Anxiety and/or depression discussion.

sam34

spongebob, this is not the thread, forum or website for you to advise anyone against taking mefication which has been prescribed for then. You are not qualified to do so and thus it is highly irresponsible. Post deleted.

heyday30

Hi folks. Turns out that I have a crappy chest infection ( suspected pneumonia)
On masses of anti biotics again and steroids. Least there's a reason for feeling so tired and unwell the last while.

I'm also going to see a dietician. Maybe if someone writes down what n how I should be eating I can get some sort of grip on my weight. We'll see I suppose

alaskayoung

I've just been prescribed Quetiapine, has anyone here had any experience with it?

Gremlinertia

alaskayoung wrote: »

I've just been prescribed Quetiapine, has anyone here had any experience with it?

Yeah i've been prescribed and am still on it.. For me it was given to help anxiety and quieten thoughts, it's proven helpful, for me personally of course, your experience may vary.. I did find while we were trying to find the right dose for me that it could make me dozy and slightly on edge when stepping down but all in all it's been good for me..

norwegianwood

I've hit rock bottom, I really have, I'm so unhappy all the time, nothing helps, life just looks grey and empty and my future looks so bleak. I'm either worrying about what's going to happen in the future or just staring into space because I have a hard time even occupying myself. Nothing makes me happy, I found out today that I passed my final year exams, did well even, but I don't care, I just don't. I don't know what the point of my existence even is, all I'm doing is taking up space.

Hugo Stiglitz

norwegianwood wrote: »

I've hit rock bottom, I really have, I'm so unhappy all the time, nothing helps, life just looks grey and empty and my future looks so bleak. I'm either worrying about what's going to happen in the future or just staring into space because I have a hard time even occupying myself. Nothing makes me happy, I found out today that I passed my final year exams, did well even, but I don't care, I just don't. I don't know what the point of my existence even is, all I'm doing is taking up space.

Congratulations on passing your exams. That could very well be the key that unlocks the future for you.

I hope this all passes for you soon there.

norwegianwood

Hugo Stiglitz wrote: »

Congratulations on passing your exams. That could very well be the key that unlocks the future for you.

I hope this all passes for you soon there.

Thanks a million, hope things are going well for you.

Hugo Stiglitz

norwegianwood wrote: »

Thanks a million, hope things are going well for you.

Thanks NW

scrimshanker

Well done on your exams NW, that's a great achievement for any person but to do well in final year exams when you're unwell shows incredible determination. I hope it's the start of a fulfilling time for you.

Does anyone know if it's possible to be referred for counselling through the public system if you don't have a medical card?

Roquentin

mg1982

Good message roquentin and good advice for anyone to take. Well done NW on passing those exams, thats a massive achievement in any mans book. Go easy on yourself mate.

kronsington

Wishing everyone here a good weekend and not to be too hard on ourselves. I've been very up and down recently but quite good the last few days. I mainly attribute that to looking after myself with my diet exercise and setting some short term goals. Big interview next week which I am focusing on and trying to get into the mindset of focusing on all things positive. For me, in all the research I've done on anxiety, every site basically tells the same story about symptoms causes and treatments. Putting a plan in action and patiently addressing anxiety is he hardest part. Like I know what has TK be done and I'm slowly recovering and learning how to deal with GAD but following through on a daily basis ad seeing the bigger picture is the hardest part. CBT is the next step for me. Talking to non professionals only goes so far and I've diagnosed myself so much and talked through issues with some friends and family, now I need to try get to the source and move forward. Mindfulness on a daily basis is a help too. And I can't remember if I mentioned this before, but the aware website is excellent for resources and guidance. I've been watching some of their online Lectures which I've found helpful. Highly recommended. Best of luck everyone

carzony

Well a good week for me I guess. Hardly any feelings of panic and managed to get to college all week for the first time in months. The lexapro must be working but i don't feel like i'm on drugs which is the best thing..

Hopefully this is the start of an easier life. The one thing the pills have made me realise is how difficult things were.

