Do I need professional help?

LegacyUser

I have been feeling ****ty now for the last 2-3yrs and am often depressed. Sometimes I have that dark empty feeling which makes me realised that im really depressed. Other times, that feeling isn't there but im still usually down. Can you be depressed without that empty feeling?

I have become quite introverted and have a very bad critic. Im rarely happy and have low self esteem. When I am happy, im quite extroverted. I can immediately spot degrading thoughts and stuff and stop them to keep myself feeling well. The next morning though, often for no real reason I will wake up and be back to my own ways again. Its no life. I have no passion because of it and it represses my soul so to speak that I have lost interest in most things.

I gave the whole self-help books and stuff a whirl for quite a while. I think it may have made me worse. I never really carried them out or made a good effort to carry them out though. I can't get out of this hole. Im always putting off going to the doctor and stuff by coming up with stupid solutions to my problems. These solutions seem to give me a false sense of reality which makes me feel in the end as though im not living in the real world.


If I do need professional help, what should I expect? Im not really that hopeful.

Saruman

Why are you depressed? Are you unattractive? Overweight? Loss of a family member etc? Taking any drugs, prescribed or not? There is usually a reason for it... Yes you probably should be seeking some help and not from random people on the Net See if you can figure out the root cause though and work from there.

BeardyGit

If you're considering professional help might be warranted, it's time to talk to your GP. Stop running away from this, confront it and start asking the right people the right questions. I wouldn't bother with anyone elses advice until you have a chat with him/her first. Your GP can set a realistic expectation regarding the type of help available and what might be accomplished.

Go and have a chat....It beats the hell out of self-diagnosis as guided by people who know nothing about you or your needs.

Kimbot

Best thing to do is talk to your GP and see what course of action is best from there!!

keynesian

I was hospitalised from Bi-polar (which is slitly different to depression), it gave me a new prospective on Depression & Mental Health.

I would recomend going to see a psychotrist NOT a GP, aways go to a specalist. www.aware.ie give advice and number etc. Don't be afraid of medication as it can be that kick start you need.

Professional can give you independed and prospective advice, but it's always up to you to take it. Plus Professional are trained to spot thing the advage Joe can't see or don't know about.

LegacyUser

keynesian wrote:

I was hospitalised from Bi-polar (which is slitly different to depression), it gave me a new prospective on Depression & Mental Health.

I would recomend going to see a psychotrist NOT a GP, aways go to a specalist. www.aware.ie give advice and number etc. Don't be afraid of medication as it can be that kick start you need.

Professional can give you independed and prospective advice, but it's always up to you to take it. Plus Professional are trained to spot thing the advage Joe can't see or don't know about.

Jesus, this is one of the reasons I have really been putting off going to the GP for months now. I looked over the aware site and after reading about bi-polar or manic depression I realise this is what I have (most of the symptoms in fact). I never really understood how if I am supposed to be depressed then how can my mood go to the other extreme for short bouts et cetera. Its such a terrible way to live. I feel as though I need to control myself so much in social situations but inside im screaming.

How long did you have this for? Do the hell do you cope with it? Does it ever really go away? Why did you have to go into hospital?

I don't know how relevant this is but when I was younger I was extremely hyperactive and was diagnosed with ADHD. Could this have developed into MD. Ive even thought at times that maybe I was diagnosed incorrectly.

r3nu4l

Op, talk to someone at AWARE about this.

While most GPs are very aware (no pun intended!) of Mental Health issues and can give you guidance there are still one or two dinosaurs out there who will tell you to 'join a club' or 'take up a sport' :rolleyes:

It depends on how well you know your GP. Does he/she have a good reputation? The people at AWARE may initially ask you to see your GP but if you have concerns in that area just let them know and ask them if they can recommend someone.

Dutchology

I tried to avoid all of this... It doesn't work... Things only get worse if you don't get yourself to a professional. I was put on meds, then came off them and I've been quite well for some time now. I have been able to identify the roots of the problem and am currently dealing with them. It's worth it. Go to a doctor.

keynesian

I don't want to go to much into it, for the simple reason, that only a psychitrist can identify what you have. I do not want to miss lead you. Each indeviual is differant and must be treated differantly. It is better that you make an appointment with a psychitrist now, incase it developes into something more. Don't be afraid of the doctors or hospital, there doing there best.

keynesian

Although see as you asked and I LOVE talk about my self.

kkkppp wrote:

How long did you have this for?

It's with you alway. But I only got it bad when I smoke too much hash, in recent years. But Bi-polor is one of those thing, which come first the chicken or the egg, did I smoke hash caz I was ill or did hash make me sick.

Do the hell do you cope with it?

oh, dificult question. I didn't. I listen. I was forst caz I was a little out of control. I made my own desition. I ask. I seek adive. I put up with my maddness. I listen to poeple with experance. I debate. I consult. I have good friends (who I forget about), I good parants (who I don't ecknowlage).
I did/do all these things, yes i'm a bit manic. It's problily worse on the poeple who have to put up with me.

