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Givemebackmysoul New to therapy and need some help!
  • replies: 3

Hi, So I’ve just recently started seeing a psychologist as I was referred to one after being sexually assaulted. We have had discussions beyond my referral about other past experiences that have contributed to my poor mental health (family violence &... View more

Hi, So I’ve just recently started seeing a psychologist as I was referred to one after being sexually assaulted. We have had discussions beyond my referral about other past experiences that have contributed to my poor mental health (family violence & bad relationships), so I have a question. How do you actually communicate with your psychologist and know that she actually understands how you feel? Every time I go into a session I’m always having one of my better days and I cannot for the life of me describe what I felt like when I was feeling like crap. It’s like I’m two different people, my mind is blank and I just can’t think of how I felt unless I’m actually feeling it? Which sounds stupid? and it makes me feel like we aren’t on the same page? I feel like she thinks I’m doing fine but I was feeling so awful the days leading up to my session and today I felt like we didn’t address that enough. Also, because I was referred to her I feel like I can’t talk to her about other things because that’s not what our sessions were intended for if that makes sense? Any advice would be greatly appreciated

paulypop caught in the purple circle
  • replies: 4

hi gang new member her been trying to deal with issues with surgeons doctors and good old Centrelink since 2014 and b honest im at wits end I even got myself referred to counselling by a doc not long ago they never fronted for my first 2 sessions and... View more

hi gang new member her been trying to deal with issues with surgeons doctors and good old Centrelink since 2014 and b honest im at wits end I even got myself referred to counselling by a doc not long ago they never fronted for my first 2 sessions and on the 3rd told me it was her last day and she could refer me to another counsellor so that was a total kick in the butt, I have a medical record from a surgeon who I have never seen has me as a daily ice addict never touched it in my life or even met this surgeon and another surgeon who has put me as x ethanol drinker seems my doctor worked in the same hospital b4 as shye said its just a fancy name for alcohol lol is it me or is it them I haven't seen or heard from daughter since she 5 she is 12 now my wife left me for a younger guy good luck to her but thinking of my daughter rips me apart my surgery for spine compression has been cancelled twice due to angina and last yr to high risk ,tried 4 injections but still live in daily pain this has been going on fort 3yrs and it just gets worse my lung collapsed 1 time in 2014 and 2 times in 2015 im really at a loss what to do now and will have to start reporting for job search at the end of oct at the age of 63 I have lost 11 kg in 5 months and gone from 72kg down to 59 kg at present have no inclination to eat and never get hungry im not after sympathy I was a tuff nutt in my days and always seemed to get up every time I got knocked down somehow im just ready now to lie down and stay down and let life run its course any views would may b give me a way out would help thnks

biobliterator help applying for dsp with psychosis
  • replies: 2

hi, first post. registered with this question in mind. ive only recently turned 18 years old, and after going through about 5 years of different doctors, im here. i have what i think is a diagnosis of anxiety/depression/psychosis (thats what my docto... View more

hi, first post. registered with this question in mind. ive only recently turned 18 years old, and after going through about 5 years of different doctors, im here. i have what i think is a diagnosis of anxiety/depression/psychosis (thats what my doctor wrote on my centrelink medical certificate... ive never been told this to my face, but i can infer) it was a big relief and a massive discouragement, finally something that is real, i have an excuse for the way im acting, but now i have to face the stigma within my family, myself, everyone i meet, and even psychiatrists and doctors. it began when i was around 13/14 and steadily got worse, was often confused with dissociation (a hospital diagnosed me with dp/dr, but i dont think that stuck) with no improvements despite lots of counselling and therapy. ive taken medication for psychosis and anxiety, the first worked but disabled me in other ways, the latter does as much as a sugar pill. therapy never helped either, all my improvement has been done by myself alone, im a fairly rational person, diagnosis notwithstanding, and i know how to handle myself. therapy just got me out of the house, and i dont want to waste my time with it. anyway... my question is what to expect applying for dsp. i cant work, i was kicked out of school, i cant even wash myself anymore. moving out alone will help me. lots of people think this will make me worse, but being near other people is usually what stops me from eating/cleaning/being. i cant pick up the phone, shower, or look normal most of the time. a therapist described me once looking like a kicked puppy. and i talk weird. pressure of speech and alogia. it doesnt come off over text, thankfully >-o OK!! what im mostly worried about is, psychosis isnt really a diagnosis, i dont think by centrelinks standards. i was just discharged from a psychosis care clinic, so i would need a new doctor to be diagnosed. most doctors arent very keen on diagnosing a psychotic disorder until they know you for very long (approx 6 months i think), but i dont want therapy! i dont need it, i just need money to be alive. i have youth allowance, but it cant pay rent. i have a pretty heavy case of medical imposter syndrome (not malingering! i just struggle to believe myself even when faced with evidence), its already hard to force myself to admit that its not a phase. im worried ill de-exaggerate and make things worse, but i dont want to... over-exaggerate and look like a liar. do u have any advice?

