw a psychologist for this time and it really helped. He appeared to travel along OK until approx November last year when things went down hill. This was about the time that he started his Year 12 HSC (term 4). He is now midway through and really struggling. He is back seeing his psychologist weekly. He was on one SSRIs medication for approx 5 months which caused horrible nausea and headaches and at the time didn't appear to greatly lift his mood but now on reflection it may have. He has now tried another SSRIs for just less then 4 weeks (thankfully no headaches and nausea), with the last 2 weeks being dreadful with moods - he said that one of those weeks was the worst that he has experienced over the last year. His doctor has suggested either increasing his current medication dose (double as he is currently on a low dose) or changing to a new medication completely (either a SNRIs or SSNRI). He seems to have picked up a little last night and today but it is also the weekend and no stress from school. We are in a quandary because he has trial exams coming up in approx 5 weeks and he does not want to make it harder for himself with medication changeover etc if it may not be necessary. He has said that he wants to stay at school and get his HSC if he can although we have given him many options so that he does not feel pressured. At the moment he struggles with focus / concentration (not sure whether this is the depression or his current medication). The dilemma is does he stick with his current medication and increase the dose or does he change to a new medication which also potentially increases energy levels as well as mood - always a little hit and miss with AD . Any thoughts from those of you who may have experienced a similar dilemma would be great. Thanks for reading.

MOC1 Medication Dilemma
  • replies: 2

I'm the mum of an almost 18yo guy who has depression and anxiety. His first bout with anxiety was as a 13/14yo for approx 8 months. He saw a psychologist for this time and it really helped. He appeared to travel along OK until approx November last ye... View more

I'm the mum of an almost 18yo guy who has depression and anxiety. His first bout with anxiety was as a 13/14yo for approx 8 months. He saw a psychologist for this time and it really helped. He appeared to travel along OK until approx November last year when things went down hill. This was about the time that he started his Year 12 HSC (term 4). He is now midway through and really struggling. He is back seeing his psychologist weekly. He was on one SSRIs medication for approx 5 months which caused horrible nausea and headaches and at the time didn't appear to greatly lift his mood but now on reflection it may have. He has now tried another SSRIs for just less then 4 weeks (thankfully no headaches and nausea), with the last 2 weeks being dreadful with moods - he said that one of those weeks was the worst that he has experienced over the last year. His doctor has suggested either increasing his current medication dose (double as he is currently on a low dose) or changing to a new medication completely (either a SNRIs or SSNRI). He seems to have picked up a little last night and today but it is also the weekend and no stress from school. We are in a quandary because he has trial exams coming up in approx 5 weeks and he does not want to make it harder for himself with medication changeover etc if it may not be necessary. He has said that he wants to stay at school and get his HSC if he can although we have given him many options so that he does not feel pressured. At the moment he struggles with focus / concentration (not sure whether this is the depression or his current medication). The dilemma is does he stick with his current medication and increase the dose or does he change to a new medication which also potentially increases energy levels as well as mood - always a little hit and miss with AD . Any thoughts from those of you who may have experienced a similar dilemma would be great. Thanks for reading.

Runner_Matt Please help with what counselling has worked for you
  • replies: 8

I am new here and am putting off getting help for my depression and anxiety. As a child I suffered severe physical abuse and it was not until August last year that I realised that what I feel everyday is not 'normal'. I have seen my doctor and am cur... View more

I am new here and am putting off getting help for my depression and anxiety. As a child I suffered severe physical abuse and it was not until August last year that I realised that what I feel everyday is not 'normal'. I have seen my doctor and am currently taking medication each day. Medication has helped me get through the days without feeling terriable and it seems to be giving me some of my life back.Still I suffer from anxiety in situations where I have conflict with older males that resenbale my father. At these times I feel so angry and have real troubles expressing myself. Often I verbaly lash out at the other person when they do not deserve it and feel terriable afterwards. I also then get anxious about what happened for the next week and cannot stop thinking about what happened. It totaly consumes me and is an awful feeling.Sometimes I feel like I just want to breath and let all the tension go but it remains.Whilst the medication has helped I was wondering wether phsycalogical counselling is worthwhile. I appreciate everyones circumstances are different and would really value any thoughts, experiances or learnings that you can share that will help me make a decision of what to do next.I just want to live a day without feeling like this.