Does it ever really go away?

It's a manageble "dis order", ie you always have it and are mind full of it, but it don't/souldn't efect your life.

Why did you have to go into hospital?

Caz I wasn't behaving normally, for me. It's a disition taken by a doctor, It was good desition. If for nothing else but the experance it was a good idea. EVERY CASE is DIFFERANT.

Talliesin

And for that matter being hospitalised will only happen in a small minority of cases.

LegacyUser

'Do you have a girlfriend/boyfriend that you could talk to? I really
do think you have to go see someone especially as you have it for so long but I am sure it would help to share this with someone close to you.

Hope it all goes well for you.'

alias06

keynesian wrote:

I don't want to go to much into it, for the simple reason, that only a psychitrist can identify what you have. I do not want to miss lead you. Each indeviual is differant and must be treated differantly. It is better that you make an appointment with a psychitrist now, incase it developes into something more. Don't be afraid of the doctors or hospital, there doing there best.

Why only a psychiatrist? Why not a psychologist? Most people believe that psychiatrists are the experts in mental health. The psychiatrist’s bible is the 'Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders' (DSM). There is no great mystery about how they make a diagnosis. There are about 10 common symptoms listed in the DSM for each disorder. If you have enough of the symptoms (e.g. 6 out of 10) you'll be diagnosed. That's it. It’s hardly rocket science.

Keynesian, you contradict your own point when you say "Each individual is different and must be treated differently" because the biomedical approach in essence treats everyone the same. Everyone with a particular set of symptoms is given the same label, e.g. depression, one explanation is given as the primary reason for everyone, i.e. a chemical imbalance (an unproven hypothesis) and almost all are given the same treatment, i.e anti-depressant drugs. Obviously there is some variability within the scenario I'm outlining here, but for the most part there is very little personal or individual differentiation in the treatments people receive under the medical approach.

Psychiatrists rely far too heavily on medication and I believe you would get much more insight, empathy, understanding and long-term benefit from a psychologist or sufferer support group.

A lot of people on boards recommend GPs as the first port of call. May I point out that GPs have very limited training in mental health. However, they can get you a referral quicker, which is important.

Does it ever really go away?

Yes, people can recover fully from all mental illnesses. Take Schizophrenia for example. This is supposed to be the hardest of illnesses to recover from. Unfortunately the psychiatric profession has treated this problem as a degenerative disease and this becomes something of a self-fulfilling prophesy, so that only one-third of patients make a full recovery in the west. However in third-world and developing countries almost two-thirds of patients recover fully. In studies of schizophrenia outcomes, the World Health Organisation found that recovery from schizophrenia was a far more frequent occurrence in poorer countries such as India, Nigeria, and Colombia than in developed countries like the United States, England and Denmark. The WHO found "This length of remission (symptom-free period) was unrelated to drug treatment since many in the developing world did not receive continuous treatment. Psychosocial factors, such as better family support, community tolerance, extended networks and more favourable job opportunities, have been postulated as the reasons for this observation." You can see it on this website: http://www.searo.who.int/en/Section1174/Section1199/Section1567/Section1827_8055.htm

Whether your difficulties become a "managable disorder" or psychological problem you can recover fully from, could depend on the type of treatment you receive.

r3nu4l

alias06 wrote:

Why only a psychiatrist? Why not a psychologist? Most people believe that psychiatrists are the experts in mental health. The psychiatrist’s bible is the 'Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders' (DSM). There is no great mystery about how they make a diagnosis. There are about 10 common symptoms listed in the DSM for each disorder. If you have enough of the symptoms (e.g. 6 out of 10) you'll be diagnosed. That's it. It’s hardly rocket science.

Psychiatrists rely far too heavily on medication and I believe you would get much more insight, empathy, understanding and long-term benefit from a psychologist.

A lot of people on boards recommend GPs as the first port of call. May I point out that GPs have very limited training in mental health.

While some of the points you make have validity, you should know that psychiatrists are more than just diagnosticians and pill pushers. Yes, depending on the illness a psychologist can be the best bet. In many cases of mental illness input is needed from both psychologists and psychiatrists.

As for recommending a GP, as I said, most but not all GPs are well tuned into mental illness these days and can provide a referral if needed. In most cases a GP referral will get you seen to much more quickly than no referral, especially if you do not have private health care and are reliant on the state. Also, for many people, there is an inherint trust (rightly or wrongly) in their GP. If they know their family GP, they may be more willing to open up and talk, or perhaps not.

