Mental health issue help please ….

Hi guys I’ll be using an alias for today as I’m still finding this a little difficult.
I was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder last year and prescribed citalopram this went some way towards helping for a while.
After about three months all the good effects seemed to have vanished and I was just left with pounding headaches so I changed meds to Zoloft which helped again for the same period of time before seemingly doing nothing again.
I was then prescribed Prozac which I’ve been taking for 3 months, once again started off well and effects are dispersing again now.
I originally started on the meds as I had been feeling very lethargic irritable and sensitive for a while – now I’ve actually used the meds I’m starting to feel depressed on top of everything else.

My doc doesn’t seem to want to discuss it and just keeps changing my meds, I’ve arranged to see a therapist to attempt to get a proper diagnosis and whether meds or other help would be better for me.
For the record I do not self harm or ever think of ending it just generally feel angry and tired,with 0 motivation to do anything including ride.

I have always joined the man up camp when I’ve heard people talking this way but now it’s happening to me I’m feeling a bit lost –

Are there any professionals on here or people who have dealt with similiar situations before that can offer any advice?

I have no reason to feel this way – good job nice house great wife and kids nice bike the list goes on

Anyway any help would be great thanks

No professional or experience of your situation, but you are correct that meds are only a short term solution intended to give you breathing space to get on with “real” solutions like therapy.

Plenty self help books around but 1-1 is the best IMO.

good luck.

Thanks cynical

You have probably been told that CBT can be of immense help, and from what I have heard this is indeed the case.

Regardless of what advice you get, please remember that there should be no shame in suffering from mental illness, and that there is a way through.

You may have to push and ask in a number of places, but all will be well.

Good luck.

I believe NHS now offers counselling sessions in some cases – http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Counselling/Pages/Policyguidelines.aspx

Ask your GP. If not you’ll need to go private.

I’ve arranged to see a therapist

This is A Very Good Thing – it’s what I did.
My only addition would be to say find one you connect with, speak to a few – to explain…
I refused the GP’s offer of meds, I did go to their recommended (ie NHS paid the bill) therapist bit, for all she was lovely, i did not feel I was addressing anything. I stopped going….
Fast-forward 12+ months and I realise I still need to work stuff through – found a local guy, rang him, had a chat and I went to see him. Dunno if it was his way of working that worked for me, or that he was so skilled he knew what approach was required either way, it worked…
Hope you find something / someone that works for you.
Chris

Sounds to me like talking therapies of some sort might help – maybe CBT? sometimes there is no obvious reason for it – and GPs really do not have the time or motivation to get into these issues in depth. Ask for a referral to a community psychiatric nurse? they tend to be pretty goo at helping you find your way thru the maze of treatments and options

I can sympathise, I was on citalopram a while back (for my crazy OCD tendancies!) but thankfully its kind of worked.

If I was to give anyone in my position similar advice it would be tell your mates about your issues, rather than keeping it to yourself. Made me feel alot better about things and my mates were all totally understanding.

Therapy I’ve heard is really good (Cognative Behavioural therapy) but also don’t hestitate to ask to see another doc if you feel you are not getting taken seriosuly.

Good luck..

Your docs just prescribed you meds instead of first trying therapy?

**** hell, it seems like some of them think they are sweets.

See a therapist or shrink, actually figuring out what your problems are is a much better way of doing things. Drugs can often just be short term fixes.

Thanks guys, Saxon I’ve heard of cbt and will be trying to arrange some sessions when I see the therapist.
Thanks for your kind words

Dunno if it was his way of working that worked for me, or that he was so skilled he knew what approach was required either way, it worked…

the relationship between the therapist and yo is absolutely crucial. Don#’t be afraid to try a few- and we can’t all get on with everyone. different approaches work for different symptoms and different people

Your general not-feeling-wellness shouldn’t be directed at your GP. He/she is doing the right thing; although SSRIs should work in the same way, the best advice is to try one and if it doesn’t work, or the effects are not sustained, then you should be switched to another, so try not to get annoyed at someone who is doing what they should be.

The medication is only part of the process of recovery; use the ‘breathing space’ that you get to take sensible steps to change your attitude and approach; change the way you think about the things that affect you, or at least attempt to.

