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Lilly18 Irritable & angry on meds
  • replies: 6

Hi Im new to this and hope I have posted this in the right place. Just feeling a bit desperate to hear if anyone has had an experience like mine. Not sure why I'm feeling like this. I have been on an ssri for nearly 13 weeks and for the first 8-9 wee... View more

Hi Im new to this and hope I have posted this in the right place. Just feeling a bit desperate to hear if anyone has had an experience like mine. Not sure why I'm feeling like this. I have been on an ssri for nearly 13 weeks and for the first 8-9 weeks it was ok but then I had a day where I couldnt stop thinking how messed up iam in the head. It was freaking me out and i couldnt get it out of my head. Almost felt like i should be in a mental ward. Since that day iv become extreemly irritable and angry getting worse each week. Around the same time i had that bad day, I also started getting diarrhea (sorry to much info!) And still have it weeks later. I keep in touch with my gp and have had my first psychologist appointment but I still feel confused and a bit lost. I dont feel its normal to be getting irritated and angry on medication, has anyone else? Can meds cause/trigger bipolar? Lots of people do have success on it but just not in my case.

mattf Mental Health Care Plan
  • replies: 8

Hello, I would like some advice on how I should approach my GP to ask for a mental health care plan. I feel so embarrassed to ask and even thinking about this is causing me anxiety. Thank you, Matt.

Hello, I would like some advice on how I should approach my GP to ask for a mental health care plan. I feel so embarrassed to ask and even thinking about this is causing me anxiety. Thank you, Matt.

Sophiee__ Too emotional to talk to my GP
  • replies: 2

Hi all, Just wanted to get some advice on how to talk to my gp about my mental health. I've been getting quite bad panic attacks and its reached a point that its controlling my life and i know i need to do something about it but i cant just seem to g... View more

Hi all, Just wanted to get some advice on how to talk to my gp about my mental health. I've been getting quite bad panic attacks and its reached a point that its controlling my life and i know i need to do something about it but i cant just seem to get the nerve to talk to my gp. I've been to a gp about mental health a few years back and just cried the whole time and i cringe just thinking back to that and im scared it will happen again because just now whenever i think about how bad my mental health has gotten i start to tear up. I dont want to embarrass myself and just sob in front of him and then have to walk through the foyer on my way out all red eyed and puff. i also have anxiety about the whole thing in general in that he wont take me seriously or he'll think its just university stress or just tell me to exercise. i also dont want anxiety to be on my record there as its a dr's clinic on my university and i have other health problems that i dont want him to think is just my anxiety or that he wont take me seriously if i come back in with problems in the future (e.g headaches, internal pains). im thinking of just going to a random gp clinic in my town where if i embarrass myself i wont ever have to go back again and sort of keep my mental health and my physical health separate. is this a crazy thing to do? any advice on any of this is greatly appreciated.

LonelySparrow Not sure if my psychologist suits me, what do I do?
  • replies: 4

Hi, this is the first time I post here and just joined this website recently. I have severe depression and anxiety due to past and present events. I was referred to a psychologist by a psychiatrist, while talking about my past. My psychologist will i... View more

Hi, this is the first time I post here and just joined this website recently. I have severe depression and anxiety due to past and present events. I was referred to a psychologist by a psychiatrist, while talking about my past. My psychologist will interrupt my stories and asked questions in a humor way, she interrupts me few times throughout the sections, is this normal? Thank you.

Guest_9870 Confused about Pyschologist
  • replies: 5

So i was seeing a pyschologist all of last year, but he never diagnosed me with anything, so i'm at a loss of why i am the way i am. When i asked him what he thinks i have, he said depression and anxiety. But i am sure theres more to it then that wit... View more

So i was seeing a pyschologist all of last year, but he never diagnosed me with anything, so i'm at a loss of why i am the way i am. When i asked him what he thinks i have, he said depression and anxiety. But i am sure theres more to it then that with all the trauma i have had in my life and not being able to hold a job down. I will be seeing a new pyschologist this year, i am looking forward to that. But can i ask for a report from my old pysch? i feel like I've achieved nothing out of it. Thankyou for any advice on this

Dr_Kim Why we don't allow discussion of specific medications on the forums
  • replies: 4

Hi all, I have been asked on my thoughts about the forum policy of not discussing specific medications. What are the pros and cons of this? I can see the pros for an individual to get validation or understanding if medications are not going to plan o... View more

Hi all, I have been asked on my thoughts about the forum policy of not discussing specific medications. What are the pros and cons of this? I can see the pros for an individual to get validation or understanding if medications are not going to plan or there are issues. However , I have some concerns about what may happen if the specific issues that one person has with a certain medication are not put into context . For example , let's say that someone is really bothered by feeling sleepy on their medication and a few people jump on the forum and agree with that person that when they took that medication they also felt tired . Maybe it might put someone who could really benefit from the medication off trying it or explaining their tiredness as due to the med when something else is in fact going on . It might be that the tiredness the person was referring to needed to be put into context by a medical professional used to discussing this stuff e.g. It may be that the medication is known to cause tiredness but only in the first few weeks and then that dissipates so it's worth pushing through. Or it could be that the Med is very unlikely statistically to cause tiredness so either that patient has a very unusual side effect ( that shouldn't discourage others ) or the tiredness is due to something else like Iron deficiency or Thyroid or sleep apnoea or whatever and is being incorrectly ascribed to the Med. As you can see , Medications and their effects and side effects are very tricky topics. Many people are frightened of medications and especially mental health ones so it's important to have information out there - but only info that is accurate and based on reputable data . Individual responses are important to report to your doctor but can cause anxiety and poor decisions in the general public if not correctly " contextuslised " . So .. it's a tough one but I think I still come down on this forum discussing medication groups but not individual ones . Leave that to patients and their doctors .

