Lets all be anxious/depressed together.

BanzaiBk

Pretty crap all round today. What'll happen next week? Next year? Ten years? I don't know if I'll ever change. I want to change and try to change. Doesn't seem like enough.

LegacyUser

Hey..so everyone seemed to have a bad day yesterday..just blame it on the weather. Today is a new day possibly filled with good things.

To Phi3..nobody knows what tomorrow will bring..but try to focus on the good in your life. I've tried visualisation..start to think about yourself with someone..how you would feel etc, think about it every day until one day it just is. Try this for whatever you want to have. Even when you think you're losing everyone around you, imagine yourself amongst your friends laughing & keep focusing on those kind of things. I know it seems mad but since i've tried it so many good things have happened to me.

Don't get me wrong, i'm dealing with social phobia & anxiety but i'm trying to stay positive everyday because otherwise i'll start to wonder what the point is in even being here. I have hope that i'm going to get better & get back to a better quality of life, we all need that.

Hope today is a better day for everyone

Plumeria

BanzaiBk wrote: »

Pretty crap all round today. What'll happen next week? Next year? Ten years? I don't know if I'll ever change. I want to change and try to change. Doesn't seem like enough.

My psych keeps telling me that change has to happen in steps. She has told me more than once that I need to "take baby steps" towards change. That kind of bugs me, tbh.

I'm an adult woman, and to have someone talk to me about taking 'baby-steps' in life just touches a nerve. It reminds me of that feeling that I'm childish and inadequate compared to other people my age. I wish she'd use a different expression.

I do get what she means, though. Change has to happen in stages, it really does. And when you think of it that way, it feels less scary/overwhelming/impossible. Change one thing and then build on it; that's the idea. It still sounds hard, but doable...
Hope you are feeling better.

Hootanany

Is there any out of hours Doctor that will call out to see someone with severe depression in the Dublin region many thanks in advance

Princess Peach

I've been doing pretty well lately Haven't cried in ages and only have had a couple of bad days in the last couple of months. Started back on my meds but only on half the dose I was at my highest and doing fine on that. Really getting on great with my new counsellor, the best one I've seen yet. She's even given me a month off now to do some homework and see how I get on without her cause she said I've been doing so great.

Still finding it hard to get out of bed most days, but my cousellor said its more environmental than it is me, and once I get a purpose to my life I should be fine, which I am working on! And she said I can probably try and come off my medication again this summer. Didn't work out for me the last time but she said not to worry about that too much.

oEmmao

hi guys,

so if i think im suffering from depression, where do i go?

i dont want pills as quick fix but will take them if i have to for awhile, doctors arent very helpful, am afraid to go to any of them, gps ive gone to in past not very helpful,

have loads of questions, but when i get to doctor i forget my questions and just cry,

dont have much money either, like the rest of the country, so not wanting to go to doc, but hubby realises im fairly bad and need to go as need help

thanks for replies in advance

starviewadams

oEmmao wrote: »

hi guys,

so if i think im suffering from depression, where do i go?

i dont want pills as quick fix but will take them if i have to for awhile, doctors arent very helpful, am afraid to go to any of them, gps ive gone to in past not very helpful,

have loads of questions, but when i get to doctor i forget my questions and just cry,

dont have much money either, like the rest of the country, so not wanting to go to doc, but hubby realises im fairly bad and need to go as need help

thanks for replies in advance

Hi,

Sorry to hear that you are feeling so bad.

What did your G.P. say when you explained to him/her how you are feeling?

If you could get your G.P. to refer you to your local HSE psychiatrist/mental health clinic that would be a good start.Their services are free.

When you see a psychiatrist they will be better able to understand what you are going through and if medication is an option.

RubyXI

Is depression a psychological / emotional condition?

im invisible

phi3 wrote: »

Is depression a psychological / emotional condition?

i wouldnt put it down on the census, but thats just me, probably should to be honest, why else is the question there?

wouldnt mind hearing other opinions on this

Benny_Cake

Sorry to hear you're not feeling well, just know that you are not alone, even if it feels like you are. I can honestly say that most doctor's have a good awareness around depression and mental health issues in general, and this is something that has really improved in the last few years. There is no substitute for sitting down with a GP an discussing the options. With regards to medication etc please don't feel like there is any stigma attached to this, they can really be a big help.Before you go to the doctor, sit down and write down how you feel, along with any questions you have. Take your husband with you when you do go to the doctor, and have him go in for the consultation with you if you like. I know how you feel regarding the expense aspect, believe you me, but please get help if you can, life is short and feeling well is worth a lot. Good luck!

oEmmao wrote: »

hi guys,

so if i think im suffering from depression, where do i go?

i dont want pills as quick fix but will take them if i have to for awhile, doctors arent very helpful, am afraid to go to any of them, gps ive gone to in past not very helpful,

have loads of questions, but when i get to doctor i forget my questions and just cry,

dont have much money either, like the rest of the country, so not wanting to go to doc, but hubby realises im fairly bad and need to go as need help

thanks for replies in advance

LegacyUser

zzzzzzzzzz wrote: »

Hi everyone
I have some questions. I hope somebody has the time/insight to answer.