My GP has referred me to a councellor, not sure i'll go considering the drugs seems to have done the trick for me.. any thoughts?

greenfrogs

Carzony if your doctor has referred you then I think you should go to the counselling. For me I am on medication but I also attend counselling. I find the counselling really good.

In the early days of counselling I didn't want to get out of bed or socialise with anybody. All I wanted to do was stay at home. Now I get out of bed, keep myself busy during the day and have recently taken up a new hobby and returned to a hobby I used to do before. It has taken a lot of hard work and time to get to this place and I still have a long way to go. Medication helped get me in the right frame of mind and now the counselling is helping me how to manage my life on a day-to-day basis.

carzony

greenfrogs wrote: »

Carzony if your doctor has referred you then I think you should go to the counselling. For me I am on medication but I also attend counselling. I find the counselling really good.

In the early days of counselling I didn't want to get out of bed or socialise with anybody. All I wanted to do was stay at home..

Well when not in college I actually do nothing and sleep in late. I'v always thought that was just lazyness but i'm thinking it might be depression or something to do with the anxiety..

I really feel most things not college related are hard work and try my best to get my friday, saturday, sundays and do nothing for them...

in relation to the counselling, i'm not keen on the idea if i'm honest. I'm still not sure if i'll make an appointment yet....

greenfrogs

Yah I can really relate to that. I used think I was extremely lazy as well. Now I have more energy and the motivation to get out of bed.

Maybe try the counselling just once to see how you get on. There are times when I don't like going myself but go as I know it will benefit me. I get CBT at the moment and I find it much better than regular therapy.

Drumpot

carzony wrote: »

Well when not in college I actually do nothing and sleep in late. I'v always thought that was just lazyness but i'm thinking it might be depression or something to do with the anxiety..

I really feel most things not college related are hard work and try my best to get my friday, saturday, sundays and do nothing for them...

in relation to the counselling, i'm not keen on the idea if i'm honest. I'm still not sure if i'll make an appointment yet....

As greenfrogs said, I used to think I was lazy aswell and got no enjoyment out of passing exams and getting victories in life.

It took me a long time to realise that it didn't matter what was going on in my life, it was what was going on inside of me that mattered.

Sometimes good things made me feel less bad (not necessarily better) but I always had anxiety or low mood in the background on some level.

People make the same mistakes I made for years. "If only

- my job was better
- my relationship improved
- I had a partner
- I lived independently from my parents
- I had more money
- insert some other thing that you think will cheer you up

These are distractions and not solutions in my experience. I see plenty of people (because I regularly attend support groups) make these mistakes. Working on changing your mental health isn't easy, if it was people wouldn't have trouble changing their mindset.

And the kicker can be that the more intelligent a person is, the harder it can be for them to change. I know one person who makes great progress and finds some balance when they do what suggestions they are given from a professional CBT session. When they go back to their old habits, doing things their own way, they regress and start getting unhappy. They blame the therapy when in truth the problem is that they are sabotaging any chance of progress by picking and choosing what suits them. A great saying I heard is that "you can't heal a sick mind with a sick mind". Put simply, if I am feeling so unwell and depressed how in the name of God should I trust my own depressed thinking to get me well? That's why it's important to have independent support to help me see things in myself that I can't objectively see.

People can fight change by thinking that they are different. For example "These people don't understand how important my exams (relationship, financial security etc) are to me. They don't understand if I get my exams I have a much better chance of getting the job I want. I know I will be happier if I get my exams" . The thing is that perhaps you will feel better for getting your exams but there are far more stressful events in life that you will have to deal with. If you get depressed doing exams , there's a good chance you will have the same reaction to more stressful life events.

CBT has given me a programme for living a differant way. But it involved me challenging my thinking and looking at certain embarrassing habits. I percevered with the programme and training even when I had my doubts that it would work. It's easy to blame therapy and say "I don't feel it's working for me" when I am feeling down , but I had to get over setting specific expectations on how I would value it's benefits. It's not like a pill you take and feel immediate obvious benefits. It's a programme for life and takes time to work. It's not always an enjoyable or comfortable experience, that's why it was important for me to place my trust in the therapy and not default to taking action (stopping the therapy) based how I felt about it.