parrot15 New here, just started uni, just started SSRIs, needle phobic and need a blood test
  • replies: 3

Hi, I've had anxiety and depression for the last 6 years or so, but my parents were not supportive with treatment, I recently turned 18, started getting panic attacks at uni and decided to do something about it. I got my own medicare card, GP, a ment... View more

Hi, I've had anxiety and depression for the last 6 years or so, but my parents were not supportive with treatment, I recently turned 18, started getting panic attacks at uni and decided to do something about it. I got my own medicare card, GP, a mental health care plan, and a prescription for SSRIs, I've been taking them for a month now and I don't feel like I'm getting any benefits, I have exams next week and I'm freaking out. On top of all that I've been getting weird and random bruising and my GP has asked me to get a blood test, I haven't been able to stay conscious for an injection for about 3 years, and I'm way behind on immunizations, my phobia is due in part to a really traumatic childhood experience with a blood test, I was planning to work through it in my sessions with the clinical psychologist I've been referred to but this seems urgent.... How do you balance physical and mental health? I've got no idea what to do. I would really appreciate any input, I've got no one to talk to at home, I really need some extra support at the moment. Thanks in advance.

roriblack Can I request a second mental health plan if I plan on changing Psychologists before my 12 months of 6-10 sessions is finished?
  • replies: 6

Hello! Last year my GP wrote up a mental health plan for me and referred me to a psychologist. I attended three sessions, however, the psychologist was extremely expensive for me ($250+ without rebate ~$180 with), also I found I didn't connect with t... View more

Hello! Last year my GP wrote up a mental health plan for me and referred me to a psychologist. I attended three sessions, however, the psychologist was extremely expensive for me ($250+ without rebate ~$180 with), also I found I didn't connect with the psychologist and found her rather condescending and quite insensitive (she asked me about sleep hygiene, I mentioned how I drank warm milk before bed and she said she found that disgusting??? not something I want to hear from my psychologist.....). anyways, I stopped going but now I feel like my mental health is getting worse and of course I'm not going to get any better without help so i'm wondering if I can request a new mental health plan from my GP for another psychologist, or would that not be allowed? from what I know the plan allows for 6-10 session in a year, my previous plan was created around 8 months ago, will I have to wait until the 12 months is up? Thank you guys!

MrDonut28 Question(s) About anyone living in Australia from overseas, or an Australian with some insight/work difficulties
  • replies: 5

Hi there everyone! This is a brief intro about me: I am a 28 year old American, who moved to Australia in Dec. 2015 and have married my lovely Australian wife in Nov. 2016. As of now I am on a Temporary Partner Visa (applying for Permanent Partner Vi... View more

Hi there everyone! This is a brief intro about me: I am a 28 year old American, who moved to Australia in Dec. 2015 and have married my lovely Australian wife in Nov. 2016. As of now I am on a Temporary Partner Visa (applying for Permanent Partner Visa in Nov. this year) I went to Uni in the states from 2011-2014 and had gotten my bachelors in primary education. Now onto my brief medical history. I was diagnosed in Oct. 2014 by my GP in the states with GAD (general anxiety disorder) after having struggles in the school I worked at. My GP prescribed me ADs (antidepressants) which I am still taking currently everyday. In addition, I have also undergone tests in Australia and have been diagnosed with Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism as of last year in Australia. This involves taking a monthly testosterone injection because without it I get very tired, lethargic, and my overall quality of life is poor. Now for my questions. I have struggled keeping work because of my GAD (and social phobias I know I have but undiagnosed at the moment) and was wanting to know if there any free (or subsidized) services for helping people with mental disorders obtain work? Currently I am not on any sort of payments in the States or Australia, and I do not want to go down the route of seeking claims or payments, but I feel that I may have to because the nature of my anxiety and HH make it difficult keeping work. In addition, I want to be able to supply for my wife, and we are currently living with my in-laws which does not help with my anxiety. Has anyone been in this sort of situation? It has been difficult looking for answers. I have booked to see a psychiatrist in May, which would be my first appointment after getting a referral from my GP here in Australia. If anyone can point me in the right direction, anything would help! Ultimately, I would like to have a job which I could do and not feel like I am being judged, and be able to get the supports I need from an understanding employer, as well as move out under the in-laws with my wife so we can have our own place to rent, or own one day. If no one has an answer from the above, then as a last resort could someone point me in the direction as to how/if/how I could claim a payment, either in the States or Australia? Because I read online that I would have to live in Australia for 10 years before I could even put a claim in. Thank you in advance for reading my post!