Do people here have varying levels of anxiety?
What physical symptoms do you have?

I think i might have anxiety or something similar. I'm wondering:
Does anyone suffer from ONLY the physical symptoms of anxiety, and not the psychological symptoms?

I have ongoing problems with low energy and weakness.
I get stiff muscles all over, especially in situations like on a bus or in a waiting room.
I have restless leg constantly.
Stress or shocks make me physically ill.
I feel like crying sometimes for no reason.
I get palpitations and panicky feelings.
Sometimes at night I'm "wired but tired".

However, I'm never irrational. Even when I'm having all of those symptoms, my thoughts are usually clear and calm.

Sometimes I wonder if I might have a problem with sugar levels or chronic fatigue or whatever, but other times I think maybe medication for anxiety would sort out these very physical problems.

Sounds like anxiety?
Anyone- Please respond!

I was informed by a health professional that people with anxiety disorders like myself get the fight or flight reflex. This means that your body makes adrenaline ready for immediate use. If this is not used then I think it causes your muscles to cramp or get stiff. The palpitations and shortness of breath are similar. I think if you address the mental issues then the physical ones may get better

BanzaiBk

Hope everyone is feeling alright for the week ahead. Finding that I'm a lot more sensitive to certain things since I changed my meds. Lots of crying at random negative news and stuff. Embarrassing at this stage

starviewadams

Had a good weekend overall,went for a meal with mates and went to the beach and stuff but just feel overwhelmingly shíte again today,it's like I lied to myself yesterday and pretended that I was happy,but the minute I got home I felt like crap again,if that makes any sense.

On the plus side I managed to sleep last night without sleeping pills,slight positive!

Benny_Cake

lesser day wrote: »

I was informed by a health professional that people with anxiety disorders like myself get the fight or flight reflex. This means that your body makes adrenaline ready for immediate use. If this is not used then I think it causes your muscles to cramp or get stiff. The palpitations and shortness of breath are similar. I think if you address the mental issues then the physical ones may get better

That certainly rings true with me...there seem to be one or two things that trigger an immediate panicky response. For example there is one area of my job that always seems to cause me issues, to the point where if I see an email relating to it in my inbox the fight or flight instinct kicks in (flight usually wins). Happened to me this afternoon in fact and I'm only beginning to breath properly again now - its a horrible feeling. I've decided to go to my Employee Assistance Officer over it, the thing is that I wonder if I got a transfer out of the area I'm in, would I just fixate on something completely different?

condra

Just a note about adrenalin, fight or flight, panic, etc...

It might be simplistic to blame physical manifestations on adrenalin itself.

Bare in mind, adrenalin is actually injected into people who are suffering from anaphylactic shock (sometimes confused with panic attacks, unfortunately)

Lets also remember the number of chemicals and organs involved in stress response: adrenalin, insulin, cortisone, histamine, the brain, the heart, the lungs, the adrenal glands, etc..

Rather than simply having "too much adrenalin", one could have a problem with "not enough adrenalin" being produced, or indeed suffer from the effects of too much histamine, poor energy conversion, skewed immune response, etc etc.

This could imply problems such as Diabetes, Lyme Disease, Lupus, etc, and need to be taken very seriously.

If someone gets acutely physically ill as a result of stress, and has no apparent psychological problems, I believe they should get checked out ASAP as it could be a sign of a serious disease.

cojack101

8 years to build up the courage - finally told my GP - and he didnt laugh! 8 years waisted!

1st counselling session on Thurs.

Benny_Cake

cojack101 wrote: »

8 years to build up the courage - finally told my GP - and he didnt laugh! 8 years waisted!

1st counselling session on Thurs.

Congratulations cojack! Best of luck with the counselling.

MUSEIST

cojack101 wrote: »

8 years to build up the courage - finally told my GP - and he didnt laugh! 8 years waisted!

1st counselling session on Thurs.

It was 10+ years before I grew the balls to talk to my gp about this stuff. Well done, its difficult but its no big deal to the doctor, they deal with this all the time.

condra

cojack101 wrote: »

8 years to build up the courage - finally told my GP - and he didnt laugh! 8 years waisted!

1st counselling session on Thurs.

Congrats. Onwards and upwards!

RubyXI

cojack101 wrote: »

8 years to build up the courage - finally told my GP - and he didnt laugh! 8 years waisted!

1st counselling session on Thurs.