When I (and many others) am feeling really low , how I feel is not necessarily a reflection of what is going on in my life. Think about the phrase "sure what have you got to be upset about?". On paper, from a material point of view they may look like they have the perfect life, but its what's on the inside that can determine our happiness.

Many of us learn life tools from our parents and likewise many of us learn some of the bad habits that our parents Learned from their parents. For me, Getting life training was the tool I needed to learn to find a balance in my life and learn to at peace with myself (fit in my own skin). I wouldn't of learned this on my own.

scrimshanker

It's funny you're talking about laziness. I'm constantly pee'd off at myself about not getting up on time, not going out, spending entire weekends in bed... Even today I'm annoyed I agreed to go out and meet someone cos I'd much rather be at home. And now I'm trying to force myself into getting ready and going out... Ugh. I'm a bit disappointed in medication, while I'm sleeping better and a bit less panicky, I really don't feel better I'm so disappointed and annoyed and sad the whole time. And I'm feeling really really let down by the college counseling service. Why does it take days to get back to someone with a time for an initial appointment?

greenfrogs

That's a lovely and interesting post Drumpot. I feel CBT has given me my future back. I am lucky that I am able to get it through the HSE. I looked into doing it about a year ago privately but there are few qualified in it and they were really expensive.

scrimshanker

greenfrogs wrote: »

That's a lovely and interesting post Drumpot. I feel CBT has given me my future back. I am lucky that I am able to get it through the HSE. I looked into doing it about a year ago privately but there are few qualified in it and they were really expensive.

How did you get it through the HSE, if you don't mind me asking? It seems to be the best option out there but there's not a snowball's chance in hell I can afford it privately but I've no medical card so not entirely sure where I stand with it...

gary gary

Im right at rock bottom.I cant fall any further.The last 3 years saw my life turn upside down.
Im not sure if i even have depression or am i just a naturally sad person.Maybe theres just nothing in the world that will make me happy due to my own personality?

I cant even go to a doctor.I planned to go everyday last week, but the thought of doing anything like that just seems like a fantasy in my head and i have no motivation to actually go.Id just put it off every day and say "ill go tomorrow".And the thought of going half scares me, what am i supposed to say? I wouldnt even know how to start.

I feel properly snookered here

greenfrogs

I didn't have a medical card at the time I was referred to CBT either. My GP referred me to the mental health services for my area. Then after meeting a psychiatrist there I was referred to CBT. I think it is a psychiatric nurse who specialises in CBT. I find her really good. I don't know if you can get psychiatrists or psychotherapist who provide CBT in the HSE.

carzony

Great post Drumpot, I have to say I identify with a lot of what you said.

In regards to the lazyness, I always feel getting up, getting dressed, brushing teeth and doing my hair is a massive choir and just something I could do without first thing waking up. I see a few of you also seem to have this problem to an extent. I must mention that to the doctor when I see her on Friday.


One thing I wanted to know though, Has anyone had any trouble accessing medication like Lexapro? My Doctor handed the medication over fairly easily and was wondering if that's a regular thing?

scrimshanker

carzony wrote: »

One thing I wanted to know though, Has anyone had any trouble accessing medication like Lexapro? My Doctor handed the medication over fairly easily and was wondering if that's a regular thing?

Dr was very happy to give script for lexapro, but the doctor I saw previously (in college) I practically had to sell my soul to get xanax from her...

scrimshanker

gary gary wrote: »

Im right at rock bottom.I cant fall any further.The last 3 years saw my life turn upside down.
Im not sure if i even have depression or am i just a naturally sad person.Maybe theres just nothing in the world that will make me happy due to my own personality?

I cant even go to a doctor.I planned to go everyday last week, but the thought of doing anything like that just seems like a fantasy in my head and i have no motivation to actually go.Id just put it off every day and say "ill go tomorrow".And the thought of going half scares me, what am i supposed to say? I wouldnt even know how to start.

