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Guest_161 just had first psychologist app.. feel weird/stupid and confused
  • replies: 27

Iv just had my first appointment , due to loosing my brother in january, iv been feeling angry, depressed, sad,guilty, i just cry all the time, initially i was contacted by palliative care and was asked if there was any counselling needed, i failed o... View more

Iv just had my first appointment , due to loosing my brother in january, iv been feeling angry, depressed, sad,guilty, i just cry all the time, initially i was contacted by palliative care and was asked if there was any counselling needed, i failed on 2 attempts and didnt turn up as i just felt i would be a crying mess and in reality they cant bring my brother back. But its been the past month or so that i felt i needed some help as iv also lost a couple of friends and a few other issues in life and its been making me feel even more emotional, so i decided to see the gp and get a referral . First thing was i was late, morning traffic plus rain so i was already embarrassed before it started, then i just had no clue what to say and felt stupid again that I'm over reacting and of course I'm gunna be upset with my loss, i didnt sleep last night because i was so stressed i would just cry and not get any words out but then i managed to go 10 minutes with out crying and then felt like well if I'm not crying and I'm here for grief wtf ? ( i did manage to cry as the more convo went on ) I'm not sure if it was because my session was only shortdue to me being late but she didnt really ask me a lot of questions apart from what feelings are you experiencing and when i did cry she just sat there and looked at me , i felt uncomfortable , i didnt get to talk about a lot in depth and felt like i spoke to fast and jumped to saying something else n just didnt make sense. my main issue is my grief but i have a few other issues i delt with in the last few years going through my brothers sickness and still dealing with them which makes my grief worse , will she ask me about other things or do i just bring them up ? she did mention she felt like i hold my feelings back i was unsure of what she meant and she said I'm not here to be your friend , this is all in confidence , I'm here for support with out the judgement , i just said i know that i guess I'm here for help but when i start to talk i cry i dont want that. i DONT KNOW JUST FEEL WEIRD

RenDoe Hypnotherapy for depression?
  • replies: 4

Hello I'm new and this is my first post. I was wondering what people think of the idea of hypnotherapy for depression? I am 30 years old and a relative has offered to pay for sessions if I can find out more about it. Eg.. Is it worth it? The cost? Wh... View more

Hello I'm new and this is my first post. I was wondering what people think of the idea of hypnotherapy for depression? I am 30 years old and a relative has offered to pay for sessions if I can find out more about it. Eg.. Is it worth it? The cost? What to expect? Recommendations? Thank you.

Elizabeth CP Using sleeping tablets for insomnia
  • replies: 2

I have used sleeping tablets in the past &was given a script by my psych for some more a while ago. I have never had any issues with drug or alcohol abuse & tend to err on the side of avoiding meds unless absolutely essential & then only for shortest... View more

I have used sleeping tablets in the past &was given a script by my psych for some more a while ago. I have never had any issues with drug or alcohol abuse & tend to err on the side of avoiding meds unless absolutely essential & then only for shortest possible time. I don't take any ADs as I can't tolerate the side effects. My psych suggested I take sleeping tablets when needed to prevent me spiralling out of control. Tiredness & lack of sleep lead to increased anxiety & depression & decreased ability to carry out steps to manage these. This in turn makes sleep more difficult as I can't stop worrying. Hence the vicious cycle. Lately when I have taken sleeping tablets I've felt tired the next morning. I'm unsure if this is due to the tablets or the fact that I haven't slept properly for ages. I don't want to use then too many days in a row so they lose their effectiveness. I know I need to go to bed at a regular time, switch off technology early etc but lately nothing seems to work. What do others find helps & how have others used sleeping tablets to break out of bad periods of lack of sleep

Johnny_Citizen Tapering off Medication
  • replies: 5

Hi there,I've just joined, it's my first foray into fora - I hope it's not too presumptuous of me to start a thread straight away, but I'm hoping that this is a topic someone out there might be keen to discuss.As a bit of background, I'm a 38 year ol... View more

Hi there,I've just joined, it's my first foray into fora - I hope it's not too presumptuous of me to start a thread straight away, but I'm hoping that this is a topic someone out there might be keen to discuss.As a bit of background, I'm a 38 year old male who works full-time as a mental health support worker - more than a little ironic I know. I guess I'm fairly well-educated, and I have led a full life to this point. I'm thankful for the good things. I would stop short of calling it 'a fulfilling life'. I have experienced anxiety since childhood and have overcompensated in many ways over the years via the common routes of drinking, drugs, promiscuity, risk-taking etc. I can't remember large swathes of my adult life. Currently my only addiction is cigarettes.In my early twenties I became depressed and I couldn't understand why. Other people started noticing an anger in my manner that I could not see and would not admit to. I moved from state to state, job to job, and partner to partner for years, leaving a legacy of discarded clothing, unpaid bills and credit defaults behind me. I was lucky to have forgiving friends. Some stayed the course, but all would have justifiably questioned our friendship. After the depression faded anxiety set in. Panic attack after panic attack. I thought I was a dead man walking - not in terms of wanting to die, but I felt a pervasive sense of doom and mistrust, and I was sure my body could not stand up to the stress. By the time I lost my closest friend at 31 I was literally living in a gutted train caboose in a back yard on medication, and grabbing a large pizza every night on my way home from work before drinking myself to sleep. These days I hardly drink and I haven't done drugs in any form for around five years. I now live with a partner and her daughter and try to be as responsible as I can. My partner isn't a talker. My family and friends are in different states, and I don't have a regular GP.Anyway, to cut to the chase, I'm tapering off another medication. I've gone to a half dosage relatively smoothly over a few weeks, except one panic attack after a one-off night shift and then missing a dose. I'm about to go in half again by taking my current dosage every second night for a couple of weeks before finishing completely. I've built up so much anxiety around this, andI' m fairly scared of losing the plot. I don't want to weigh my partner down with this. I would appreciate any thoughts at all around this. Thank you.

