Discussion [Poll] Are you receiving therapy/ professional MH care?

[SecretDissociation]

With a CMHT (NHS mental health service in the uk), been trying different meds for a year now and on a 4-6 month waitlist for only SIX sessions of DBT. fml

Had to go private to get diagnosed with Autism but no support for that in this world . . .

 

[Fimbulvetr]

I had both therapy and medication but now I only have meds. Looking for a new therapist tho

 

[Tig]

At 59 years old I've come to the conclusion meds or therapy do not work.
Hell just getting assessed by different Dr's gets different results.
Been through all the meds over the years, usually it's just made things worse, requiring even more meds to keep others in check and eventually some kind of rehab.
Therapy seems to always garner someone else's opinion thats typically not correct.
Beyond that it is just a money pit.
Seems the best help or advice I've ever gotten has been on this site.

 

[ad4nn]

I'm doing therapy and medication.
I think medication can work; it just depends on the person, situation, and medications. There are so many unknowns about the brain and controls and through processes and chemicals and drug interactions that the best that can be done sometimes is an educated guess. And that doesn't always work. Personally, i've seen a little bit of improvement with the fourth medication i've tried. It also works best in conjunction with other medication.
As for therapy, it will always be flavored a bit by the person giving it. You just have to find a good fit, which granted, can be very difficult. I think sites like this help because you get so many voices mixing together that the flavoring (yes, i'm using that word again!) kinda washes out. Maybe having a panel of therapists could be beneficial for some people. I wonder if that's ever been attempted.

 

[WholeHereafter]

Therapy and medication. Used to help, but after the onset of chronic medical illness no antidepressant has been effective and I'm now considered treatment resistant. One psychiatrist suggested ECT but I'm too wary of its potential negative side effects.

 

[ad4nn]

Therapy and medication. Used to help, but after the onset of chronic medical illness no antidepressant has been effective and I'm now considered treatment resistant. One psychiatrist suggested ECT but I'm too wary of its potential negative side effects.

Have you looked into TMS or ketamine treatment?

 

[JoysoftheEmptiness]

Good question. I'll answer it when I know the answer myself.

 

[shootingsweetrolls]

Yes. None of it has been helpful, if I'm being honest. I'm severely depressed not because of a chemical imbalance, but rather because of circumstances: I have no real friends, no family, and a pending criminal charge that may land me in jail for several years.

When I've told my therapists and doctors this, they just continue to spew unhelpful platitudes. Life is hell.

 

[Quotable2793]

I've been in therapy and on meds for almost 18 years now. They don't really help.

 

[Jeebo5021]

I've been in therapy and on meds for almost 18 years now. They don't really help.

I've been on meds for years as well, it must be 15. In and out of therapy for 11. I was hoping that the doctors had something else to help.

 

[angelicat]

Used to go to therapy, after two sessions they just gave me meds. Gave up with therapy after some time but continued taking the meds for about 2 years. Been off the meds for a bit longer than a year now (mostly because it was hard to get them without the therapy part bc they have to be prescribed) and now im at a low point in my life spiraling down again

 

[Jeebo5021]

Used to go to therapy, after two sessions they just gave me meds. Gave up with therapy after some time but continued taking the meds for about 2 years. Been off the meds for a bit longer than a year now (mostly because it was hard to get them without the therapy part bc they have to be prescribed) and now im at a low point in my life spiraling down again

I'm surprised that they let you go off the meds. Usually once they put you on, they are very reluctant to let you come off. At least with the medical system over here in Australia.

 

[angelicat]

I'm surprised that they let you go off the meds. Usually once they put you on, they are very reluctant to let you come off. At least with the medical system over here in Australia.

I just stopped taking them. After stopping with therapy (because it didn't change anything) I continued taking them for 2 years with the help of close contacts prescribing them to me. I stopped because the "happy" feeling i had was fake and i wanted to be actually happy without the help of chemicals, but I've still got like 2 bottles of meds if i want to end it all. I want to get real and better help but im at a point of my life where that is very hard to get.

 

[peony]

used to do therapy but had no time for that since starting university and after that having a job. antidepressants didn't help, which, I know from recent metastudies, are just a placebos with terrible side effects anyway. adhd meds work for me, they help my head not be filled with negative thought spirals and focus more on my surroundings, but only for a few days of taking them, then the effect wears off, so I can't take them regularly + haven't had a prescirption in forever since I had to move.
(talk) therapy did help in understanding my issues and where they stem from and in not being a self destructive doormat as much but did not actually make me feel better, I'm not less overwhelmed or lonely, therapy can't solve shitty living conditions. edmr did not work on me. I think about starting stuff like cbt but it's rare here so nearly impossible to find a psych who takes new patients + I can't change my work shedule atm, which sticks to standard working hours (aka psych opening times)

 

[lex]

What y'all doing that you can afford therapy? Where I live a session is like 150€ while the average gross income is like 42k lol

 

[Goosechan]

I'm currently inbetween treatments you could say. Overall both my condition and circumstances worsened so the treatment I was getting wasn't appropriate or achievable anymore. I've been in and out of crisis wards and just applying to all the relevant programs I could for the better part of the year. All I catch are rejections and waiting lists of multiple years. I want to give treatment a go, I really do, but I feel forgotten and left out. The treatment I do have access to right now can't really help me in my position, they can only keep trying to refer me. So either I wait unassisted until some place takes me in or I get worse enough that I either die or a crisis ward takes me in again. I find it inhumane. I am able to identify the problems in my life and the possible fixes, but no one or place or thing that really could help wants to help me. Do I suffer forever? Death seems more dignifying by the day.

