How to Work effectively with 2 different professionals eg psychologist & psychiatrist

[Elizabeth CP]

I have been seeing a psychologist for several years and he has helped me deal with a number of crisis including a son who was suicidal & had several psych hospital admissions, a husband who has a degenerative condition and has had a large number of hospital admissions, injuries and acute illnesses including becoming blind. I have also had a few injuries and episodes of illness as well and we had to move house. I became the sole breadwinner but I am now a full time carer. I have always had a tendency to be depressed and have always struggled with low self esteem The stresses over the last few years led to me becoming very depressed and I reluctantly went to my GP and tried some anti depressants.  The side effects made me worse rather than better. I was then referred to a psychiatrist to see if he had any alternative ADs The medication he prescribed made no difference to my mood except for feeling worse due to the side effects so I stopped taking them on advice of my GP and refuse to take any others despite pressure from the psychiatrist.

I am now seeing the psychiatrist once a month except for Jan and I return next week. I still see the psychologist fortnightly. I am wondering what should I be doing to ensure I am getting benefit out of both and avoid just repeating things. 

The things I would like to achieve are:

Ongoing support to deal with the crisis in my life so I can pick myself up and keep going. 

Gradually learning strategies to better cope when things go wrong rather than relying on therapists

To change the negative thinking patterns so I don't feel worthless and guilty 

To eventually change behaviours that are destructive to my wellbeing I currently either do too much and become exhausted or feel guilty becomes I'm not being productive. 

I need to learn to relax and enjoy myself (Even things I previously enjoyed I no longer enjoy) This is really hard as I often feel like why bother as I won't enjoy it or it will go wrong

I would like to learn strategies to deal with my PTSD 

How can the psychiatrist help me if I won't take medication. Any advice on how others used their different professionals effectively would be appreciated

[Paul]

Hi ElizabethCP - Hugs

I wonder if your psychologist and psychiatrist were to have a chat with each other so they can both work with you and understand eachother's approach.

Perhaps suggest this to both and see what they think.

Take care x

Paul

[Elizabeth CP]

Thank you for the reply. I am nervous about suggesting this although it makes sense. Don't know why it is so hard. Maybe because I feel a failure needing help and I feel bad because I don't take the medicine which is prescribed but I am too scared of dealing with the side effects and the difficulty of getting off the meds. Most medications I have tried have left me feeling too tired to do anything which then makes me feel worse. One med affected my speech so I couldn't even pronounce my own name which was very embarrassing. Another made me so agitated I couldn't sit still I would jump up as soon as I sat down and start pacing I couldn't even sit down long enough to eat a meal. As soon as I started something my mind would jump to the next thing so I couldn't finish any task. 

[Paul]

Hey Elizabeth,

The only way to knock this depression and anxiety thing is with help. Help from multiple sources with multiple approaches is often the best way.

The reason why we need help is because when we get depressed as you would know, thoughts become a bit warpy and sometimes it's even hard to think. How are you expected to get well when that happens. How is anyone expected to get well when that happens? There's also multiple situations and experiences that make it even more difficult for you.

I can absolutely promise you that asking for help doesn't mean you have failed. The nature of the illness means that it's almost impossible to manage on our own without help!

Take care, Chat soon.

xx Paul