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

Zoomah Genetics
  • replies: 9

Have some good news on my treatment. I was starting to lose hope as no medication was working and I was only going down down down. In December I decided to try the public system with mixed results... mostly negative. However, this has all changed now... View more

Have some good news on my treatment. I was starting to lose hope as no medication was working and I was only going down down down. In December I decided to try the public system with mixed results... mostly negative. However, this has all changed now that I had an ACTUAL appointment with my psychiatrist. Before it was just with case workers and such. Turns out the psychiatrist I got was amazingly good at his job. My previous psych had tried the different types of drugs with no effect so this one went "Hmm, not effect. There must be a reason for that." So he got a genetic test... which was expensive for me. Turns out that normal medications will never help me because I have a mutation on my gene that prevents me from producing some chemicals properly. For me this is great news because now I have an actual treatment plan instead of guess work. I'm weaning off the drugs (not looking forward to the next 4 weeks... probably end up in hospital) and getting custom made supplements to give me the chemical my body can't produce. He's 80-90% sure this will let me get on with my life and respond to therapy. Even better, people in my family with depression can now get the genetic test and hopefully it will help them. Isn't modern medicine great? Still a possibility for it not to work but at least there's some hope. The actual mutation is so unusual that he's taking my case to a guy in the US. Lots of people have the mutation on their gene but mine is in an unusual way.

MrRoss Just help so fed up
  • replies: 1

Hi there am I the only one that can't see a psychiatrist without paying I have emailed 20 now no luck. It's very hard because I have been unwell for the last year and a half been diagnosed what's the autoimmune disease that is affected my Spine so fi... View more

Hi there am I the only one that can't see a psychiatrist without paying I have emailed 20 now no luck. It's very hard because I have been unwell for the last year and a half been diagnosed what's the autoimmune disease that is affected my Spine so find it difacult to walk some days lost my job because the RTA took my driver's licence of me because of my sickness. I understand its the right thing to do but it still hurts trying to get Disabled pension that's a nightmare waited over a year to see spine specialist to get a report for my claim dr told me I needed to pay for it private. And to top it all off my little brother died yesterday in the UK and I can't afford the $7000 it cost to fly at the moment because of coved19. Just having a really hard time NDIS have asked me to give a list of things I need help with but how do I know what they give help with to ask being dyslexic doesn't help plus the drugs I'm on make me a bit dizzy that my rant over thanks for reading

Unit1 Inadequate help for the lovelorn
  • replies: 12

I had composed a bit of an essay for this but then I find it is limited to 2500 characters. Mine was over 16,000 so I have to forget all my carefully composed thoughts which I hoped would get across my feelings - so here it is in bullet form: * I am ... View more

I had composed a bit of an essay for this but then I find it is limited to 2500 characters. Mine was over 16,000 so I have to forget all my carefully composed thoughts which I hoped would get across my feelings - so here it is in bullet form: * I am a 50 years old male and never been able to have a relationship due to a crippling fear of intimacy and a range of internal and external barriers to long to discuss in 2500 Characters. And no I'm not a creep or mysogynist. I am profoundly lonely and despite craving the companionship, affection and sexual contact of a woman I cannot overcome the barriers, so I live a stifled empty life. I have been ridiculed and patronised for my situation so i just hide now. * After a suicide attempt in my twenties I had15 years of therapy and medications which did not help one bit and now I find myself feeling like it is all over and I cannot believe that therapy can help me. I have delved deep into my problems with various counsellors and psychiatrists so there is nothing more to add to my knowledge of myself. I know my limitations well. I recently thought about therapy again but I see the same promises... * I think my personality and deep seated confidence problems are not very treatable. I think claims of therapy efficacy for such things is baseless or exaggerated. * I would find it less frightening to take my own life than somehow challenge my fear of intimacy in order to have a woman in my life, so I feel like my future will either be a slow lonely decay or I will suicide. * I'm sick of the b------t promises of the world of counselling. It is a field of health care that is far too young and under-developed trying to fix massive, complex and poorly understood problems to be of much help to many people. I have seen many friends similarly promised much from counsellors only to find no real lasting outcomes. Once a promise of help fails - the hope dies further still. I wrote a lot more but what is the point. Maybe someone will try to cheer me up with words of encouragement but that will not help any more than the ineffective "nothings" counsellors have offered me over the years - but still, thank you for reading. Happy Valentines Day from a miserable git.

