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P12 Difficulties Understanding Treatment
  • replies: 243

Counsellors and psychologists to whom I have spoken have told me to identify my long term goals and strive for their achievement. But my attempts have been unsuccessful because I lack the practical skills for achievement and that has caused me greate... View more

Counsellors and psychologists to whom I have spoken have told me to identify my long term goals and strive for their achievement. But my attempts have been unsuccessful because I lack the practical skills for achievement and that has caused me greater dissatisfaction than before I attempted to achieve the goals. What is the reason for this strategy and why are counsellors and psychologists unwilling or unable to give me practical advice? I identified the technical topic most interesting to me, looked for collaborators, and asked for support to pursue my interest. I found only two people in Australia with similar interests and believe they are unwilling to collaborate with me because by discrediting me their circumstances will improve. The feedback I received about my requests for support is that the topic is not relevant to society. Instead I am expected to perform a job for which I am imperfect and therefore I am excluded because my processes and ideas are different to the industry. Is it true that society's objective is for greater normality and what is the reason for such a strange aspiration? Why does society reject people who are different? Why does society not allow me to pursue my individual interests and talents? What is the purpose of living if society has no use for my talents and the role that society would have me fulfil causes me trauma? I was told that independence will not cause me long term satisfaction. Yet, as I have tried unsuccessfully for more than ten years to form a friendship, I question this assertion. The prevailing strategy suggested to me for gaining friends is to participate in activities I enjoy as there I am most likely to meet others with similar interests and beliefs. What is the purpose of living if society directs me to one outcome but it cannot provide the means to achieve that outcome? Surely independence is a far more effective solution. I'm pretty sure I am lonely. I would like to have a friendship or at least feel welcome in society. But my efforts never seem to work. People make suggestions but I must be special because they don't work for me. The harder I try, the more independent I become, because my methods appear stranger to others, and the less liked I become. I really don't understand the society in which I live. I wish I wasn't so sad. I often cry uncontrollably and am unable to sleep when I realise I will not achieve my desires and there is nothing I can do about it. My life is apparently meaningless.

Just Sara What's it like on a psych ward?
  • replies: 45

Hi all; This topic often comes up so I thought I'd create a thread to inform, and discuss concerns of people scared to ask for help from a hospital. I've worked as a mental health peer worker since mid last year so I totally understand the stigma aro... View more

Hi all; This topic often comes up so I thought I'd create a thread to inform, and discuss concerns of people scared to ask for help from a hospital. I've worked as a mental health peer worker since mid last year so I totally understand the stigma around being admitted. I spent two weeks on a ward a few years ago so my post is from lived experience as well. Depending on your circumstances, being admitted voluntarily or involuntarily isn't really any different except if you're violent or are at risk of self-harming. In these instances patients are sent to a ward where they can be monitored more closely than on other wards. Think of the MH system as a scale from 1 to 3; at each level you're being assessed to move to the next level of care with less monitoring and more independence, eg. wards can be closed or open depending on whether the patient is a risk to themselves or others and has proven themselves to be actively participating in their own recovery. Assessments are carried out by a psychiatrist assigned to the patient on admission or the next available time permitted as they are extremely busy or it's in the middle of the night. Nursing staff take daily, and sometimes hourly notes to support the assessment process. They follow the Dr's treatment plan which includes medication both regularly administered and PRN for crisis situations when people need something extra to help them cope. In my own case I was prescribed a daily anti-depressant with PRN anti-anxiety as a back-up which I only requested when I couldn't sleep or was distressed. People with more severe symptoms are treated with medication in alignment with their particular diagnosis and responses. Sometimes it takes a while to test what the best medication is, so letting staff know how you feel with any new drug is really important. Their notes are a direct link to your psychiatrist and are discussed every morning in a combined clinical meeting to identify the best avenue of treatment and ward movements for each patient. As you can imagine, patients at each stage of the scale will differ in how they act, respond and engage with others. Focusing on yourself and recovery is the best way to approach your stay. Hope this helps. Looking forward to comments from members. Kind thoughts; Sez