The number one most important thing is to begin to understand that you can play a very large part in helping yourself to get better; blaming the GP because you don’t seem to be improving is not helpful.

Loads of folk have been through this sort of thing, me included. It doesn’t last forever, and you are not alone in feeling this way.

Nice post Crikey. Huge +1 ❗

Wow guys fantastic response, really appreciated and Chris and tp glad it’s worked out for you

thats all totally normal stuff thats been misdiagnosed you need to channel your energy more effeciently i know its all hippy mumbo jumbo but meditation will cure you totally start reseaching and practising and before you know you will be in control again just be patient

Crikey, I’m not upset with my gp he as you say is doing his job.
I don’t like changing from pill to pill without first understanding a bit about what is the matter with me.
As I said in my first post I have booked in with a therapist who hopefully has a deeper understanding of these issues.

I have just started on Cilatopram, and like you I am booked in to see my local NHS Wellness adviser who will hopefully suggest CBT. I can’t go on like I am.

Good Luck with it all. There is lots of help if you need it.

Unfortunately I don’t really have any friends i can turn to, so hoping this CBT will allow me to get out more and make new friends.

Life is tough at the moment.

Mental health nurse here. I work with children and adolescents now but used to work with many anxious or phobic grownups a few years back.

A couple of questions:

-who diagnosed you? I am guessing gp as opposed to psychiatrist. It would be worth asking if you could be referred to a psychiatrist or if your gp practice has an in-house mental health worker.

-do you drink or use drugs? If so you need to consider the effect those have on anxiety disorders. Also consider how much caffeine you have over the day.

and a few thoughts:

-if you are motivated, then self-help, or even cognitive behavioural or cognitive analytical therapy is the way forward IMHO -there will be reasons why you are anxious and medication will not mend or take those away.

-Big life changes might be required! If it is anything to do with your job, think hard about the balance of your career/salary and the quality of life you and your family have.

-google with caution! A lot of potentially biased stuff out there both from drug companies and from scientology/antipsychiatry types. Plenty of folks with axes to grind, or who are just so delighted to have recovered they make the mistake of thinking what helped tem will help everyone. However, the Mind website [/url] is utterly excellent in my professional opinion, and despite the ‘psychiatrist’ bit, the Royal College of Psychiatrists website is actually pretty even handed about what’s wrong and what helps. FWIW the diagnosis you mentioned at the beginning is interchangeable with “Social Phobia”, which may get you a lot more search results.

-if you are seeing a therapist or counsellor off your own back rather than by GP referral, ask if they are registered with the British Association for Cousellors and Psychotherapists.[/url] (also a good read if you want to find out what you would be letting yourself in for! 😀 )

All the best!

[edit, blimey, all those posts whilst i was typing up mine! This is a great place sometimes. 😀 )

Theres some good evidence to back up CBT being helpful.
This might also be worth a look Here
Its important to realise you are not alone + that there are ways of helping to improve things. It can just take a while to find what works for you. Steady away.

Hi hills, hope things perk up for you. I found citalopram to be excellent in the first few weeks so hopefully will keep you up untill your therapy- and if you ever want to chat I’m only an email away.

Julian excellent post thanks very much, some real good chunks of info there.
It was my gp who diagnosed me one of the many reasons for me to vist a therapist is to see if I can get a clearer diagnosis. Up to now I have only told the doc how I’m feeling and filled in the generic multiple choice sheet.
I can’t see how the form can give an accurate diagnosis just a rough guide I assume although I could be way off.

CBT seems to be generally accepted as the best solution to such things.
Bringing it out on here is also a good step – accepting you’ve an issue you want to deal with is key.