Toots78 Should I go on Meds?
  • replies: 4

This is my first post here or any other forum related to Anxiety so it's all very new to me. I've always been aware of my anxious nature but have managed to get through life ok until recently. Not long after getting married I suddenly experienced a f... View more

This is my first post here or any other forum related to Anxiety so it's all very new to me. I've always been aware of my anxious nature but have managed to get through life ok until recently. Not long after getting married I suddenly experienced a full blown panic attack one night which just came out of the blue. I dealt with the best i could the next few days but felt constantly unsettled and disconnected.I went to my local GP who knows my history of being anxious at nature and she referred me to a psychologist for further assessment and treatment. In the mean time she gave me a script for some medication to get me through when needed until I could see the psychologist.So far I have had 6 sessions with my psych and also have enrolled in a group Mindfulness course also run by the same psychologist. I was doing ok with the education with breathing techniques and also being educated on my negative thought process and why i distort things in thinking the worst and catastrophizing everything.The problem now is I imagine bad things in everyday things such as driving the car i.e the car will break down or I will be in a crash. Taking the train to work, what if I have a panic attack on it? What is my pets or family get sick, how will I cope? I'm now feeling some depression creeping in and am starting to feel like this is all to much for me to handle.To add the it all my husband and I are starting to try for a family and I know that with my heightened anxiety levels lack of being able to function on days that it will may affect me falling pregnant or even being able to carry a healthy child.I've had not wanted to try meds and have wanted to deal with it all naturally and through therapy etc but I am starting consider whether it's all becoming a bit too much for me and maybe meds might be the better option for me right now to get me in to a better place. I"m starting to take a few days off work here and there as my anxiety starts to become worse. Something that I feel frustrated with.Hoping someone be able to give me some guidance with meds and whether they have been on them whilst trying for a baby and also through pregnancy. Thanks

missmuppet weight gain on meds, fighting a losing battle?
  • replies: 10

I've been on bipolar meds for over 12 months now & gained 10kgs. Have started a plan to lose 5kgs in 12 weeks. But I feel like I'm starving all the time & have trouble sticking to the plan. So I've been trying to eat whole foods, no processed, only. ... View more

I've been on bipolar meds for over 12 months now & gained 10kgs. Have started a plan to lose 5kgs in 12 weeks. But I feel like I'm starving all the time & have trouble sticking to the plan. So I've been trying to eat whole foods, no processed, only. But I think I still eat too much to lose the weight. I exercise too. Wondering if I should focus on just not gaining any more... Anything else work for you? Thanks

Anushka Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation/ Direct Current Stimulation
  • replies: 2

Hi everyone I'm new to BB forum although definitely not new to bipolar. I was diagnosed 2.5 years ago after a 10 year struggle. Meds have been effective but side effects on weight/skin/tremors have been horrendous. I am currently seeking help from th... View more

Hi everyone I'm new to BB forum although definitely not new to bipolar. I was diagnosed 2.5 years ago after a 10 year struggle. Meds have been effective but side effects on weight/skin/tremors have been horrendous. I am currently seeking help from the Black Dog Institute in joining one of their trials for DCS. My psychiatrist is very focussed on medication and doesn't really seem to know much about TMS or DCS. He didn't even know that TMS is a RANZ College of Psychiatrists approved treatment for severe depression! Just wondering if anyone has any experience with these brain stimulations and whether you've benefited from it. Also if you have had it, do you still take medications? Thanks in advance, Anushka

Taash33 Anxiety & depression, how do you feel about anti depressants medication?
  • replies: 2

Hi, I'm Tash im nearly 21 and I've battled severe separation anxiety for 16 years and depression for about 10 years now. ive never been a big fan of anti depressants and never wanted to take them. But I've tried so many different techniques to help m... View more

