Reluctant to go to psychologist

[Annemieke123]

I have severe bipolar, anxiety and depression. My GP is very keen for me to start seeing a psychologist so he has referred me to one and made an appointment for me for September.

the problem is I have tried seeing psychologists in the past and have never found it helpful in anyway. Talking about my past and problems just upsets me.

i have tried DBT, CBT, and mindfulness as part of Therapy. Nothing works for me.

i told my GP I don’t want to go, and I am scared, but he says this needs to be part of my overall treatment plan along with meds. He said meds can only help so much and to get better I need this.

the whole thought of going is giving me major anxiety and I am really upset. I don’t relate to strangers easily either. The whole idea fills me with dread.

My question is, do I go with my gut and just cancel the appointment or do I go anyway despite feeling very agitated?

has anyone else felt this way? How did you overcome it? It’s not that I don’t want to help myself, I am just struggling to see the benefit in this kind of help, to be honest. I’m struggling with life at the moment as it is, I am worried revisiting my trauma is going to make me worse. I can’t afford to get any worse.

thanks in advance, appreciate any advice.

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi Annemieke123,

Welcome to the forums and thank you for being here.

I'm personally a bit of an advocate for therapy so I'm not really able to relate to your experiences, but it sounds like from going to therapy, all it feels like is bringing up the past and making you upset?

I do think that sometimes therapy can be really hard, especially if hashing up old memories, but I think other times it can be very rewarding and insightful - knowing more about yourself and your patterns/behaviours, helping to manage symptoms and feel a bit better.

It seems like you've tried a few things and nothing has clicked with you so far, so it could be about trying something else, like schema therapy (really useful for trauma) or even other types of approaches like EMDR or even art therapy? Things like art therapy can sound a bit quirky but be a little bit more approachable if talking is really hard.

The other part might be about the relationship with the therapist, especially if you were able to find one who could try and understand how you're feeling knowing that others are being in the same boat. Maybe that means being more transparent with you about what's going to happen each session (so you feel less anxious), or doing more practical things so it doesn't feel like you have to go so in-depth about what's happening for you.

I'm not sure if any of this is helpful but hopefully it gives you something to think about. Feel free to hang about and post in the other sections of the forums too.

[white knight]

Hi, welcome

Of all the posts I've replied to, yours fits the best in terms of my experience, so you are not alone.

Your diagnoses mirror mine exactly. I have tried CBT and in 2003 sort psychiatric and psychological help. I was misdiagnosed with ADHD as my hypomania seemed like it.

In 2009 after 6 years on the wrong adhd medication I was directed to another psychiatrist. Reluctantly I went and received your diagnosis. From then on my life took off because, like your GP eluded to, my illnesses were being approached on several fronts- correct diagnosis, correct meds and dosage (eventually ), psychiatric therapy and life changes like a job away from shift work and customer service.

Your relationship with a new psychiatrist takes some faith. Such faith is likely to develop over time. On your first meeting dont be afraid to mention your fears. By doing that he/she might spend a while chatting in general for relaxation purposes.

Another prong in your works is this forum. Unlike psych appointments we are available 24/7/365 days so you can create your own thread and add to it over time. There are ongoing threads like

Do you like yourself - your thoughts are welcome

Or use search function, we have thousands of threads.

I relaye to you shying away from society.

Please google

Beyondblue Topic so you want to be a hermit?

Beyondblue Topic what life's like at the end of the tunnel

Of course there is a chance you wont "connect" with him/her. Try another, just return to your GP for another referral.

The key is not to give up. It is tempting but for not only your benefit, the harmony of relationships will improve. Some things in life we have to do even if it is abrasive to our desires.

re: "I’m struggling with life at the moment as it is" I’m struggling with life at the moment as it is"

Can I ask, can you give more detail on this? I'm concerned with this aspect of your life atm.

TonyWK