I feel properly snookered here

Sorry to hear you're feeling that way It's a familiar place to be. Can you force yourself into going at all, like by making an appointment? The advice I was given on here is good advice - have it written down so if you can't speak you can just hand it to the doctor. Even if you just wrote down what you put in your post it would be good enough.

gary gary

scrimshanker wrote: »

Sorry to hear you're feeling that way It's a familiar place to be. Can you force yourself into going at all, like by making an appointment? The advice I was given on here is good advice - have it written down so if you can't speak you can just hand it to the doctor. Even if you just wrote down what you put in your post it would be good enough.

Thanks for the reply.That is good advice.A thing that scares me though is him sending me for counselling.I dont feel comfortable even admitting i feel like this to my friends and family, im up in a heap about going to the doctor, so i couldnt picture myself just letting loose to someone like a counselor or something!

If thats part of the help, i honestly think i dont want help...Is this normal?

scrimshanker

gary gary wrote: »

Thanks for the reply.That is good advice.A thing that scares me though is him sending me for counselling.I dont feel comfortable even admitting i feel like this to my friends and family, im up in a heap about going to the doctor, so i couldnt picture myself just letting loose to someone like a counselor or something!

If thats part of the help, i honestly think i dont want help...Is this normal?

I'm the exact same. That's why I've gone down the meds route because I honestly didn't think I could engage straight away with any counselling. They've kicked in a bit, to the point where I think I could, so I'm going to try to now.

You could always write that down to let the doctor know that you're very worried about the prospect of counselling and feel you'd find it too difficult to engage with.

ETA: I think doctors are very understanding of this btw, they get that sometimes you just have to take baby steps towards getting better and you can't just jump straight into the deep end and expect success. That's just my own opinion, but the words that were used when I said I'm not a talker and would find it very difficult to engage were pretty much along the lines of "That's okay, it will probably help but take baby steps and you'll get there"

gary gary

scrimshanker wrote: »

I'm the exact same. That's why I've gone down the meds route because I honestly didn't think I could engage straight away with any counselling. They've kicked in a bit, to the point where I think I could, so I'm going to try to now.

You could always write that down to let the doctor know that you're very worried about the prospect of counselling and feel you'd find it too difficult to engage with.

ETA: I think doctors are very understanding of this btw, they get that sometimes you just have to take baby steps towards getting better and you can't just jump straight into the deep end and expect success. That's just my own opinion, but the words that were used when I said I'm not a talker and would find it very difficult to engage were pretty much along the lines of "That's okay, it will probably help but take baby steps and you'll get there"

Thanks for this man.As you probably gathered from my posts, i made a mountain from a molehill about going to the doctors, it just seems like a big maze in my head.Its good for someone whos already been to break it down a little bit for me.I suppose i could get a friend to book an appoitment for me and that should force me to go.

gary gary

scrimshanker wrote: »

I'm the exact same. That's why I've gone down the meds route because I honestly didn't think I could engage straight away with any counselling. They've kicked in a bit, to the point where I think I could, so I'm going to try to now.

You could always write that down to let the doctor know that you're very worried about the prospect of counselling and feel you'd find it too difficult to engage with.

ETA: I think doctors are very understanding of this btw, they get that sometimes you just have to take baby steps towards getting better and you can't just jump straight into the deep end and expect success. That's just my own opinion, but the words that were used when I said I'm not a talker and would find it very difficult to engage were pretty much along the lines of "That's okay, it will probably help but take baby steps and you'll get there"

Thanks for this man.As you probably gathered from my posts, i made a mountain from a molehill about going to the doctors, it just seems like a big maze in my head.Its good for someone whos already been to break it down a little bit for me.I suppose i could get a friend to make an appoitment for me and that should force me to go.

scrimshanker

gary gary wrote: »

Thanks for this man.As you probably gathered from my posts, i made a mountain from a molehill about going to the doctors, it just seems like a big maze in my head.Its good for someone whos already been to break it down a little bit for me.I suppose i could get a friend to make an appoitment for me and that should force me to go.

That's a great idea about a friend making the appointment if you don't think you'll make it yourself. And I made as much (if not an awful lot more) of a mountain out of going to the doctors What I will say is that it was an real relief to go to the doctor and to feel like I'm actually doing something to get better and that I now have the support of a GP in this.