coach77 Wanting a new therapist but wary
  • replies: 1

I'm not doing great these days and feel like I need to talk to someone but I'm super wary after being jerked around by three therapists in the space of a year. After being bailed on and been greeted with a shrug after opening up I'm very concerned ab... View more

I'm not doing great these days and feel like I need to talk to someone but I'm super wary after being jerked around by three therapists in the space of a year. After being bailed on and been greeted with a shrug after opening up I'm very concerned about the number of unserious/unprofessional operators out there. I'm also frustrated by the all the time and money I've already wasted, and the fact the authorities found these therapists' behaviour utterly unremarkable. It gets hard sometimes and think I should find someone professional to talk to but then I remember what a crap shoot it is. Surely there's a better way?

LimeGreenTea How long does it take to get a first appointment with a psychiatrist?
  • replies: 15

I recently talked to my GP on the subject of my mental health, they gave me a referral to a specific psychiatrist and said to make a booking with them. I did as they said but the earliest possible booking is for November (for future reference it's cu... View more

I recently talked to my GP on the subject of my mental health, they gave me a referral to a specific psychiatrist and said to make a booking with them. I did as they said but the earliest possible booking is for November (for future reference it's currently June). Is this normal?

NeekieJ Withdrawing from meds & time off work
  • replies: 1

Hi all I’ve recently changed medications after the one I was on was no longer effective to managing my depression and anxiety. I’ve been off the old tablets for 3 days now (early days yet, I know) and am dealing with the brain fog, dreadful anxieties... View more

Hi all I’ve recently changed medications after the one I was on was no longer effective to managing my depression and anxiety. I’ve been off the old tablets for 3 days now (early days yet, I know) and am dealing with the brain fog, dreadful anxieties and all those wonderful things that comes with weaning off these types of medication. Because of this I haven’t felt up to driving which is a huge part of my job. (I got in my car to move it and it was like I had no idea what to do!) I told my boss a month in advance what was going on, when I would be looking at changing medications and that I may need time off. She was amazingly supportive. After trying to work and being sent home due to a severe panic attack, I took my doctors advice and took the week off. I saw my GP and psychologist again at the end of that week and as I’m still feeling the effects, was advised by both to take another week off. I approached the 2IC today (as awesome boss is off sick) who told me it was not doable for me to take that much time off, that I should have told them sooner and that she would “have to redo the roster now” (with a few other choice adjectives sprinkled throughout). She also said that if I’m not coping, then my hours will be cut back to 8 hours/ week, currently I do around 20 hours/ week due to other health issues. She then waved me out, said rest up and Ill see you in a week. Guess I’m just looking for advice here. Did I do the right thing? Should I have spoken up sooner? Has anyone else experienced this in the workplace? I’m feeling so confused and always try to do my best at my job. I feel like there is still so much stigma around mental health and the profound effects it has are still so misunderstood.

study_my_life_away How do I have this discussion about my other half
  • replies: 4

Thank you to the many readers... So I am in a unique position, I myself have diagnosed ADHD (mild) depression, anxiety and chronic pain all managed by various medications As an adult ADHD diagnosed person, and being on medication, which has helped ra... View more

Thank you to the many readers... So I am in a unique position, I myself have diagnosed ADHD (mild) depression, anxiety and chronic pain all managed by various medications As an adult ADHD diagnosed person, and being on medication, which has helped rather dramatically! I am starting to think my other half may have bipolar or even ADHD I have received information that it’s best if I go to my GP first without my other half to have the discussion I am nervous about having this discussion as I am unsure if I will be taken seriously or not when I had suspected I had ADHD the GP asked why I might think I have it I am unsure if this will be the case if I go and ask about it with my GP?! there are days/times when I think my husband has learnt from my undiagnosed ADHD in terms of daily chores and habits daily chores for myself... yeah right I’d be lucky if I remembered to actually clean the dishes and put them away I am aware that ADHD and bipolar do experience some similar symptoms my other half is on antidepressants but doesn’t take them consistently goes on and off them mind you if tried the same thing I would get a shocking “missed dose/withdrawals” I get moderate to severe ‘brain zaps’ any feedback about what I need to provide to the GP or relent information would be of help my other question I have is - in the chance that my other half is diagnosed as having bipolar, how does bipolar response to treatment?! as in would the symptoms go away completely or only partly?!