Davey_NSW Withdrawal from medication
  • replies: 8

Hello everyone, I’m coming off almost 15 years of an SSRI, which is being managed in conjunction with my GP. I have managed a reduction in my dose and have now been completely off my meds for about 2.5 weeks. I am still experiencing withdrawals such ... View more

Hello everyone, I’m coming off almost 15 years of an SSRI, which is being managed in conjunction with my GP. I have managed a reduction in my dose and have now been completely off my meds for about 2.5 weeks. I am still experiencing withdrawals such as insomnia and foggy mind. Any tips on how on how to manage these withdrawals and how long I can expect to experience the withdrawals?

Eagle Ray EMDR Extremely Severe Side Effects
  • replies: 3

I am writing this out of desperation. I had my first EMDR session one month ago. It was done suddenly in the middle of a psychology session without preparation. I had no idea of the potential side effects but have been extremely debilitated since. It... View more

I am writing this out of desperation. I had my first EMDR session one month ago. It was done suddenly in the middle of a psychology session without preparation. I had no idea of the potential side effects but have been extremely debilitated since. It seemed to work for the memory being processed at the time but 3 hours later I began to numb out. This has been followed by 4 weeks of cycling into long periods of extreme fear that surge in a sickening way and lead to feelings of self destruction. I have Complex PTSD and have since learned that EMDR can break down internal dissociative barriers that protect a person at the time of trauma. So what I’m experiencing is constant flooding and retraumatisation without the barriers that used to protect me in my brain and nervous system. No one seems to know what to do with this, my psychologist, GP or anyone. I have called Helplines many times but they cannot really do anything either. Reading multiple other forums (e.g. PTSD ones, Reddit etc) there are many people like me going through this following EMDR who are also desperate. Many have been impacted for months to years afterwards and still live in constant extreme fear now. A number have been medicated and hospitalised but no improvement. It’s terrifying the thought of not being able to get out of this. An approach that has been helpful for me in the past is Somatic Experiencing. The guy who developed it Peter Levine has some containment exercises for trauma which if done for about an hour can sometimes alleviate symptoms. That then helps for about 2 hours at best before the terror surges again. My body is being subjected to relentless adrenaline. Things that helped me in the past don’t work now or only briefly. I had a Bowen therapy session about 3 weeks ago and it helped at the time but as soon as I got in my car afterwards I was in out of control fear again. I don’t know how to keep living like this. Has anyone ever been through EMDR, had this response and found a way through it? I’m also presenting with a dissociative disorder that seems like OSDD though not formally diagnosed. I had a dissociative score of 37.5 on the DES-II prior to EMDR and from what I now know standard EMDR is not meant to be done on anyone above a score of 30 and according to more recent advice 20. I just want the suffering to stop and to feel somewhere near normal again. The other awful thing it’s done is remove positive emotions. Going to try sone creative things today to help myself.

RoseK ECT and stigma and feeling alone
  • replies: 9

Hey everyone, I have had many ECT treatments and I’m 25. I find it really hard to be doing this sort of treatment and have it so stigmatised and having to keep my mouth shut due to the way I am viewed when people find out. I feel really alone. No one... View more

Hey everyone, I have had many ECT treatments and I’m 25. I find it really hard to be doing this sort of treatment and have it so stigmatised and having to keep my mouth shut due to the way I am viewed when people find out. I feel really alone. No one I know has ever had it and I can’t find any sort of support groups for those having the same treatment. I feel like stigma surrounding it hasn’t improved since that “one flew over the cooocoo nest”. It’s really hurting feeling on such an out and being silent. I even looked on the public hospital websites in my area, I know they do ECT but it wasn’t even acknowledged, only tms. My doctor has told me he doesn’t believe tms will help me and so that’s not an option and really only for mild depression. Anyone else suffer with the same sort of isolation/lack of support?