Hi, I'm Tash im nearly 21 and I've battled severe separation anxiety for 16 years and depression for about 10 years now. ive never been a big fan of anti depressants and never wanted to take them. But I've tried so many different techniques to help my anxiety but nothing has helped long term. This week I went to my GP and asked about more options and he suggested anti depressants. I brought them but still haven't taken them. I was wondering on people's thought on anti depressants and if they have helped you? i struggle day to day with my anxiety and the past couple of weeks it has been worst. I know always about anxiety and depression, but I've heard good and bad things about taking medication for them. i just wanted to make sure I'm making the right decision by starting anti depressants. Thanks for reading guys xx

Denv12 This is how I look after myself each day.
  • replies: 2

I'm not one for sitting back waiting for answers.I like finding things. I decided I wanted to do things that would make life better.If it improves my wellbeing then its worth it. As I have tried muscle testing techniques from Kinesiologists and some ... View more

I'm not one for sitting back waiting for answers.I like finding things. I decided I wanted to do things that would make life better.If it improves my wellbeing then its worth it. As I have tried muscle testing techniques from Kinesiologists and some chiropractors I started looking around for books on Acupressure. It uses pressure points which you use.I found a book called : "Acupressure For Emotional Healing". By Michael Read Gach.Phd ISBN:0553382438 and:978-0553382438. There are a variety of ailments in the books that can be treated by pressure point massages.I read the book and found all the ailments I can relate to. I do my routines in the morning and evening. I did find a good website with more so I use that unfortunately I cant post the link here. I heard about something called "E.F.T", Emotional Freedom Technique. I bought a book on it called : "Emotional Healing In Minutes", By Valerie Lynch. ISBN:978-0007112528.And: 0007112586. Its very thorough. This lead me to a better technique called " Faster Emotionally Focus Transformations" or F.E.F.T. I do FEFT everyday. I've been using it over the last 2 months. You do it by yourself in the privacy of your own home.Each emotional issue takes around 30 seconds and then you move on to your next one. Plenty of info online and even at least one book on it (which I havent bought.). I have tried a technique called Neuro Emotional Technique (NET).Its good value.You have to find a practitioner for that. There was a book printed on it dating back around 1999 I think.Plenty of info online too. Thats what I do. .

Zoomah Treatment resistant depression ... treatment
  • replies: 3

I never thought I would be on here and not be depressed but I had to share my amazing treatment.For 4 years I've had depression and I was suicidal for 2 years. I stopped drinking alcohol completely, I didn't do drugs, I volunteered my time, went to t... View more

I never thought I would be on here and not be depressed but I had to share my amazing treatment.For 4 years I've had depression and I was suicidal for 2 years. I stopped drinking alcohol completely, I didn't do drugs, I volunteered my time, went to therapy and never missed my medications. But I only ever got worse. After the 9th medication I spat the dummy and changed psychiatrist. I had amazing luck and stumbled across someone who didn't just do the same old same old. He actually went to other countries to find the best treatments and attended numerous workshops.So I explained my situation and my family history of depression and he ordered a genetic test that was a few hundred dollars. From the results he found that I had a mutation in my MTHFR gene and, due to this, I couldn't produce serotonin well and this impacted a myriad of other chemicals. And because I wasn't producing these chemicals properly, no medications could possibly work on me. So he got me off the medications and ordered a custom supplement to be made up for me that replaced the chemicals that I wasn't able to produce myself. It was amazing! By this time I was suicidal and in hospital. His new supplement (not drug) kicked in quickly and I felt like a whole new person. One morning I was talking to the nurse and started crying because I felt so amazing. He did add a minor bit of medication to help the supplement along once he saw it was working.So now I know my problem and I know I have to take a fair cocktail of supplements every day. The best part is there are no side effects. (Except the pills taste so bad I gag) It'll cost me about $5 a day of custom made supplements for the rest of my life but my depression is basically gone. I still have self-esteem issues as a result of not accomplishing much during my depression but that is nothing compared to what I was before.Hope this helps some people as much as it's helped meAdrian

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