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Moonstruck Can you see two GPs at same time?
  • replies: 5

..Have been with my regular GP for nearly 10 years now and happy with her and treatment of my physical condition - no complaints. She referred me on different occasions for anxiety/depression to free visits with a psych counsellor which was helpful. ... View more

..Have been with my regular GP for nearly 10 years now and happy with her and treatment of my physical condition - no complaints. She referred me on different occasions for anxiety/depression to free visits with a psych counsellor which was helpful. I am in a really bad way now, very very low, and realising I urgently need help. I feel on chatty light hearted terms with my GP and don't feel comfortable letting her see "the real me" how desperately I need help now. When there for medical reasons, scripts, check ups etc ...(I am doing fine physically) I put on a happy front and can't bring myself to break down and reveal how serious my mental condition is now. Is it so terrible for me to visit a totally new GP, just for a referral to psych sessions - because I am calling out for help here...but would another GP see me, if I already have a regular one??? We are advised constantly to "seek help, first port of call should be your GP, ask for help"...well I am doing just that....but I know my current GP too well in a friendly way after all these years to reveal my innermost emotions. Please advise.

akemi Please help - Free/subsidised (more than Better Health) for DBT/ACT?
  • replies: 4

Hi, I'm in desperate need of help. My boyfriend is very close to crisis point, and has been suffering with mental illness for most of his adult life (he just turned 30). His experience with therapy (since teenhood) has nearly always been negative - e... View more

Hi, I'm in desperate need of help. My boyfriend is very close to crisis point, and has been suffering with mental illness for most of his adult life (he just turned 30). His experience with therapy (since teenhood) has nearly always been negative - every psychologist he's been referred to has always employed CBT which simply does not work for him (he's quite alexithymic/cannot comprehend his own thoughts and feelings and finds classic CBT incredibly frustrating), and the cost of therapy has been extremely prohibitive for him (even with a Better Health Mental Health Plan) because he is a low-income earner (less than 50k before tax) and has no support from his family. I cannot support him on my income either. He feels completely trapped, he lives paycheck to paycheck and spending money on therapy that has thus far been unhelpful means he is dissatisfied, unmotivated and disenchanted. I've managed to convince him that perhaps a different type of therapy may be more beneficial (DBT, ACT, Interpersonal) but finding a therapist that specialises in these has been hard, and the ultimate hurdle will always be cost. Can someone provide ANY suggestion or advice on what we can do? I feel like he has slipped through the cracks of our government's various mental health options. He doesn't fit the category of "Young Person", his income isn't low enough to get a health care card, he doesn't have any other special concessions. He knows that he needs help, he wants help, but he just can't afford it and we don't know what to do. Today he told me he's thinking about different ways to kill himself because he feels so lost. Please help me.

Drew1986 When do you admit yourself to hospital 😢
  • replies: 2

Hi I’m 31 years old. Just signed up. First post. I don’t know where to start. I’ve had anxiety and depression since I was 15. I was diagnosed with ptsd at 19. I now have had an episode. Something I’ve never felt before – unwanted intrusive thoughts. ... View more

Hi I’m 31 years old. Just signed up. First post. I don’t know where to start. I’ve had anxiety and depression since I was 15. I was diagnosed with ptsd at 19. I now have had an episode. Something I’ve never felt before – unwanted intrusive thoughts. I have since that event curling up in bed any chance I get, crying, sleeping, angry outbursts, no energy no want to talk or do anything. I haven’t found anything that brings me peace so to speak I’ve seen gps more than could even count. Seen 2 psychologists but felt it wasn’t for me. One physchatrist which I don’t even recall. I’m numb. I’ve had tragedy after tragedy and since that episode I feel I’ve begun crashing into the realisation I need help. Docs have upped my meds. I feel no better. Any suggestions or advice would be most welcome. Thanks

HappyHolly Private Mental Health Hospitals?
  • replies: 4

Hello! I have suffered from anxiety on and off for over 20 years. I am seeing a psychologist and have been on antid’s for years too. I have been having quite a hard time lately and have been looking into a 2 week inpatient program at a private hospit... View more

Hello! I have suffered from anxiety on and off for over 20 years. I am seeing a psychologist and have been on antid’s for years too. I have been having quite a hard time lately and have been looking into a 2 week inpatient program at a private hospital. It is very expensive, so not something I would take lightly, however I would love some personal experiences and whether time at a hospital has helped you manage your mental illness? Was it worth it for you? Did it give you strategies that would have been hard to get in one hour weekly sessions? Any pros / cons? Thanks in advance xx

Spanner744 bi polar. no help. dont have a mental illness in Australia..
  • replies: 4

i have bi polar. seeing a gp at the moment.. im on a pension.. ive had it for many many years. has always been impossible to get help from anyone ive struggled. i cant afford the fees psychiatrists charge. there the only ones that are able to perscri... View more

i have bi polar. seeing a gp at the moment.. im on a pension.. ive had it for many many years. has always been impossible to get help from anyone ive struggled. i cant afford the fees psychiatrists charge. there the only ones that are able to perscribe the correct meds.. my gp is not trained in mental illnesses at all... im on medication buy not working... even though they are flogging mental health everywhere... its fairly land... you will get no help no resolution nothing.... its a scam to make. money for foundations and psychiatrist. a scam totally

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.