Got a question related to mental health? ASK DR KIM

Chris_B · ‎23-08-2016

Hi everyone,

This is a thread for asking questions of our resident GP and counsellor, Dr Kim, who pops into the forums regularly.

PLEASE NOTE as per our community rules, Dr Kim won't be able to answer questions about medications, these are best discussed offline directly with your mental health professional.

UPDATE - 01/03/2018
BEFORE YOU ASK DR.KIM PLEASE CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING POINTS:

Dr Kim's time is limited! We cannot provide an ongoing dialogue with Dr Kim in this thread - one post/question per person please
We'd recommend you have a look through the forums before posting here to see if your question has already been answered by Dr Kim, our other members, or if there's information about it already on the beyondblue website. If a question pops up that has already been answered previously, or if alternate resources are available, one of our moderators will reply and direct you to the link.
When writing your question, imagine you are speaking to someone in person i.e. provide a clear and detailed post with enough information that outlines how Dr.Kim can help you.

Background

After 20 years of experience working as a GP, Dr Kim realised in 2003 the aspect of her work she enjoyed most was talking to people and understanding the way they think and behave – and so she underwent training in counselling and therapy, where she now solely works.

Her experience includes working with a wide range of mental health issues including anxiety, depression and adolescent mental health.

“Given my training I also see couples, siblings, parents with their children and entire family groups,” she says. “In this work I hope to give families the skills to understand one another and have the strategies to communicate and manage relationships that are distressing them. I believe strongly that best therapy is achieved when there is trust in the therapist's ability but also their genuine desire to understand and help.”

Holly5 · ‎18-09-2017

Hi,

i just did the depression and anxiety test and in the results it says I'm high. I don't know what do to do or who to talk to. I can't talk to my parents. I don't know what to do. I'm 14 and I'm in school while writing this. I need help

holly

Tavvy · ‎18-09-2017

What would be the best way to sort out a diagnosis when you had many different ones and you don't know your family medical history. With the up coming NDIS I feel pressured to get a diagnosis.

In the past I've been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, Depression, Post Traumatic Shock Disorder, Social Anxiety and Bipolar.

Borderline Personality Disorder and Post Traumatic Shock diagnosis where given due to my childhood abuse and a small period of time I self harmed (admittedly a lot and very frequently at the time), It's been over 18 years since I last self harmed . I also met my lovely partner not long after coming back to my home state and we have been together for 15 years.

I've always felt past psychiatrist hold my past child child abuse and self against me and quick to say well it Borderline personality disorder do CBT or DBT or some other group therapy which never worked for me.

Currently on mood stabilizers and nothing else, for the most part they keep on a even keel. My GP handles my medication for the most part. Haven't seen a psychiatrist ongoing since I moved back to my home state. I've had a psychiatric assessment done a couple of time as an out patient since I moved back to my home state, Mostly due to needing a change of dosage in my mood stabilizer.

I often have to take prednisolone course due to chronic asthma, I do notice sharp changes to my mood during and after a course. My mood are extremely evaluated during a course and plummet after. Which can hamper an assessment

Dr_Kim · ‎19-09-2017

Holly5 said:
Hi,

i just did the depression and anxiety test and in the results it says I'm high. I don't know what do to do or who to talk to. I can't talk to my parents. I don't know what to do. I'm 14 and I'm in school while writing this. I need help

holly

Hi Holly, thank you for writing into us at Beyond Blue . You are already starting the process of sorting things out and getting better just by asking us that question . Asking questions is an important part of getting help so I'm pleased that you feel you can .

So my advice is to get a trusted adult on board to help you as it most 14 yr olds find it too hard to manage this on their own .

So if there is no one in your family / extended family that you feel can help you , then reach out to a trusted teacher or school counselor.

Just tell them you are not feeling great and might need someone to talk to and see if they can help find that person for you .

If that doesn't work out try your GP or go to a Headspace Centre https://headspace.org.au/headspace-centres/

If that isn't possible , then ring Kidshelpline https://kidshelpline.com.au/

And they will help guide you to the next stage .

Basically the idea is for you to find a safe and trusted health professional to talk to you about what's going on .

I wish you all the best in your journey and again , thanks for asking us for help . It is exactly what you need to do!

Dr_Kim · ‎19-09-2017

Tavvy said:
What would be the best way to sort out a diagnosis when you had many different ones and you don't know your family medical history. With the up coming NDIS I feel pressured to get a diagnosis.

Hi Tavvy, I hope that I understand your question- I am thinking that you want to ensure that you have a clear diagnosis so you can get some support through the NDIS .