pleasehelpme16 ADHD & baggage.
  • replies: 11

Hi all,This is my first post, I was diagnosed with ADHD 12 years ago and prescribed medication for it, if I don't take it I'm a absolute vegetable, when I do medicate I sometimes find I'm totally 180' in the other extreme being an obsessive compulsiv... View more

Hi all,This is my first post, I was diagnosed with ADHD 12 years ago and prescribed medication for it, if I don't take it I'm a absolute vegetable, when I do medicate I sometimes find I'm totally 180' in the other extreme being an obsessive compulsive getting it all done and much more I most probably would be a lot better off not worrying wit,I have the text book love/hate relationship going on ,its caused problems more than once but if I stop it I'm lucky to scratch my arise,its something I've been struggling with for some time and now i find myself in search of some answers I guessby posting here its obviously coming to a crossroad!Thanks for having me.Is there anyoneelse out there that has been where I am and understands anything I'm have tried to share?? If there is I would be stoked to here from you ! I feel like a total freak mostly!

Aunt Jobiska Odd encounter with a sleep physician
  • replies: 10

Hi - I'm here to complain about a recent encounter I had with a sleep physician! I'd seen her two years ago, purely to fill out paperwork for my health insurance company, and she seemed fine, smiley enough. I then saw her recently, with a sleep compl... View more

Hi - I'm here to complain about a recent encounter I had with a sleep physician! I'd seen her two years ago, purely to fill out paperwork for my health insurance company, and she seemed fine, smiley enough. I then saw her recently, with a sleep complaint, which has nothing to do with my mental health, which is stable. When I saw the sleep physician, she said she wanted to communicate with my psychiatrist. I told her she could tell me what she wanted to know, and I'd ask him to write a letter with that information. I could understand that she wanted confirmation from him that my mental health was stable (as if it wasn't, that could have explained my symptoms) and while I might be peeved that she didn't believe me, that she didn't believe my report that I was well and stable, I could accept that, yep, doctors typically don't believe patients. (My psychiatrist's opinion that I'm stable is based on my reports to him that I'm stable, so it's just a case of him reporting what I'm saying, rather than her taking it directly from me... ) However, the sleep physician also said she wanted to know my diagnosis, and differential diagnosis. Huh? What the **** has the DIFFERENTIAL diagnosis got to do with anything? I told her that the diagnosis was not up for grabs, it definitively was bipolar affective disorder, but she repeated that she wanted to know the differential diagnosis. There is absolutely no way that knowing the differential diagnosis is going to change the way she manages my sleep disorder. (FYI it is schizoaffective disorder, but I have never had mood-in-congruent psychotic symptoms, so I categorically do not have schizoaffective disorder.) This is not her laneway; she does not and never will have anything to do with the management of my psych illness. This does seem like stigma against bipolar. The only time the differential diagnosis might be relevant is where the original diagnosis is doubtful, and there is absolutely no doubt in my diagnosis. It looks 100% like she doubts the original diagnosis, that's the only reason why the alternatives might be relevant. Illnesses that I DON'T have (the differential diagnosis) have absolutely no relevance to my care. And this is totally not her laneway. Perhaps refusing to tell her my weight (all she needed to know was it was stable) also contributed to her stigmatising, making it easy to label me a difficult psych patient.