I know 2 friends suffering from depression and I think their lack of real effort in resolving it is the reason they’re still ill…

Can’t get the links to work but I’m reading these at the moment – they’re both interesting, thought-provoking and useful and helping me keep going through a rather rough period. Both are on Amazon

Counselling for Toads
Feeling Good – the new mood therapy, David D Burns

Also look at Moodscope – very useful diary/tracking tool, with great daily emails. Using this I can see that a good run/bike ride has a positive effect every time 🙂

Good luck, you’ll probably find out who your friends really are, know yourself better and be stronger once you’re through it 🙂

Thanks Brooes, I’m determined to get this sorted, I’ll check out moodscope now.

brooess – Member

CBT seems to be generally accepted as the best solution to such things.

with caution – its one solution, it has good results and its very cost effective. However it will not deal with deep rooted issues and is an approach that does not work for everyone.

Well worth a try in this sort of instance IMO however

What Crikey said.

I’ve had second-hand experience of this having helped support someone I knew.

A combination of CBT and drugs (SSRIs generally) was regarded as the best approach; one on its own is less effective.

Different drugs have varying efficacy in different people, so finding the right drug for you is a case of “try this… now try that…” until you hit on the best one. There is no ‘better explanation’ I’m afraid, your doctor is doing the right thing apart from the lack of CBT.

Hope you feel better soon. You aren’t alone, and mental illness is a particular blind spot with the NHS. It’s also widely misunderstood and / or considered a ‘dirty word’ by the general populace. “You’re not bleeding so MTFU, there’s nothing wrong with you.” Right.

no shame in suffering from mental illness

This. You are not weird or a bad person; psychological problems are incredibly common but often well hidden. Good luck!

know 2 friends suffering from depression and I think their lack of real effort in resolving it is the reason they’re still ill

That is what depression is, and does to you.

anxious: firstly lets be clear, you have nothing to be ashamed of. One thing I have learnt over the years is that crippling crises of confidence or motivation can hit any of us. some of the “strongest” people i know have been hit by depressiion.
Though i have never had it myself, like most poeple I have had a glimpse of what it might be like, but I suspect its more “maungy lite” compared with full on depression and anxiety.
No easy answers, one thing that might help is that this is not a binary situation, I actually think all humans are complex creatures and we carry round more insecurities and fears and hangups than we ever show in public, i have yet to meet anyone who has emotions and humanity without a degree of fragility.
The things that make you weak are the the other side of the same coin that make you human. If. you dont try to be perfect and just commit to being ok and active then this might help. Therapy works too.

Take care, have fun ( pop a few pills in the meentime).

Lots of everyday people run into this problem. I have come to the conclusion that a bit like flu – you dont get it for years, think you are immune and then it gets you and you feel ‘It should not happen to someone like me’ 🙂 Its a tough phase of life, but it is just a phase and not the rest of your existence.

I choose to refuse drugs and went straight into NHS councelling. By chance I ended up with a couple of councellors as one sadly became long term sick and was replaced. This taught me that you need to find a councellor that fits with you – if something is not improving it does not mean CBT is not working, just that you and the councellor are not well enough matched.

When you get to councelling, dont hold back – tell them everything as the more you hide or feel uncomfortable, the more time you both waste on a wrong track or diagnosis. They have heard everything before and will not judge you.

I chose not to take medication because I think it is in some cases very very unproductive.

I know of 3 people who had long term unhappy situations in their lives. Their docs handed out anti depressants like sweets – of them are still are on medication after 5 years or more – but the relevant bit is their lives have not changed. Even when they have complained, the line is pretty mcuh ‘take this and go away’. One even found when they wanted to come off the doctor tried to force them to increase thier dose. These are people with unhappy life situations that needed to change, not with long term mental illness as such, which is a different thing and does need longer term meds.

I firmly believe that for some people (not everyone, depends on cause of your not feeling well) long term medication just makes it possible for a rubbish life to be just about tolerable – so they make no attempt to change personal circumstances that cause unhappiness and go on living exactly the same life, with it muffled out a bit by drugs. Its understandable as change is scary, other people may get angry as you are not ‘who they want you to be’ any more and don’t fit in with what suits them if you try to change. I am glad I decided not to take drugs myself as I believed it was easier to stay in touch with my changing feelings when in counseling.

Counseling can be hard. Often I would feel very depressed for 48 hours after a session. Keep going, its worth it. It does not stay like that. It is a place to be brave. When I started CBT the counselors were both very pleased I had refused drugs as they personally both thought that it was more progressive to sort things out without them if I was able to handle that.

