Increased medication (100mg Sertraline) and still completely exhausted but I did get some good news over the weekend - I have an appointment with the NHS Psychiatry team in July! Hopefully they can take a look at me and decided if there's something else wrong with my noggin other than being sleepy!
**The Mental Health Thread**
- Thread starter Gabbatek
- Start date
Had my first CBT session today, just an assessment. Very nice girl. I have to report back to her by next week with all the things that have annoyed me. It's going to be a long list!
At the moment the list of things they think I have ranges from GAD to Social Anxiety Disorder and even OCD. Who knows at this point. We'll have a much better picture in the next few weeks.
They're not a diagnostic service, but I should have a good idea by the end of it what might be going on and how to deal with it.
At the moment the list of things they think I have ranges from GAD to Social Anxiety Disorder and even OCD. Who knows at this point. We'll have a much better picture in the next few weeks.
They're not a diagnostic service, but I should have a good idea by the end of it what might be going on and how to deal with it.
Associate
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Ooh ocuk forums have to step in with mental health assistance.. because in the uk help with such things is abysmal! Lol. Hey ^^
Depression, anxiety and other physical issues here
I was up to 150 for a while and at that point it did kinda help, but I'm awful at routine (probably part of the issues) and kept going on and off, now I have horrible side affects to most antidepressants
just been trying to muscle through but... that ain't much better.
Hope they're helping you though, stick to the routine!
Depression, anxiety and other physical issues here
I was up to 150 for a while and at that point it did kinda help, but I'm awful at routine (probably part of the issues) and kept going on and off, now I have horrible side affects to most antidepressants
just been trying to muscle through but... that ain't much better.Hope they're helping you though, stick to the routine!
Someone will have some good advice but back in the day I was terrible and used alcohol to numb this, think it was a massive lack of self confidence, feeling better about myself and exposure therapy helped but even now going into a crowded place feels like I am been crushed, guess I just don't like people too much but at work I make the effort to chat instead of been that silent one, people seem to genuinely miss me when I am not there so it's still something I am working on but getting better
I will write in a little detail about my experiences so far with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I am about halfway through the course.
I got in touch with my GP in March because of the increasing light outside and warmth and told the GP I had suspected Summer Seasonal Affective Disorder, and had thought I had for years. The GP thought it may be Generalised Anxiety Disorder [but they're only a GP, they don't know] so they referred me for an assessment and CBT.
I had an initial phone assessment in which the assessor said that I was a "complex case" and that they would refer me for step 3 CBT for those with moderate to severe depression. Step 4 is for those with psychotic depression and step 5 is when you're sectioned.
We began the process of filtering my issues to a subset of potential disorders. We found, during the initial week, that the issues I experience are overwhelmingly concerned with sound rather than light or social situations. I was asked to complete exercises related to Social Anxiety Disorder, GAD and OCD. I was surprised to find I only have mild social anxiety and I have very high levels of OCD in certain subscales.
Currently there is strong evidence for the fact that I may have misophonia. We are also looking into whether I have OCD. I find the latter particularly surprising but I wasn't aware that OCD has different 'versions'. I am not a particularly clean person, but I do and can hoard, and am a consistent self-doubter and checker, often debilitatingly so.
I will update this thread in due course. It has been a very interesting experience so far.
My advice to those undergoing mental health guidance, or thinking of doing so:
- Be honest with yourself about the extent of your issues, don't be in denial. You may have got used to the intensity of your issues and may initially present them as less severe than they are because they are so familiar to you.
- Don't sugar-coat responses in exercises or in talking sessions.
- The week before your initial assessment, write down triggers every time you discover one so you can present your situation accurately.
- Engage as much as possible with your therapist, the more info you give them, the more they can help.
- Spend some time - as in days if necessary - thinking about exercises. The more time you take and the more detailed the information you can give, the better.
- Do your exercises and do them well. The NHS's free CBT is a boon with rather stringent access requirements and a long waiting list. If you get on a course, utilise it to its full extent.
- Be prepared to be surprised. We can easily misdiagnose ourselves with an issue, only to find out that the real issue is something else, or only tenuously related to what we initially thought.
I got in touch with my GP in March because of the increasing light outside and warmth and told the GP I had suspected Summer Seasonal Affective Disorder, and had thought I had for years. The GP thought it may be Generalised Anxiety Disorder [but they're only a GP, they don't know] so they referred me for an assessment and CBT.
I had an initial phone assessment in which the assessor said that I was a "complex case" and that they would refer me for step 3 CBT for those with moderate to severe depression. Step 4 is for those with psychotic depression and step 5 is when you're sectioned.
We began the process of filtering my issues to a subset of potential disorders. We found, during the initial week, that the issues I experience are overwhelmingly concerned with sound rather than light or social situations. I was asked to complete exercises related to Social Anxiety Disorder, GAD and OCD. I was surprised to find I only have mild social anxiety and I have very high levels of OCD in certain subscales.
Currently there is strong evidence for the fact that I may have misophonia. We are also looking into whether I have OCD. I find the latter particularly surprising but I wasn't aware that OCD has different 'versions'. I am not a particularly clean person, but I do and can hoard, and am a consistent self-doubter and checker, often debilitatingly so.
I will update this thread in due course. It has been a very interesting experience so far.
My advice to those undergoing mental health guidance, or thinking of doing so:
- Be honest with yourself about the extent of your issues, don't be in denial. You may have got used to the intensity of your issues and may initially present them as less severe than they are because they are so familiar to you.
- Don't sugar-coat responses in exercises or in talking sessions.
- The week before your initial assessment, write down triggers every time you discover one so you can present your situation accurately.
