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chjb Restarting SSRI and feeling concerned
  • replies: 3

I’ve never posted before & trying not to ‘Dr Google’ symptoms so I don’t spiral but just felt I needed some advice.i have an appointment with my psychologist today and Dr next week so i will seek medical advice but im just feeling really anxious!afte... View more

I’ve never posted before & trying not to ‘Dr Google’ symptoms so I don’t spiral but just felt I needed some advice.i have an appointment with my psychologist today and Dr next week so i will seek medical advice but im just feeling really anxious!after having my son I had terrible sleep deprivation and anxiety. I had insomnia for weeks and would sleep 2 hours at a time and wake feeling burning hot and full of tension and anxiety. I struggled with this for nearly 8 weeks before starting an SSRI. Of course it increased the anxiety ten fold but after about 3 months I felt like myself again. I stayed on the SSRI 10mg until last year when I wanted to loose weight and I stopped in Nov 23 but as Dec rolled around and I was working long hours and weekends I just felt after Christmas (and being away, not sleeping well etc) that I had that impending anxiety doom creep up again and I was irritable with my kids and just feeling flat. I decided that the weightloss wasn’t worth it and started on the SSRI again on 1 Jan 24. I titrated up 5mg 1st week7.5mg 2nd week10mg third week. I’m on day 11 of 10 mg and suddenly just feeling a surge of panic, anxiety and sleeplessness which I thought was odd second time around and week 4 into starting.starting to spiral think that the meds aren’t working or something sinister is wrong- all the catastrophic thinking and the physical flushing/skin prickly feelings beyond my control.I am exhausted and have been taking something to help me sleep (young kids, don’t always get a solid sleep!) but I’m just really scared and down after having a pretty good week last week not needing any sleep meds. I’m really scared of changing meds and going through the process all over again but also acknowledging I haven’t been on the 10mg for a fortnight yet. I can’t remember how I tolerated it last time but I don’t remember been quite this anxious. I’ve lost more weight starting the SSRI again than stopping lol

Janie223 Confused as to whether I should persist with current therapist
  • replies: 6

Hi All, thanks for taking the time to read this. over the last ten years I have had three different therapists and very different experiences with each of them. The first was a short term therapist and I saw her for ten weeks. The second I did not ge... View more

Hi All, thanks for taking the time to read this. over the last ten years I have had three different therapists and very different experiences with each of them. The first was a short term therapist and I saw her for ten weeks. The second I did not gel with at all and it was very clear after three appointments that it wasn’t going to work out. My current psychologist I have been seeing for two years and I really like her and we have developed a really nice relationship. She suggested I have social anxiety and depression as a result of the anxiety - I think she is spot on. im just unsure as to whether to continue seeing her because we just do a lot of talking without much of anything else. She always has insightful things to say but I wonder whether there should be more to therapy than just talking? and I know I have improved in the time I’ve been seeing her but I am just waiting to feel better and hoping it will happen soon. I have had anxiety since early childhood and now at 35 I worry this is something I will always have to deal with so therapy might just be something I have to do forever. or are there therapists who are more structured in their approach and I could get a quicker outcome with another therapist? I’m very much at a crossroad as to whether to keep with it and see the little improvements as a win and think of this as a long term relationship or do I need to find someone who can help me make more changes more quickly? If there is such a thing?? I wish there was a quick fix! and also, I know how hard it is to find someone to work with and have them understand, so I am reluctant to have to start the process of building rapport with someone else.

chillipower Desperately need physiatrist but can’t get any
  • replies: 6

I’ve been trying for over 4 months, 5 different trips to my gp for referrals and no physiatrist will take me. they never even get back to me. i just don’t know what to do any more. i know i desperately need to get help but i don’t have any other opti... View more

I’ve been trying for over 4 months, 5 different trips to my gp for referrals and no physiatrist will take me. they never even get back to me. i just don’t know what to do any more. i know i desperately need to get help but i don’t have any other options left but to keep my fingers crossed for several more months. it’s extremely important i see one and i don’t know how much longer i can hold out. is there any thing else i can do?

