Treatments, health professionals and therapies

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Rajeet I Need Support Against Covert Narcissist He Is Threatening To Kick Me Out:
  • replies: 1

Hi my name is Rajeet, i am 18, I still live at home with my parents, i have no friends, i don't have a car still stuck on my learner license, i am experiencing narcissistic abuse from my dad, it is emotional abuse, he is always causing dramas, making... View more

Hi my name is Rajeet, i am 18, I still live at home with my parents, i have no friends, i don't have a car still stuck on my learner license, i am experiencing narcissistic abuse from my dad, it is emotional abuse, he is always causing dramas, making everyone feel down. It is tarnishing my mental health and wellbeing, and now i confronted him for his behaviour, and he is just deflecting it back and complaining that i am criticising him, clearly i am not, i eventually told him that i am not talking to him anymore and he told me to get out of his house but i have not yet, very soon i am going to need to find somewhere else to stay and i don't know what to do.

ch33sy i don’t think how my thinking is healthy
  • replies: 2

hi there, hope you are treating yourself well ive come here to just talk about how i’m feeling, and i think i might need help- but i don’t know if i do somedays i will get in this mood/head space, where i completely shut down, from talking and just f... View more

hi there, hope you are treating yourself well ive come here to just talk about how i’m feeling, and i think i might need help- but i don’t know if i do somedays i will get in this mood/head space, where i completely shut down, from talking and just freeze. i don’t know what causes this, but it’s really affecting the people around me and when someone asks me “what’s the problem”, there is no problem, but im not ok, i don’t feel ok, but why do i get like this, if nothing is wrong. and i feel like i need to talk to someone because i’ve tried to manage it myself for so long, but i can’t, nothings improving, and it’s getting more frequent but when i think about seeing someone about it, i think that i’m just using up their time, or someone else’s time because i have no reason to be like this. and i question myself, you’re doing it on purpose, you’re acting, and these voices it’s just so negative, and it tells me that everything is so bad, when it’s not, it’s just excessive overthinking, and it’s so tiring, im so tired of dealing with it another thing is that, i feel things so intensely, like something will happen, and i should be like “oh that’s crap”, and move on. instead i dwell, and i spiral, and i can’t get out of it, i can’t snap out of it. the littlest amount of things just ruin me, and i shut down, and people get hurt because they think i’m ignoring them but i’m just in my head dealing with these negative thoughts, how to respond, just every little detail i can possibly think of i ruin everything because i am stuck in the past/little interferences, and i feel stupid for feeling the way i do, because it’s just ridiculous that something like that could effect me i can’t respond in the moment, and i am aware that my thinking isn’t beneficial, but i can’t stop or get out of the cycle is this something i see someone about? thanks

Nate_Late Psychologists - Expectation vs Reality
  • replies: 14

HI, I have been seeing a Psychologist now for 6 visits on my MHCP and i feel like its just not hitting home like I expected. After my 2nd suicide attempt it was time to take all this seriously and get the help but I'm not sure I'm getting it and I'm ... View more

HI, I have been seeing a Psychologist now for 6 visits on my MHCP and i feel like its just not hitting home like I expected. After my 2nd suicide attempt it was time to take all this seriously and get the help but I'm not sure I'm getting it and I'm wondering if my expectations are not in line with reality. he focuses on Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) but it really feels like a life coach session. we haven't spoken about or dealt with why I may turn to self harm or any other "Hard" subject. I mean I kind of expected the cliché questions about my relationship with my parents, or anything about my childhood but nothing even close to that has come up. it all seems really high level and almost a cookie cutter textbook approach. I have mentioned things to him but there hasn't been a course correction at all. so with my limited experience with Psychologists are my expectations of what a session or the process should be out of touch with reality? or is this just standard?