NurseMinxy Stopping or changing Psychiatrist
  • replies: 5

Hi everyone, I started seeing a Psychiatrist about 15+ years ago after a Bipolar diagnosis - I feel this was a misdiagnosis and would now be considered PMDD as my symptoms match PMDD much better than Bipolar, which was not in the DSM all those years ... View more

Hi everyone, I started seeing a Psychiatrist about 15+ years ago after a Bipolar diagnosis - I feel this was a misdiagnosis and would now be considered PMDD as my symptoms match PMDD much better than Bipolar, which was not in the DSM all those years ago. I'm a registered nurse and my psychiatrist of 10 years, regularly threatens that I need to stay stable or I'll have to deal with AHPRA - the regulatory body for health professionals - I'm just a little tired of these threats and would really like to stop seeing him, but I'm worried that he will report me if I don't go. He assumes that anything new I do is a manic episode, eg cleaning my partners house, or planning to buy a car, or go on a holiday. I'm unmedicated and have been since 2014, and feel I'm more stable off than I was on - my friends all agree. I've had no manic/hypomanic/depressive episodes since I left an abusive relationship 15 years ago. Now that my partner and I are planning to have a baby, he wants to see me every month, 'because it's stressful' and 'I'm more susceptible to postpartum depression and psychosis'. I'm just seeing that it's a lot more money in his bank account. So I need some help in stopping seeing him, without him thinking that I'm unstable in anyway and reporting me. I'm more than happy to see a psychologist if I feel I'm struggling. Please offer some suggestions...

CheeseDingo Mental health in the toilet after 5 years of avoiding health services, Now jumping back into treatment. How to I initiate a ASD test/diagnosis?
  • replies: 4

Hello, First post on these forums. 30 Male, never self harmed/no suicidal ideation. Never violent/aggressive with people Early 20's diagnosed with ADHD and Depression. I have Stopped medications when I went on university exchange for 1 year in 2015. ... View more

Hello, First post on these forums. 30 Male, never self harmed/no suicidal ideation. Never violent/aggressive with people Early 20's diagnosed with ADHD and Depression. I have Stopped medications when I went on university exchange for 1 year in 2015. In 2016 I came back to Australia after failing to hand in any of my university exchange assignments and dropped out of a Engineering/International studies degree 4.5/5.5 years into the degree. Over the last 5 years I have worked hard at entry level jobs for 5-6 months of the year, save lots of money, then quit the job to feed a heavy addiction to 1 video game (~15k hours), casino poker (~2k hours), general computer addiction and Cannabis habit. Intense hobbies of cooking/baking, listening to music, herb gardening, listening to podcasts and walking outside for 1-2 hours a day does ground me, but It's not enough for me to move forward with my life. Since this time I have cut off 95% of interaction with friends and avoid regular interaction with my family. I have been lucky and had some really great girlfriends in the past but have not pursued any female interaction over the last 4 years. --9 days ago I had my first interaction with mental health services in ~5 years in the form of a NewAccess coach. They wanted me to write a day to day diary/log of problems/emotions/feelings as I had difficulty fully expressing myself in the interview (I also vaped Marijuana 3 hours before interview which didn't help). --4 days ago I uninstalled the video game that I would play ~50hours a week as it was directly tempting me and sabotaging my recovery efforts. Currently my longest break in 5 years. --3 days ago Anxiety was through the roof all day. I funneled my attention from the game to the internet and wasted my whole day on social media/internet (600+ pages in my web history that day on PC alone). --Yesterday early in the morning I installed software across PC/Mobile devices to block access to all websites I would waste time on (excluding YouTube). I booked, attended a doctors appointment, completed a mental health plan and have a psychologist appointment 2 weeks from now . --Today, cannabis consumption down ~30% in frequency, ~50% in dosage size reduction in 9 days. I am coming here to ask how to best start my relationship with a new psychologist and how I would initiate a test for what I suspect to be an undiagnosed Autism Spectrum Disorder. TY

TheBigBlue Question - Why did psychiatrist take photo of prescription?
  • replies: 8

I saw my psychiatrist yesterday. He increased my dose for one of my medications & wrote a new prescription. Then he took a photo of the prescription on his mobile before passing it to me. Naturally my anxiety prevented me from asking, so does anyone ... View more

I saw my psychiatrist yesterday. He increased my dose for one of my medications & wrote a new prescription. Then he took a photo of the prescription on his mobile before passing it to me. Naturally my anxiety prevented me from asking, so does anyone here know why he would do that? I’m guessing so there is some sort of record, but it kind of makes me feel like I’m not trusted........ Any one else had this happen or know the reason behind it????