- Engage as much as possible with your therapist, the more info you give them, the more they can help.
- Spend some time - as in days if necessary - thinking about exercises. The more time you take and the more detailed the information you can give, the better.
- Do your exercises and do them well. The NHS's free CBT is a boon with rather stringent access requirements and a long waiting list. If you get on a course, utilise it to its full extent.
- Be prepared to be surprised. We can easily misdiagnose ourselves with an issue, only to find out that the real issue is something else, or only tenuously related to what we initially thought.
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Well, my therapist cancelled on me for the second time in a month. Yesterday morning as well, I can't help feeling she just got drunk watching the football on Sunday night [whether that is true or not - but let's face it, anyone who rang in sick yesterday looks suspicious]. I feel dreadful now and like I've been abandoned by the service. I wrote to her yesterday, no response. This has made me feel a hell of a lot worse and my mood has plummeted as a result.
I think you're right, but the problem is that it takes so long for a referral to come through on the NHS.
I would have to go back to the GP to be re-referred to another service, wait several weeks for another assessment, then wait again to be seen by the therapist.
Alternatively I could call the GP and ask to be put on medication while the re-referral goes through. I'm glad you understand the severity of the situation. Being cancelled on twice in a month is a very poor show and has had unexpectedly [for me, at least] bad results on my mental health.
Soldato
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Unexpectedly for you maybe, but in this line of work I'd say it's a very real risk. I can't speculate on your therapist's reasons but it's not great to do that to a client.
Soldato
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I have viewed, and read this thread so many times and each time I have thought I have nothing substantial to add that could help anyone . . .
Three days ago my father died.
I cry (a lot) when no one can see me - I don't know what to do, and I don't know how to fix this . . . .
My wife has been so supportive but I just feel, broken, like nothing can fix this.
Mental health is so ****** up and there is no quick fix and I don't know where to go from here but yeah we just keep going huh . . .
Three days ago my father died.
I cry (a lot) when no one can see me - I don't know what to do, and I don't know how to fix this . . . .
My wife has been so supportive but I just feel, broken, like nothing can fix this.
Mental health is so ****** up and there is no quick fix and I don't know where to go from here but yeah we just keep going huh . . .
Soldato
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- Beds
Really sorry for your loss. That's not going to be easy for you and no one would expect you to be "fine" right now. Not at all. Feeling like you don't know what to do next is a very normal reaction with such a big loss.
You will search for solutions and this is part of the grieving process. You've hit the nail on the head at the end of your post - I can assure you that you WILL feel different with time but it WILL take time. This is true of any loss - bereavement, heartbreak, big changes in life circumstances. Time is the best healer and there's no way to speed that up.
Big hugs, from one member of the "I miss my dad" club to another. This is why people come together with funerals - to support each other through a difficult time.
You will search for solutions and this is part of the grieving process. You've hit the nail on the head at the end of your post - I can assure you that you WILL feel different with time but it WILL take time. This is true of any loss - bereavement, heartbreak, big changes in life circumstances. Time is the best healer and there's no way to speed that up.
Big hugs, from one member of the "I miss my dad" club to another. This is why people come together with funerals - to support each other through a difficult time.
I can relate, I lost my mother unexpectedly at the start of the year, it utterly broke me and now, 6 months on, i'm still hurting a lot.
It's so cliched but time will help, it won't go away but it will blunt the pain, I was on the verge of tears the other day, Iron Maiden 'Run For The Hills' came on the radio, as I grew up my mum listened to them all the time and loved them, at 42 years old I was a kid again and missed her so much.
My strongest suggestion is to let yourself feel the pain, wallow in it, think of your Father as much as you can, let it process through, I lost myself in alcohol which led to medication and therapy.
Soldato
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- 1 Dec 2003
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really sorry for your loss. i can't imagine the pain you are going through
hopefully as time passes you will get back to some sort of normality. i think this thread could help with people that have been there being able to talk about their experiences
it's great people can talk about mental health a bit more these days. i jump on to this thread now and again as i've suffered debilitating anxiety throughout my adult life
i've more or less hidden it for years and only recently tried to open up more about it.
a recent bout had me not sleeping for 3 days and making a decision i regret badly
i'll soldier on though, and keep talking about it. it always feel better to get it out of your head.
you can do that here without prejudice
I'm very sorry to hear this, Sonea. I can only offer condolences and, so we are told, things do get better, but they take time. No, there is no way to fix things, the only thing that will improve is your ability to deal with the situation and your acceptance of it.
I don't know if it will help, or if you're aware of Kubler-Ross's five stages of grief which attempt to map out how we tend to deal with the loss of a loved one. The only note I will make to her theory is that the "bargaining" stage can also include lots of "what if's" and "I should have done's" etc, which is apparently totally normal. I'm sharing the link because it lets you know that things will get better but you have to go through the natural processes first.
Good luck and always come here [to the thread] for a chat should you need.
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Associate
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I have found that self improvement is the key for my mental health problems. Gotta try and be better. Then you will feel better. Hard I know and can take years.
Soldato
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Late reply, but just to say that my stepson had very bad social anxiety and he found help through a social anxiety support group. He's still got a ways to go but he's now working full time and has had his first girlfriend, he wouldn't even leave the house before. I attended his first meeting and it's just a bunch of people who suffer from social anxiety helping each other by sharing their experience and suggestions and supporting each other.
Sorry but how an earth does one get a load of individuals with social anxiety to attend a group meeting about anxiety?
Sorry, as someone who has moderate social anxiety myself I found that quite amusing.Sorry for your loss.
You dont have to add anything substantial at all. Thats possibly your anxiety kicking in.
Have you spoken to the docs about it?