 

[wren-briar]

What y'all doing that you can afford therapy? Where I live a session is like 150€ while the average gross income is like 42k lol

All but my last five sessions (very long story), it was covered by insurance or the VA.

Again, long story, but those last 5 were 50% discounted; I seem to remember that it worked out to $50/session. So full price still would be less than 2/3rds of what you're being charged.

 

[Dot]

What y'all doing that you can afford therapy? Where I live a session is like 150€ while the average gross income is like 42k lol

If u cnnt affrd therpy thre r orgnisatns & grps onlne wh/ offr onlne spport grps & recvry optns

Online Support and Recovery Meeting Groups

Many people who cannot access or afford standard therapy might find some help in video meetings and classes with online support groups and organisations. This information is not designed to be a replacement for professional therapy but for many will also be much better than nothng. Some of...

sanctioned-suicide.net

Nt th/ sme as therpy bt cld hlp if u d/ nt hve accss 2 n.ethng els

Also lts of therpsts wrk on slidng pricng scles

 

[OnMyLast Legs]

Finally seeing the psychiatrist Tuesday. It's been like 6 weeks since I called. Saw therapist twice, regular doc checkup, blood draw. They hooked me up pretty well considering I'm a Medicaid leech (as I think most of their patients are).

Maybe there are pills that can make me want to go on. But my life has been a disaster for a long time. I think it's objective facts that have me down. Just not existing anymore sounds so much better.

 

[ropeburn]

paying someone to pretend to care and prescribe a neurotypical solution to your unique situation. lol

my parents forced me to go to therapy for about a year after they divorced and i would just sit there and do nothing, bro didnt give a fuck just farmed that money lmao

 

[Goosechan]

I just wanna rant for a bit. My regular therapist is out if town and the one filling in pissed me off majorly today. They know I'm suicidal. They know I've been on waiting lists for specialised care for over a year with no end in sight. They really cannot do much in the form of treatment for me where I am now, they can only keep helping to refer me to a more specialised place. Wherever that may be. So either I wait until some place takes me or I wait until I get bad enough to actively wanna CTB. They told me to call them if the suicidal thoughts became more active. So I did. I called. I explicitly said that all this waiting with no hope in sight in a miserable situation where I am getting worse is not helping. I am actively suicidal now and I've made concrete plans. Only to be met with the literal words "Is this a threat?" Like I am some tantrum throwing toddler trying to force my way by refusing to breathe, instead of someone who's been waiting for years at the end of their rope. I don't think I ever wanna share any of these feelings with people on the outside again.

 

[wren-briar]

@Goosechan - Is there a peer respite center near you?

 

[Goosechan]

@Goosechan - Is there a peer respite center near you?

No I wish. It's a great suggestion through. I believe a place of respite free of judgement that could give me shelter for a bit would be a succesful intervention right now. Sadly all they can do is book me in the psychiatric hospital for a short stay that doesn't solve anything and then kick me out without a real achieveable plan to get better. Been repeating those steps for a few times this year already. But really thank you a lot for thinking with me and thank you for always reacting to my posts. It makes me feel heard and welcome.

 

[Doemu]

Therapist was more interested about the pharmacy from I was buying meds, than in my treatment. Still my psychiatrist profile is trash. That make me trash.

 

[OnMyLast Legs]

Finally seeing the psychiatrist Tuesday. It's been like 6 weeks since I called. Saw therapist twice, regular doc checkup, blood draw. They hooked me up pretty well considering I'm a Medicaid leech (as I think most of their patients are).

Maybe there are pills that can make me want to go on. But my life has been a disaster for a long time. I think it's objective facts that have me down. Just not existing anymore sounds so much better.

All right, lamotrigine and trazodone. Let's see what they do.

 

[wren-briar]

All right, lamotrigine and trazodone. Let's see what they do.

Know what probable side effects are and track any related symptoms.

(fwiw, lamotrigine f'd me up, but it took being on it about a month after having titrated up, for those symptoms to be clear; unfortunately, the biggest side effect was cognitive impairment, which prevented me from realizing that the drastic symptom changes were caused by the lamotrigine. The supposed MH "providers" gaslighted me about what I was experiencing, they never considered the possibility that it was their medications that were causing the drastic escalation in problems that I was dealing with, and it was only after their gas lighting, more "treatments" that only made everything worse, to include subjecting me to exclusively suicide-inducing mother-f'ing psychiatric crisis f'ing interventions when I had explicitly sought exclusively unbiased medical help for the problems that it turned out that their MH "treatments" had caused in the first place, that a friend suggested stopping my psych meds. It was only after coming off the lamotrigine that the cognitive issues started receeding, migraines and mood started to return to normal, etc.)

 

[MasterOfDisguise]

Idk ehy im scared of talking
to them

 

[simplyshmee]

Tried therapy multiple times, it helped, in a sense. It made me more self-aware and understand that I needed to take some accountability for my past if I was ever going to truly "heal"
But something has always held me back from that healing. I couldn't tell you what it is.

Never been able to afford meds. Or really been fully diagnosed to need them. Nor do I care to attempt to leech from the government for financial aid

 

[WorthlessTrash]

None. My reason for being here is life circumstances that cannot physically amd biologically be changed. I accept my situation and that i lose in life. I will CTB as a result.

 

[Skathon]

No, there is no point in my case. My issues aren't psychological.