Neenie87 Natural Remedies
  • replies: 4

Hi! Has anyone tried any natural remedies from either a Naturopath or health food store that has helped with there Anxiety, Depression or Panic attacks?

Hi! Has anyone tried any natural remedies from either a Naturopath or health food store that has helped with there Anxiety, Depression or Panic attacks?

mrbl0nde Is it legal to charge for a centrelink certificate?
  • replies: 1

Sorry if it's been answered before, but google didn't give me any help after an hour of searching. I was advised last year that my gp wanted to charge me for my centrelink certificate. When I asked another gp at the same clinic he said that's illegal... View more

Sorry if it's been answered before, but google didn't give me any help after an hour of searching. I was advised last year that my gp wanted to charge me for my centrelink certificate. When I asked another gp at the same clinic he said that's illegal. Fast forward to today and I'm $132 lighter due to them demanding I pay for it. I dont have the choice to change gp as everywhere here is full so please don't suggest that. Thanks

JasminRose Should Therapy be This Hard and How to Handle it?
  • replies: 5

Hello,My therapy journey so far has been very challenging and unexpected. While I have found some great insight through reading this forum there are few specific things I wonder if anyone has any thoughts on and anything you have found helpful to mak... View more

Hello,My therapy journey so far has been very challenging and unexpected. While I have found some great insight through reading this forum there are few specific things I wonder if anyone has any thoughts on and anything you have found helpful to make the recovery/therapy journey a little more bearable? For some context I am about 5 months 15+ sessions into seeing a Psychologist for the first time. When I went to my GP to get a referral I was looking to understand this masking thing I recently become aware of. Unexpectedly my GP told me I had social anxiety, it was not the label but the realisation of what he described knowing that I had experienced this most of my life (since at least 10, now I'm in my 20s), realising not everyone experienced this and understanding how much it has impacted my life up to this point that was challenging to comprehend. Because of long wait lists I ended up seeing see a Provisional Psychologist, my GP supported this idea. Once I started my sessions it became apparent there was so much more anxiety and other things I either had no idea about or I just thought it was normal and everyone thought and felt this way, turns out that's not the case!I have been going through what I will Refer to as My 7 Stages of Therapy1. Shock 2. Denial 3. How did I become like this? 4. Frustration at myself and others for not realising sooner 5. Frustration at little me for developing this 6. WHY ME!?! 7. Acceptance - kind of.While I have reached 7 I have not stayed there and find myself bouncing between 3-5 and recently 6 has been particularly popular. I’ve wondered about the idea of enjoy the journey don’t focus on the destination, and wonder should I find a way to shift my perspective to somehow enjoy the process and not just look forward to when it’s over? Recently my Psychologist told me we would be doing something fun next session, “FUN?! Fun for you maybe, not for me”, I said. She laughed and explained why she thought I might enjoy it, I certainly did not agree, although I appreciated her effort for trying to encourage me. I often find things interesting and want to understand more, I don’t feel I would ever consider anything on this process fun or enjoyable though. I wonder whether anyone has found a way to approach it this way and found it helpful? ? DiagnosisI have had a maybe, maybe not diagnosis of something else for months now. I find myself swapping between stages of telling myself I don't have it, to accepting it in case I do have it. Is there anything helpful to deal with the Question Mark stage? Session FrequencyAre weekly sessions long term sustainable? With the exception of a couple of weeks I have been doing weekly sessions and it can feel emotionally exhausting, however I want to make progress as quickly as possible. I know this very much depends on the individual and it is something I talk with my Psychologist and follow her guidance on, just wondered if anyone has a personal opinion on this. Lastly - any views on seeing someone early on in their career, if you ever felt that their less experience had a negative impact on your treatment? Also wondered whether anyone has found the age difference to their psychologist have a positive or negative impact eg: if they're much younger, older or the same age as you? Thank you if you have read this far and if you are going along a challenging journey I wish you all the best that it may get a little bit better for you soon, as it is slowly for me.