Willow Jude What is it like to call a helpline?
  • replies: 17

Hi there, I’m wondering what it is like to call a helpline. My psychologist has recommended I consider calling one during times when I am struggling with some overwhelming feelings (not necessarily suicide/self-harm related, more like intense hopeles... View more

Hi there, I’m wondering what it is like to call a helpline. My psychologist has recommended I consider calling one during times when I am struggling with some overwhelming feelings (not necessarily suicide/self-harm related, more like intense hopelessness, loneliness, etc.), but I find it difficult not knowing what to expect. There are so many things that I worry about when I consider calling - How will the conversation go? Will they think it's okay for me to use a helpline just to talk to someone when I am not a risk to myself? Will I be made to feel like I am wasting their time after a certain amount of time? Can I be forced to go to hospital or something if I am considered at risk of harm? So if anyone has any experiences with helplines that they’d be willing to share to give me a little insight into how it goes, I would really appreciate it! Thanks, WJ

MisterM How do you all afford psychology/psychiatry sessions?
  • replies: 87

I know there are 10 sessions covered under Medicare where you only pay a smaller fee but every time I have been the 10 sessions run out so fast. I am unemployed, even recently working casual I wasn't earning much. How do some of you people afford to ... View more

I know there are 10 sessions covered under Medicare where you only pay a smaller fee but every time I have been the 10 sessions run out so fast. I am unemployed, even recently working casual I wasn't earning much. How do some of you people afford to go weekly/fortnightly. When I was working full time I was going every week/fortnight and spent over $3,000 in a year on seeing my psychologist. It's just too damn expensive, how can sessions cost $200 approx per 50 mins, what justifies such a high fee? I don't get it.

Faitful79 Trust Issues
  • replies: 3

The day started with me going to my GP who I trusted. I went with a letter explaining how I was feeling. She told me the only way she had to help me was for me to go to the Emergency Department. I did question her and say was she sure this was the on... View more

The day started with me going to my GP who I trusted. I went with a letter explaining how I was feeling. She told me the only way she had to help me was for me to go to the Emergency Department. I did question her and say was she sure this was the only way and she said yes. She wrote me a letter and said she would call them so they knew I was coming. I told her that the main thing I was worried about was being treated by male workers because of my past with which she communicated that in her experience she has mainly dealt with female at this hospital. She also said she would ring me later on to see how I was going (this never happened) and that we would catch up in a week (which never happened as as she went on annual leave the day after I saw her). I went to hospital with her letter and the first thing that the triage nurse said was that my doctor didn’t have to send me to the emergency department for this (another lie). I had to talk to a male mental health nurse who walked in and pulled the curtains shut - found the whole experience frightening and useless and I said whatever I could to get out of the place. He let me go home after me telling him I want to kill myself but because I’m a christian and it’s a sin he felt I was safe to go home. The next day the Acute Care Team rang me to make an appointment but because it was another male mental health nurse I just told them I was fine and didn’t require their services. I’m really quite hurt by all the lies my GP told me just to get me to the hospital. I did forget to mention that 3 weeks before this the GP call an ambulance to take me to the hospital but my support person told them I was fine and they were happy with that. I’m doing much better now but how do you trust your doctor again? Or do you just find another? Has anyone else had a similar experience? I just wish she was honest with me.

GreenEgg Adjusting to medication
  • replies: 2

Hello I’m in my second week of taking an SSRI and I’m feeling a bit down. I know that the first weeks are normally the worst and benefits can take a while, but I can’t help but think it’s just not working for me and won’t work.I guess I’m wondering i... View more

Hello I’m in my second week of taking an SSRI and I’m feeling a bit down. I know that the first weeks are normally the worst and benefits can take a while, but I can’t help but think it’s just not working for me and won’t work.I guess I’m wondering if you have any similar experiences, and any tips for managing side effects - mentally in sticking with it and physical too. I feel like my anxiety is worse, especially my physical symptoms. I’m really tired and restless at the same time. My chest feels tight all the time, my hands have been trembling and my jaw is hurting from clenching it. I tend to have this normally but it seems worse and more constant.I keep having thoughts like am I really feeling depressed or anxious, maybe I’ve just convinced myself and the dr’s and I’m not really and this is not doing what it’s meant to.Thank you G

josh88 Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Therapy
  • replies: 1

Just wondering if anyone has had any success with this therapy. I've been in discussions with my psychiatrist about it as an option for me to think about. I've been suffering from chronic depression for about 15 years. I've tried 6-8 different medica... View more

Just wondering if anyone has had any success with this therapy. I've been in discussions with my psychiatrist about it as an option for me to think about. I've been suffering from chronic depression for about 15 years. I've tried 6-8 different medications and a range of different psychology therapies. I'm wondering if anyone has tried this therapy and what the effect was, or whether I shouldn't get my hopes up too much. Thanks in advance. Josh.

