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im not sure if therapy will help me

Cleo26
Community Member

hello

i'm not sure if this is the right place to write about something like this, but i have nobody else to help so all advice/opinions are welcome. 

 

what do you do when you feel like you need help right now. like i cant handle living this way anymore and its so painful to deal with my thoughts and feelings and i've struggled with this for so many years. 

i know that therapy is a great long term solution to get to the bottom of your problems and learn 'coping strategies' but honestly i feel like i cant wait. i have so many issues and anxieties and different feelings that having a one hour session each week where i try to unpack these topics wont help me much in short term. i just feel terrible.

 

i'm willing to do therapy and i understand how it would make me feel better and how i would benefit from advice a lot, and my friend is willing to drive me to one (since i don't feel comfortable with my parents taking me) but i'm wondering if medication is something i should also consider. 

 

for context i'm 18, i've struggled with mental health issues for a long time like depression and anxiety, these issues have gone from severe to moderate many times in my life but for a long time now they have set me back so much and i just feel terrible and so scared for the future constantly. i have had a few short term therapists before.

 

just to clarify, i know i say i cant live like this anymore but i am in no way suicidal, i'm just struggling with the way my life is right now.

 

its just so complicated because i don't know how to ask for medication or from who, and i'm scared that i'm just going to get told that i don't need it or its going to somehow make me feel worse in the end. 

 

im sorry if this was unclear or not articulated well, if you have any thoughts or advice on what i should do please let me know. 

i just feel hopeless and i feel unable to get myself out of this at this point.

7 Replies 7

geoff
Champion Alumni
Champion Alumni

Hello Cleo, thanks for posting your comment and when people arein this position it's hard to convince them that therapy does take time, only because as much as what you have to say, they really need to gather all the information before they can pinpoint the area to target.

I know this seems to be confusing for the person because ext week's appointment can't come  around qiuck enough.

If I can suggest that you able to contact Kids Helpline who tak to people from the age of 5 up to 25 years old, their number is 1800 55 1800 by phone or online 24/7 and it's free.

They may be able to tackle these problems in a different way and certainly worth a try.

Geoff.

Life Member.

Cleo26
Community Member

yes i do understand that therapy takes time, thats the thing i struggle with.

thankyou for your response, i will definitely follow your advice if i feel i need to 🙂

Summer Rose
Blue Voices Member
Blue Voices Member

Hi Cleo26

It’s clear from your words that you’re really struggling. I’m sorry, lovely. I know it’s hard.

I’d like to suggest that you make a double appointment (so you have time to talk) to see your GP. You will need to explain how you are feeling and you will likely be asked some questions about symptoms you may be experiencing.

Your doctor is the best person to explain how the various medications work, and to determine if one might be beneficial to you. GPs can prescribe antidepressants and other medications to treat mental health issues.

You are correct, medications help a lot of people. But they aren’t a “silver bullet” and they aren’t without side effects. Please make sure that you understand the potential side effects of any medication that may be suggested, so that you can make a well informed decision.

Kind thoughts to you

Daniel12
Community Member

Hi Cleo

 

Thanks for reaching out, it sounds like you are going through a difficult period and sounds similar to things I have felt so thought I'd offer my perspective.

 

Firstly, I felt the exact same as you do in regards to therapy but I learnt the value of taking it's time as it allows your therapist to get a clear picture of you and what they can help you with going forward which serves you very well going forward. 

 

In regards to the medication, I am in no way a doctor but as Summer Rose mentioned it is not without side effects and is not a silver bullet. I would suggest speaking to your local GP as well as your therapist about the side effects and how these work. It was explained to me by my doctors quite well.

 

Lastly, I want to offer you possibly a different perspective on the difficult time you are going through which may help lead you to think, even for a second, a bit differently.

I think you should recognise the fact that you have the emotional maturity and awareness at the age of 18 to recognise the period you are going through & how this it not how you want to live. If I use myself as a parallel, it took me until the age of 26 to realise this so be proud of your inner wisdom.

Even if you might not believe it 100% at this moment in time, by doing this it clearly shows you have the strength, intelligence & awareness to succeed in getting to a place in your life where you no longer feel as you currently do...it is naturally within you, it's just about getting the help to recognise it! So never stop reaching out!

 

I'll finish off by saying something that was told to me in my darkest period & hopefully it makes sense to you....depression/anxiety is like a fog....imagine a cold winters morning and you get up to go to work/uni etc...sometimes on those early mornings there is quite a lot of fog at road level and when you hop into your car it can be hard to see when driving through the fog.....eventually though as the morning breaks and you continue driving that fog clears.....so you have to keep driving until it clears....but rest assured it will!

Depression/anxiety and mental struggles can often be like the fog

If you keep driving forward bit by bit, doesn't matter how fast or slow, that fog will clear!

 

All the best to you Cleo!

Cleo26
Community Member

thankyou so much  for your reply 😞

ive come back to reread your response a few times and it makes me tear up a bit. your description at the end was very lovely, so thankyou. 

 

i will definitely take the advice, thanks again and please have a good night/day 

thankyou very much for responding and being kind, 

i am considering going to a GP, recently i've also thought about just finding my own therapist first and hearing her opinion on if i should go on medication and other things.

and i do completely agree and understand now medication is not a quick easy fix and i wont make the decision lightly if i decide to use them. 

thankyou again, have a great day/night 

Daniel12
Community Member

Hi Cleo

 

No problem, hopefully some of it can be relatable! 🙂

 

Feel free to continue to reach out whenever you need support, you will get through it & there are always people willing to help!

 

Daniel