Groups like Aware are excellent for depression and can quickly get help to those that need it and ooffer an excellent and extensive support network. They can also advise more thoroughly on the differences between different types of psch evaluations.

elqu

It depends what is wrong with you whether you need a psychiatrist or a psychologist. Psychiatrists are usually medically qualified and deal with actual neurolgical disorders such as schizophrenia etc, my understanding is a psychologist helps you with counselling and more diffuse symptoms of depression, coping strategies etc. Not entirely certain tho'... would be of the view that the likes of psychotherapists etc are to be avoided at all costs unless you want to be sucked ito the vortex of your own misery...

alias06

r3nu41, I did not say psychiatrists were only "diagnosticians and pill pushers". Their work should encompass a broader holistic approach using a variety of methods. I think we would all agree any approach to mental health should be multifaceted. Unfortunately however, this is not always the case. As I said in my previous post psychiatrists rely far too heavily on medication which has very dubious benefits and often substantial costs. In some schools of medicine, e.g. the prestigious John Hopkins, psychiatric trainees are not required to undertake any training in psychotherapy at all. The focus within the psychiatric profession is on diagnosis and drug treatment. For many people in this country drugs are often the first and last treatment they receive. The term "pill pushers" was yours, not mine.

Point taken on GPs, they will get you a referal much faster.

alias06

Psychiatrists are usually medically qualified and deal with actual neurolgical disorders such as schizophrenia, etc

Decades of psychiatric research, using the most advanced technology, has failed to establish a biological cause or neurological abnoramality responsible for schizophrenia or any mental illness for that matter. Many theories have been put forward but none have been proven. The lack of evidence is confirmed by the extraordinary fact that not a single psychiatric diagnosis can be confirmed by a biological, radiological or laboratory test.

Indeed, these problems could hardly be caused by brain abnormalities or genetic defects due to the simple fact that many people do recover fully. Two thirds of schizophrenia sufferers recover fully in developing countries. People don't recover from genetic illnesses such as Cystic Fibrosis, diabetes, Down's Syndrome, haemophilia etc. In these cases the offending genes and abnormalities can be identified and studied. Not so with mental illness. It would certainly come as a revelation to biologists and geneticists if large numbers of people could spontaneously recover from biological defects/abnormalities or genetic disorders. Indeed, much of psychiatric practice goes against even the most elementary scientific reasoning. Apart from a few atypical cases of pre-natal brain damage or accident induced psychosis, the vast majority of mental breakdowns are clearly higher order, psychological responses to real life circumstances.

im_invisible

read the first few posts

same here,

went to GP march 05, told him i wanted to see psychologist, got appointment with <u>psychiatrist</u> august 05, put on waiting list for psychologist jan 06, got told i hadnt in fact been put on waiting list august 06, and i was basically told i wouldnt be unless i started self-harming, which i havnt really seen the point in up till now, only have appointments with the psychiatrist every 8 - 10 weeks, maybe 9 times in total, where all he says, (whichever one it happens to be) is 'how are you?' i mean how the **** are you meant to answer that?? how am i right now? how am i today? how am i this week? how have i been since i saw you last?? wait, i havnt seen you before, it was someone else the last time, and someone else the time before, and one of ye is putting me on some supplementary drug, and the other is taking me off it, without telling me. or maybe you dont know what im meant to be taking at all.


i could go on.... ****it

LegacyUser

'I did cognitive therapy.

It was really good, it helped me identify negative thoughts and from there I tried to avoid negative thoughts, people, and situations.

For me negative thoughts ("I'm always wrong" "Nobody likes me") dragged me down, it was a downward spiral.

Cognitive therapy was like a course in how to manage those feelings and control more how I felt. The chances that I'm wrong all the time, or that every single person hates me, the chances are very slim. It provided perspective.

They said that thoughts, feelings, and behavior are like a triangle - if you know your thoughts, and behavior around something that bothers you, eg, but not your feelings, then you should try to figure out how you feel.

It's still a daily maintenance on keeping myself positive, but it helps a lot in avoiding getting depressed again. I still feel depressed from tiem to time, but I can pull myself out of it.'

alias06

OP, what kind of financial circumstances are you in, if you don't mind me asking? Do you live in Dublin? Its just that it would make a difference in terms of treatment.

I highly recommmend Dr. Terry Lynch's book 'Beyond Prozac: Healing Mental Distress'. Its excellent. Its not a self help book or anything like that, its written simply to give people a better understanding of depression, mental illness, and suicide, and the different treatments that are available. It really is worth reading.

went to GP march 05, told him i wanted to see psychologist, got appointment with <u>psychiatrist</u> august 05, put on waiting list for psychologist jan 06, got told i hadnt in fact been put on waiting list august 06, and i was basically told i wouldnt be unless i started self-harming, which i havnt really seen the point in up till now, only have appointments with the psychiatrist every 8 - 10 weeks, maybe 9 times in total, where all he says, (whichever one it happens to be) is 'how are you?' i mean how the **** are you meant to answer that?? how am i right now? how am i today? how am i this week? how have i been since i saw you last?? wait, i havnt seen you before, it was someone else the last time, and someone else the time before, and one of ye is putting me on some supplementary drug, and the other is taking me off it, without telling me. or maybe you dont know what im meant to be taking at all.

Im Invisible, that's terrible. Again, I recommend the book above, not as any kind of solution but because it gives the reader good insight into mental health problems and the mental health system. Would you think of going to a sufferer support group?