never been to psychiatrist/therapist, unsure how to??

[thlurp]

hey everyone,

i've not been doing so great lately and i have vague ideas of what im dealing with but would really like to seek professional help and see a psychiatrist/psychologist/therapist idont even know what the difference is im so out of the loop :'((. im like 90% sure ive got anxiety but i feel there may be other stuff thats not so easy for me to guess aha.

i'm going to the doctor tomorrow mostly bc i have chronic migraines which apparently arent treatable (yayyy) and I think i will ask about getting help, anxiety-wise but I might chicken out lol and just kinda want to know how I would go about getting help? i've been told i should go to counselling etc in the past due to family stuff, but im really bad at asking for help and prefer to struggle on my own which i know is bad but i just dont like being seen as useless. i moved out at the start of the year for uni and am 18+ so getting help is pretty much just up to me but i have no idea how...

i've been progressively getting worse as of late which is why i've finally decided to actually do something about it. i find it impossible to force myself to do uni work but i still find it easy to do stuff that entertains me like drawing/embroidery etc so im not too bad on that front, but my sleep schedule is also around 7am-5pm lately which i hate and i also havent been to work in 2 weeks because it makes me so anxious but the break ive had has just made it worse and i dont want to go back.

anyway sorry for rambling guys tldr idk how to get anxiety help and thought id ask people who know 🙂

[geoff]

Hello Thlurp, and a warm welcome to the forums.

Please we don't want you to chicken out, this is something that needs to be addressed from what you have just told us.

Before I reply anymore you could contact Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800, have a talk or contact them with web chat, they offer help for people up to the age of 25 and are trained counsellors.

Now to answer your question about seeing a psychologist or a psychiatrist different people have different views about this, but for myself, I've seen both, however, the former had more personality and reacted to my concerns more favourably, while the latter, I asked them questions but got no reply.

I saw her for 20 years (workcover).

Ask our doctor about the 'mental health plan', this is where Medicare pays for the 10 sessions, and this maybe increased due to this virus, causing a lockdown.

If you can write down what's going on and how it's affecting you, then all you to do is pass this onto the doctor and psychologist.

If you decide to defer uni, you can always go back to it at a later date, your health is more important, and will get back to you if want to reply.

Take care.

Geoff.

[S_D]

Hi thlurp,

I'm so sorry to hear you haven't been doing well lately. Remember things will get better even if it doesn't seem like it right now! I have two resources for you which will hopefully answer all of your questions 🙂

There is an article on abc news called "Coronavirus is driving the need for mental heath support. But what if you've never seen a psychologist before?"

This article is everything you need to know if you're looking to get support but don't know where to begin 🙂 Btw going to the GP is a great start!

Another resource is Black Dog Institute's "myCompass"

My GP told me that when people do the above program along with some counselling they tend to improve quicker and feel better then those who just see a social worker/ counsellor/ psych as a stand alone treatment 🙂

You got this!

I hope my response helped?

The first article is pretty long although trust me it's worth the read.

P.s Chronic migraines suck! i'm so sorry you get these too. What did the GP suggest? I hope you can find ways to manage them as they are so debilitating 😞

[mocha delight]

Hi thlurp I’m extremely positive I have depression which my gp strongly believes herself that I do to as well as I believe I have anxiety but I took my first step at the time and made a appointment with my gp to talk about it. But I was very anxious about the appointment so what I did a few days before it was I typed up a list of all the signs/symptoms of depression I was experiencing & feeling then printed it out that I took to the appointment with me. And after the usual greetings when I see my gp as I’ve known her since I was 19 (now 31) I then straight away handed her the typed & printed list of signs/symptoms I was having of depression which I found really helped me as then I didn’t forget to mention anything.

[Izzieste]

Hi Thlurp,

I'm sorry to hear you are not feeling well and are struggling. I would suggest taking some notes about how you feel and when and how long those feelings last and show your GP in first instance. I would be honest and say you feel like you need help but you're not sure where to start. They might be willing to refer you to a psychologist or psychiatrist. I agree the Mental Healthcare Plan is a great way to assist with the cost of therapy.

In my case, my GP suggested I go see a clinical psychologist, but she also wanted to see me regularly herself to check in and see how I was going. As I kept struggling, she suggested medication and a referral to a psychiatrist, which I initially declined but am now going to accept. She would like me to keep checking in with her, continue to see the psychologist, but go see a psychiatrist for a proper diagnosis and some recommendation on what medication or other treatment is likely to be most beneficial for me. So, I guess it depends on what you need and feel comfortable with.

[Just Ken]

This is probably a bit late, but chronic migraines are treatable. They are also often related to mental health issues as both can be due to level of neurotransmitters. A neurologist is probably needed, and definitely if your GP can't help. If the simple treatments don't work then neurologists have access to Botox which keeps mine under control. Every 3 months I get $1500 worth of Botox for $40 and that works for about 12 weeks.