Brilliant news.
I've been thinking about the whole going begging for anti depressants thing. When I heard Mary McEvoy (Biddy) on the Late Late show. Don't know if ye saw it. Sounds like they solved the problems I have. Won't do it though.

Benny_Cake

phi3 wrote: »

Brilliant news.
I've been thinking about the whole going begging for anti depressants thing. When I heard Mary McEvoy (Biddy) on the Late Late show. Don't know if ye saw it. Sounds like they solved the problems I have. Won't do it though.

It's well worth watching (not often I'd say that about the Late Late!) - you can see it here, the interview starts 45 minutes in: http://www.rte.ie/tv/latelate/

MUSEIST

Wow, I feel low now, genuinely nothing to live for. Completely neutral about life, if a truck happened to knock me down now, nah wouldn't bother me:(

starviewadams

MUSEIST wrote: »

Wow, I feel low now, genuinely nothing to live for. Completely neutral about life, if a truck happened to knock me down now, nah wouldn't bother me:(

Have felt pretty much the same for the last year or so despite all the different meds and counselling I've had.It's shít,I just try to take each day as it comes and focus on the little positives in life,even things like a nice day or a tv show I enjoy etc..sounds crap and a bit sad but it actually helps a bit.

BanzaiBk

Hope you're feeling a bit better MUSEIST.

Very numb week for me so far. I feel very vacant and detached since the weekend. Neither happy nor sad. Just existing, vaguely.

LegacyUser

hey all,

Psychiatrist put me on 120mg of Cymbalta for depression. I was on 60mg, and 90mg before that, didn't do anything for me. Been on various other anti-depressants-none worked.

Does anybody have any experience of Cymbalta?

Benny_Cake

starviewadams wrote: »

Have felt pretty much the same for the last year or so despite all the different meds and counselling I've had.It's shít,I just try to take each day as it comes and focus on the little positives in life,even things like a nice day or a tv show I enjoy etc..sounds crap and a bit sad but it actually helps a bit.

Nothing sad about that at all, sounds quite laudable to me and truth be told I'd imagine thats how a lot of people get through life. It isn't easy but it does help.

I went to see the employee assistance officer yesterday, he is going to give me some contacts in relation to a course of CBT but it doesn't look like there is much of a chance of getting moved to another section. Had another anxiety attached there just before leaving work today, funny how an email on a particular subject can cause such a reaction in me. I had to leave early today so I sent it on to my boss and hopefully everything will work out. Off to Cork in the morning for a long weekend so I'm going to try and forget about everything for now.

ene

hi i have read this whole thread and feel its so like me

i have just starting with the whole diagnosis stage i have felt depressed for years now and have always suffered from anxiety...

i was at the stress clinic in st john of gods the other day who refered me to another service called detect.... any one heard of it?

the doc at the stress clinic has prescribed me a cocktail....
lustral 100mg
dalmane 30mg
xanax 10mg

anyone been on these before?

Plumeria

cymbaltagal wrote: »

Does anybody have any experience of Cymbalta?

Hi, I was on 60mg of Cymbalta for about 3 months or just over. It didn't work for me really. On the bright side I didn't have any awful side-effects, just some trouble sleeping, sweaty hands, and very vivid weird dreams (not necessarily a bad thing). Hope it works for you.

ene wrote: »

the doc at the stress clinic has prescribed me a cocktail....
lustral 100mg
dalmane 30mg
xanax 10mg

anyone been on these before?

Have been on Lustral and Xanax. Lustral had no effect on me personally (but I was on a lower dose). Xanax, on the other hand, is generally very effective. I'm sure the doctor mentioned this to you, and I don't mean to lecture, but do be careful and disciplined with Xanax. If you take it regularly, your body builds up tolerance to it pretty quickly, and before you know it, you need a higher dose to feel any effect.

I have a friend who once confessed that he took 14 Xanax in one day, just to feel OK. I never got to that point, but I did reach a stage where I was taking more than I was supposed to take.
My doctor isn't prescribing it to me anymore, because she thinks I'd rely on it too much, and I'm kind of grateful that I can't have it, tbh.

I'm sorry if all that sounds like scaremongering. Xanax is an excellent medication when used with caution and supervision. Best of luck.

Plumeria

Anyone else here had/have a kinda dysfunctional relationship with Xanax?..

It's the one drug that I really liked, and I ended up getting too dependent and ruining everything. Bit like all my relationships :pac:

ene

ye i was told to only take xanax when i really felt i needed it as i am aware of the addiction problems....

at the moment i feel like sideeffects are taking hold of me like i am nauseous all the time and i feel constantly tired

its realy putting me down... i have spoken to my tutor in college about getting exams deferred but it seems complicated... i just feel so bad at the moment i dont know what to do