Panic90 Panic Disorder/Anxiety- Medication Withdrawal
  • replies: 1

Hello everyone Under the supervision of my psychiatrist, I am discontinuing one type of medication in order to commence a different type of medication for my anxiety and panic disorder. I only took the medication for about six months then I have been... View more

Hello everyone Under the supervision of my psychiatrist, I am discontinuing one type of medication in order to commence a different type of medication for my anxiety and panic disorder. I only took the medication for about six months then I have been tapering for a month, on advice of my psych. Two days ago, I ceased the medication entirely. The withdrawal symptoms during the taper were mild and manageable. However on day two of no medication, they have hit me bad. The dizziness is at the point where I struggle to walk, nauseous/stomach cramps, headache, fatigue, body aches. My psych did warn me this may happen however I was somewhat unprepared and am concerned I will have to miss work this coming week. My boss is rather difficult to communicate with and unforgiving in terms of personal matters interfering with work. Has anyone else experienced withdrawals like this? Any advice for me please? Many thanks

AliSa05 Skin Prickling with withdrawal
  • replies: 1

I ceased taking my anti depressant medication approx. 9 weeks now and I’ve had this persistent skin crawling/prickling sensation. I get it over my head and through my body. The dr had me stop basically cold turkey and started me on another at the sam... View more

I ceased taking my anti depressant medication approx. 9 weeks now and I’ve had this persistent skin crawling/prickling sensation. I get it over my head and through my body. The dr had me stop basically cold turkey and started me on another at the same time. Has anybody experienced this and if so how long did it last? Feeling this way feels pretty bleak and it honestly does not feel like it’s getting any better if not possibly worse! I have seen 3 professionals who all believe withdrawal would have passed. I think I could have withdrawal discontinuation possibly or perhaps I am just now hypersensitive??? It is the most uncomfortable feeling. Even during meditation I just cannot get my body to relax with these sensations! I guess I’m looking for a positive story where this has happened to somebody and it has passed (dear god I hope it does). thanks for your time.

Gettingthere98 Changing meds
  • replies: 1

I've had anxiety and depression for about 3 years now and been medicated for 2 years. A few months ago I swapped medications due to weight gain and it's kind of been downhill from there, about 3 months ago I started to feel my anxiety coming back but... View more

I've had anxiety and depression for about 3 years now and been medicated for 2 years. A few months ago I swapped medications due to weight gain and it's kind of been downhill from there, about 3 months ago I started to feel my anxiety coming back but I tried to manage it without changing meds. I finally changed my meds again on Tuesday but I feel stupid because it feels like I left it too late and I'm right back where I was 2 years ago. I have university exams at the moment and every time I sit down to study I feel this overwhelming sadness and anxiety. I just need these new meds to kick in soon

Anxious_1 Hypnotherapy for Anxiety
  • replies: 16

Hi Has anyone tried Hypnotherapy for anxiety or other mental health issues? If so did you get relief? I'm just looking for all/any alternative treatments, I have only started on meds 3 weeks ago and was going ok with them, but I feel like anxiety is ... View more

Hi Has anyone tried Hypnotherapy for anxiety or other mental health issues? If so did you get relief? I'm just looking for all/any alternative treatments, I have only started on meds 3 weeks ago and was going ok with them, but I feel like anxiety is starting to creep back in! Any info or advice would be appreciated! Cheers

Aunt Jobiska Cheapest Private Health Insurance with Best Psychology Cover
  • replies: 2

Hi - I'm looking for the cheapest health insurance that has the best psychology cover, and was wondering if anyone had any thoughts? Looking at Extras, now. I know Bupa Ultimate ($1000 limit) and hbf are good (hbf offers $1400limit, but only maximum ... View more

Hi - I'm looking for the cheapest health insurance that has the best psychology cover, and was wondering if anyone had any thoughts? Looking at Extras, now. I know Bupa Ultimate ($1000 limit) and hbf are good (hbf offers $1400limit, but only maximum of $70 per consultation) but was wondering what others used? Most other cover has limits of $500-600 for psychology. Thanks for your help.