Caite Accidental Cold Turkey of Anti Depressants
  • replies: 2

Hey guys, Just looking for someone who’s been in or is in a similar situation; bit of a background, I decided last year after 6 years on anti depressants to come off them as I was ready, I (now regret) started to come off them without my drs knowledg... View more

Hey guys, Just looking for someone who’s been in or is in a similar situation; bit of a background, I decided last year after 6 years on anti depressants to come off them as I was ready, I (now regret) started to come off them without my drs knowledge and went the naturopath way instead, big mistake, she placed me on many different herbs that fought against the anti depressant, I than went to my dr with dizzy/vertigo, sinus pain, headaches and internal tremors, he said it was a result of not being on my anti depressant and to go back on them so I did, I still was experiencing the same symptoms so I went back again we ran some tests and determined it was low iron (this is a usual for me) after multiple appointments he decided that my anti depressant was fighting against my body as I had the same symptoms still, he took me off within 4 days, I now know this is called cold Turkey and should never be done, it’s now been almost 3 months off them and the past 2 months I’ve been almost fully bed ridden, I feel like I am rocking (vertigo), internal and external tremors, tired, achy all over, flu like symptoms, I’ve had a herbalist who has been really helpful in getting serotonin syndrome out of my system however I am still struggling with the discontinuation syndrome, I’ve gone to another GP for a second opinion and am currently doing the tests etc, I just need to know if anyone has ever been through cold Turkey and does it get better? I currently can’t drive, barely functional day to day, just ready for it to be settled Thank you in advance

Applestamp Losing hope that I can be helped.
  • replies: 3

I've had a lot of mental health issues from a young age, through most of primary school and high school I was terrified of engaging socially, my mother was in rehab for much of my early childhood and developed a distrust of mental health carers which... View more

I've had a lot of mental health issues from a young age, through most of primary school and high school I was terrified of engaging socially, my mother was in rehab for much of my early childhood and developed a distrust of mental health carers which I inherited. In my late primary school my father wanted to try and help me so took me a childrens mental health event. At the time I was unable to engage and it culminated in an incredibly traumatic moment where I was publicly humiliated by one of the staff while trying to articulate my struggles. During my early highschool years I ended up seeing 2 professionals, one of them was unhelpful but un-eventful, I ended up having an angry out burst at the other. I became increasingly angry and occasionally violent, by late highschool I had began drinking heavily and using other drugs. I felt angry at my parents and increasingly at mental health professionals. A few years after dropping out of highschool I tried again, through my GP who was pretty much the only person I'd been honest with. On my way to my second appointment I had an anxiety attack and missed the appointment. I got a text saying I owed the standard fee + $200 cancellation fee. I cancelled all my appointments, went home and attempted to commit suicide, I didn't succeed but I did spend several days in severe delerium. So I lived, and now too terrified of brain damage to try again. Everything since has been worse, my fears have grown, my distrust of medical professionals has reached a debilitating level, I've lost track of what my body should feel like, what sensations and pains are normal since I'm afraid of speaking to a doctor. I work online in IT, and my experience of provider carelessness around user information in that field has left me unable to trust even online services. I'm stuck, online services need real information I can't share, they want my GP, they want me to engage in therapies that I've got trauma associated with. And most of them don't have the time or resources to do it via text, they want phone or video calls if not in person meetings. To be clear, logically I don't think mental health professionals are out to get me, but I can't trust them enough to get help. I can't trust my family enough to talk to them about it, I can't trust my GP. I feel so stuck and I've felt stuck for so long. Is there anything I can do? Are there services available for people who have this kind of fear?