Justanothermum First Session...confused not sure??
  • replies: 4

Hi all I had my first session today with a pshycologist and im just not sure if it will work for me. I walked out and sat in the car wondering maybe i cant fix this anxiety/depression stuff and it will forever be this way. Is it normal to feel like t... View more

Hi all I had my first session today with a pshycologist and im just not sure if it will work for me. I walked out and sat in the car wondering maybe i cant fix this anxiety/depression stuff and it will forever be this way. Is it normal to feel like that? The lady was very nice and friendly and i didnt feel judged at all but at times i felt awkward and didnt know what to say and she sort of just sat there. She gave me a few tips and asked me what my goals are but im just not sure. I guess what iam wondering has anyone with anxiety/depression have success stories with speaking to a phsycologist like has it worked for you. I will keep going for a few more weeks and see how i go but at $120 a session (i do get some back from medicare) i want to have some hope it can work. any advice would be really appreciated thanks!

MisterM Scared to try antidepressants for my depression/anxiety
  • replies: 7

Hi All, I just saw a GP who has suggested I try antidepressant medication. My GP also referred me to a psychiatrist, I have seen a psychologist before but never a psychiatrist, would there be a difference in treatment between the two? I am very scare... View more

Hi All, I just saw a GP who has suggested I try antidepressant medication. My GP also referred me to a psychiatrist, I have seen a psychologist before but never a psychiatrist, would there be a difference in treatment between the two? I am very scared to try medication as I have read about the side effects. Does anyone here suffer any side effects from their medication? If so how bad is it? I am worried I will be vomiting from nausea and get overweight. A friend of a friend was withdrawing from them and was vomitting. This person also said the meds made her feel worse, like she was a zombie.

Breathl355 Hypnotherapy for depression and anxiety.
  • replies: 2

My partner has suffered from depression for many years, long before we met. Has was managing it quite well until recently. He has been extremely down, feeling overwhelmed, stressed and unable to think straight. This is affecting him running his busin... View more

My partner has suffered from depression for many years, long before we met. Has was managing it quite well until recently. He has been extremely down, feeling overwhelmed, stressed and unable to think straight. This is affecting him running his business. I myself had suffered depression for many years in my past relationship which was situational. I recovered once I left that marriage. My partners depression is chemical so he is told he will always need to be on medication. With his sudden downturn, I have tried to find therapy in any shape and form. He wants to get better. Has anyone had experience with themselves or family/friends trying hypnotherapy for helping with depression and anxiety? Has it worked? Do you have any recommendations? thank you in advance

Mary_Ploppins How long for withdrawals to dissapear?
  • replies: 13

Hi , just wandering how long it takes for withdrawal symptoms to dissapear? I have been on a lot of different medication the strongest ones for insomnia. I have stopped taking them now and the withdrawals are terrible, headaches,flu like symtoms and ... View more

Hi , just wandering how long it takes for withdrawal symptoms to dissapear? I have been on a lot of different medication the strongest ones for insomnia. I have stopped taking them now and the withdrawals are terrible, headaches,flu like symtoms and feeling nauseas. Insomnia is terrible getting about two hours a sleep at night if im lucky.

UsErivenIcITaIr Best mental health practitioner to consult about chronic procrastination, lack of self-discipline, and lack of motivation
  • replies: 5

Hello, I've decided to consult a mental health practitioner to try to address some issues that have been causing me problems for years and are now really starting to affect my career (or lack thereof)--namely chronic procrastination, lack of self-dis... View more

Hello, I've decided to consult a mental health practitioner to try to address some issues that have been causing me problems for years and are now really starting to affect my career (or lack thereof)--namely chronic procrastination, lack of self-discipline, and general lack of motivation--but I'm not sure what kind of mental health practitioner to consult--psychologist, therapist, psychiatrist, counsellor, ... . I don't really want to go to a GP because I don't think my problems are bad enough and I would feel like a fraud, so I'd rather just make an appointment with whichever mental health practitioner would be most able to help me with my problem. Any suggestions? Many thanks.