Hushlings I broke up with my therapist - she won't let me go.
  • replies: 3

Hey,I broke up with my therapist just over a week ago due to our therapy becoming stagnant and my inability to move forward in my recovery. I had been seeing her for six months and felt from the start that perhaps we weren't a great fit, however want... View more

Hey,I broke up with my therapist just over a week ago due to our therapy becoming stagnant and my inability to move forward in my recovery. I had been seeing her for six months and felt from the start that perhaps we weren't a great fit, however wanted to take some time to give our therapeutic relationship a chance. Over the last couple of months, I lost all motivation in attending my appointments and found I was dissociating during the sessions I would make the effort to go in for. It was then I knew that not only was it best for me that we closed this chapter, but also for her, knowing that there could be a client that really gels with her on the waiting list that could get a lot out of her support. So I sent her a text and asked for a final session to wrap-up our time together. She obliged and everything seemed fine - we had our session and said our goodbyes and well wishes. I felt incredibly proud that I advocated for myself and was honest in my feedback. However, the next day she sends me a text informing me that she decided she wants to continue seeing me because she cares for me, and so had reserved two appointments to get back into the swing of things. I was completely taken aback. I thought we had both mutually agreed and accepted that we had finished up. I messaged her back the following day thanking her for her kind words and for offering to continue seeing me, but that I was content on leaving things where they were. I reminded her I have my GP and dual diagnosis counsellor to support me until I find someone new, and that I would appreciate if she cancelled the appointments and closed my file. She responded today informing me she would not cancel the appointments and would still like to see me. This whole situation has impacted further on my mental health and I just don't know what to do. There's only so many times I can politely ask her to close my file. Any advice would be super appreciated.

7x Assistance for a person too scared to go see someone
  • replies: 1

I’d like to know if there’s a way to get some sort of assistance or diagnosis with as little irl human interaction possible. I have tried (with a lot of effort) going to a therapist but the entire time I was in the chair I just felt scared and uncomf... View more

I’d like to know if there’s a way to get some sort of assistance or diagnosis with as little irl human interaction possible. I have tried (with a lot of effort) going to a therapist but the entire time I was in the chair I just felt scared and uncomfortable and on the verge of tears. She was a nice lady and I know she was just trying to help but I’m always scared.

Patches63 First psychologist appointment
  • replies: 2

Couple weeks ago I had initial appointment with psychiatrist which at the time, and at times now, leaves me feeling confused. Don’t know if flow of appointment was general or not. Hoping some one can share knowledge and shed some light. Have first re... View more

Couple weeks ago I had initial appointment with psychiatrist which at the time, and at times now, leaves me feeling confused. Don’t know if flow of appointment was general or not. Hoping some one can share knowledge and shed some light. Have first review in few days time. at start of appointment he asked what I hoped to get out of seeing him. I mentioned number of psychologist appointments I had attended, was still dealing with mood swings, trouble sleeping, regular SI thoughts and flashbacks, flashbacks that when triggered happen day and night. he asked questions about my past but not in a methodical time line. This started to give me headache and feeling unsettled. I offered to explain events from my child hood to current but he said he would ask the questions about what he wanted to know. This saw the questions relating to when I was in my 20’s followed by one event when I was 12yo followed by events in my 40’s and then back to when I was teenager. I felt so confused and my headache was getting worse. at one stage he asked how old was I when my husband died, how long had we been together. I felt uncomfortable when he asked why I don’t have kids and why my first de facto relationship wasn’t until I was in my 40’s. He kept asking questions about things that happened, my memories and feelings from when I was mid primary school to early 20’s. As I told him the first time he has I have some memories but lot of those years I don’t remember. After him asking same question 2 (maybe 3) times I told him I only have vague memories of majority of traumatic events with my last 40+ years, felt like he didn’t believe me. outcome of 90min appointment with him was he increased my antidepressants and said at review appointment if I’m still struggling he has option to increase the dosage again. The meds are helping as am feeling happier within myself, have interest in things, being socially engaged. When triggered it’s like a light switch has been flicked the other way …. Want to isolate by staying at home, preferable in bed, don’t want to communicate with anyone, go from tears to anger and have no interest in anything, scared to sleep due to flashback nightmares.