I think that the best person to discus this all with is going to be your GP who you seem to have a reasonable relationship with . It seems they manage your care in that they prescribe your meds, get reviews with psychiatrists when necessary and of course also manage other chronic illnesses such as asthma.

My understanding about the NDIS ( which admittedly isn't comprehensive ) is that it is based mainly on assessing the patients level of impairment rather than just the diagnosis. This is because there are those with a diagnosis of something like cerebral palsy for example who function really well with minimal supports ( maybe some extra Physio or a walking aid for example ) and then those who might need a full time carer to help with all tasks including eating and moving around.

So just the diagnosis alone doesn't really always let the authorities understand your level of function or dysfunction and what's needed .

That's where your health professionals come in . You work with them to sort out what you are managing well and what you need help with and that is I think more valuable information than the actual diagnosis. The fact that you have been given so many diagnoses over the years is really hard and I think confusing for you.

However, it's a great question and the first point of call i think is your GP . Book a double appointment and try and talk it through .

Costa90 · ‎21-09-2017

Hi there,

first time posting ting I have been dealing with depression and anxiety for 3 months now at work and almost at my breaking point.

i find nothing makes me happy, I was thrown into a role at work were my skill sets don't match and fee as if my boss is very cold at me. I have tried speaking to humbug it seems he has no interest and I have been struggling to sleep, eat and even go to social gatherings.

I feel the need to quit quit even though I have no back up plan. But wanting abit of time to step away and recollect myself.

please can someone help provide me with advice on what to do cause my parents don't want me to quit but I can't take it anymore...

Cassa · ‎21-09-2017

Hi Geoff, so agree, I have started back into my normal routine, part time work, managing my home and my mental health. Yes I find I am tired all the time too.

Dr_Kim · ‎22-09-2017

Costa90 said:
Hi there,

first time posting ting I have been dealing with depression and anxiety for 3 months now at work and almost at my breaking point.

Hi Costa90, I am not sure if you have received professional help in the past or not but since you didn’t mention anything I am going to assume that you haven’t.

I am really sorry that you have been struggling with depression and anxiety for months and feel like you are out of your depth and sinking.

It is a very common response to want to just “ run away”. I fact it may be a feature of the old fight and flight response that is part of our primitive reflexes . So maybe your overwhelming desire to quit might be coming from that reflex … or maybe it is the best thing for you.

It's hard to know sometimes and this is where a trained psychologist can really help. They can help you to work out if your thoughts and feelings are coming from the “anxious or depressed" parts or of your brain ( which usually don’t give great advice) or from the “ healthy” part of your brain . Knowing how to sort this out takes some guidance and lots of practice.

I would highly encourage you to get to your GP. They can do things like give you certificates for your work to either have time off or reduced hours. They can also help to find a therapist for you who can help to guide you with this challenge in getting your anxious and depressed thoughts under control.

Some other ideas are to look at the Beyond Blue website for info on anxiety and depression to develop your understanding of these processes. To find a practitioner you can check out their directory
https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/find-a-professional

You might also like the Sarah Edelman book “ Change Your Thinking" which is great at explaining them and giving some basic strategies for managing them.

Which ever way to find it , I think you should not make a final decision without talking to a mental health professional and taking some time to sort things out for yourself.

MariaDurie · ‎27-09-2017

Hello, I don't know what is depression cuz I never had have it. But I think my husband is having a depressive episode. He was in medication for 2 years when he was diagnosed with a quemical unbalance. Since we are together he seems well and he quite the medicine around 3 moth ago. He is moody, always tired and he seems not enjoy life, he just not look happy and sleeps too much. Sometimes a whole day without eating. I feel very worry, he don't talk to me just say he is tired from work but I fear the worst. He when to a gp and they just offered drugs. What we can do? I'm desperate.

Jabba · ‎29-09-2017

Hey guys, I need some help. I recently made an embarassing mistake. And humiliated myself. I hate myself for it and Ive gone back into that depressing pit we all hate. I don't know how to erase my mistake.

Kalisi90 · ‎29-09-2017

Hi Dr kim

I'm married with 4 beautiful boys, one has cancer, another with ezcma and another with asthma and my husband gambling issues and I have a weight problem after pregnancy it's been hard to loose weight.

I feel so depressed my son is really sick, I feel like my husband is not really concern about my other kids than I am.. I keep forgiving him so easily every time he almost gamble his hard working pay, I feel like I'm just waiting for him to stuff up so I could leave but I feel like I can't for the children I feel trapped or depressed through this marriage can you help me through this depression or what is wrong with me?