Jono87 Cancer Sucks, how do you cope with it?
  • replies: 3

Hi all, I'm a 37yo male who was recently diagnosed with stage 4 oesophageal cancer. I was diagnosed in January of this year, prior to this I was living a mostly healthy lifestyle aside from the occasional beer after work. With no history of cancer in... View more

Hi all, I'm a 37yo male who was recently diagnosed with stage 4 oesophageal cancer. I was diagnosed in January of this year, prior to this I was living a mostly healthy lifestyle aside from the occasional beer after work. With no history of cancer in my family the oncologist told me it was likely a genetic defect at birth. Life has certainly flipped in the past 6 months, dealing with emotions and thoughts that I never thought I would have to deal with. Luckily I have amazing support in the form of great family and friends, a wonderful medical team and an amazing psychologist. My mental health is strong and I am responding well to my current treatments (my primary tumour has shrunk by almost 50%!) but processing new thoughts and emotions has been the biggest challenge.So what I would like to know and encourage a discussion on is how do other people deal with the new and unsettling challenges that arise with a cancer diagnosis. I am interested to hear and talk with both cancer patients, survivors, carers and anyone (which is almost all of us) who has been affected by cancer in their lives. Hope you're all having a great week!F**k Cancer!!Jono

Anonymous_18531 Improving Mental Health Through Diet?
  • replies: 1

Lately I’ve been feeling a bit off, low energy, foggy, just not great overall. I’ve heard gut health can affect mental health, so I was wondering if anyone has tried taking prebiotics or probiotics (foods or supplements) and noticed a difference? Or ... View more

Lately I’ve been feeling a bit off, low energy, foggy, just not great overall. I’ve heard gut health can affect mental health, so I was wondering if anyone has tried taking prebiotics or probiotics (foods or supplements) and noticed a difference? Or cutting out any foods? Any tips, foods, supplements, or recipes you recommend would be super appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Pandemica What about ECT.
  • replies: 6

I am getting to the point where I have struggled with major depression for more than 20 years. I am struggling with thoughts. I might give treatment one last try. I have already tried pretty much everything except ECT. Has anyone had any experience w... View more

I am getting to the point where I have struggled with major depression for more than 20 years. I am struggling with thoughts. I might give treatment one last try. I have already tried pretty much everything except ECT. Has anyone had any experience with ECT?

Guest_55109823 Upcoming Exams
  • replies: 2

Hi everyone, I’m a uni student with exams in about two weeks. Recently, I’ve been dealing with intense anxiety and stress. It’s really affecting my ability to function so I’m not sleeping well, I can’t focus on my study, and I’m feeling overwhelmed a... View more

Hi everyone, I’m a uni student with exams in about two weeks. Recently, I’ve been dealing with intense anxiety and stress. It’s really affecting my ability to function so I’m not sleeping well, I can’t focus on my study, and I’m feeling overwhelmed and emotionally drained most days. I’ve booked an appointment with my family GP, but I’m really nervous. I’ve never been formally diagnosed with a mental health condition, and aside from a couple of sessions with the uni counselling service last year, I haven’t sought professional help before. I’m worried the doctor won’t take me seriously or might say I’m not yet eligible for a medical certificate because of that. The uni guidelines state that you need a med certificate or at least a letter of support/stat dec with certificate of attendance. I saw a regular GP in my area over the weekend because I thought I could get it sorted quicker, but he said he immediately said he couldn’t provide a certificate because he hadn’t seen me in a recent timeframe. This has only compounded my stress. My issues have lasted for a couple of years and I thought I was improving earlier this semester, which is why I’m only going through this process quite late because my anxiety has returned. I genuinely feel like I’m not in a state to prepare for or sit my exams properly, and I want to apply to defer . I’m just scared I won’t be able to do so. Any advice or support would mean a lot right now. Thank you and sorry to trouble anyone with this!