Be aware that in a few cases (minority) there have been links to increased risk of depression and indeed suicide by people on anti depressants as it swings the wrong way for some people. If you feel worse you must tell the medics and make them take it seriously.

I would add, in case I sound too anti drugs that many people do find them short term helpful. I only mean to say make sure it is the choice you are comfortable with, don’t get railroaded into taking things because its the ‘accepted path’.

Over a year later I am unemployed now – but I can say with total honesty my life and how I feel about myself is better than it has been for years and years and I would not go back to the past even though money is tight and the future uncertain.

You have probably been told that CBT can be of immense help…

Echo that. Finished CBT for recently diagnosed but lifelong suffered Bipolar Disorder last year aged 45…literally turned my thoughts and life around.

My NHS therapist recommended this page for helpful info and worksheets.
http://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/

However it will not deal with deep rooted issues…

That’s not my personal experience of CBT, and my issues had been with me since and through childhood.

I was then prescribed Prozac which I’ve been taking for 3 months, once again started off well and effects are dispersing again now.

I’m surprised to hear that, I generally understood that anti-depressants take several weeks to kick in. If you felt an immediate improvement then it sounds like a placebo effect. Nothing wrong with that of course – part of the problem with depression is the feeling of hopelessness and isolation which just makes the problem worse. Sometimes just the knowledge that help is available goes a tremendous way in helping the person lift out of depression – even before any help or treatment has been given !

As already mentioned, concentrate on the fact that you won’t always feel the way you do right now. Eventually depression always lifts, no matter how hopeless you might feel right now. The challenge comes later in avoiding its re-occurrence. But right now focus on thinking positively. And no, there isn’t always an obvious reason for depression. Good luck.

CBT is about deep rooted issues – they go back looking for repeated behavior patterns and beliefs about yourself and life and examine how you respond to pressure/manipulation from the people around you. They give distance and perspective it can be hard to obtain by yourself.

It’s threads like this that are immeasurably positive and helpful – apart from the obvious jokey/banter threads this is when the forums is at its best.

Some really good advice, particularly from julianwilson, CHB and Midnighthour.

All the best anxious11.

Oversimplifying on the CBT from me – sorry. Much good advice on here tho.

1:3 of us will have some mental health difficulties at some point in their lives

Deluded your spot on, Im overwhelmed with the responses thanks do much everyone it’s helping allready

I think their lack of real effort in resolving it is the reason they’re still ill…

you might be right about your friends but maybe their lack if effort is a symptom of the depression.

Depression robs you of the insight, and motivation to do the very things that would make you better, a vicious circle.

To quote the OP

” ….I originally started on the meds as I had been feeling very lethargic irritable and sensitive for a while – now I’ve actually used the meds I’m starting to feel depressed on top of everything else …”

” …. just generally feel angry and tired,with 0 motivation to do anything including ride. ….”

Classic symptoms of depression IMO, irritability and anger is very common in men whereas tearfulness is more common in women.

I would ask to speak to another GP at the practice. Three drug interventions all from the same class of SSRI doesn’t add up IMO, so you could ask to try a drug from a different class. Although I can see why if the GP thinks it is an anxiety disorder he/she keeps plugging the same drugs. A fresh pair of eyes can not do any harm.

Also NICE guidelines were pretty clear the last time I read them three interventions and after that you should be offered a referral. If it wasn’t for the stigma around mental health issues then I bet you would be jumping up and down for a referral for any other ailment.

IME Community Psychiatry services have been very good. Clearly there are good and bad shrinks like all walks of life, but you will at least be offered a proper lengthy consultation rather than 10 mins in a busy schedule.

I am still of the opinion once you get past the GPs our NHS is excellent. Its the first step that can be so variable from one practice or GP to next.

It’s threads like this that are immeasurably positive and helpful – apart from the obvious jokey/banter threads this is when the forums is at its best.

It might just be me, but I think that jokey banter positively helps threads like this, so long as it’s meant with warmth rather than unpleasantness. Otherwise it’s all Really Serious.

For me, it’s a coping mechanism. If I lost an arm in an accident and my friends’ opening gambit wasn’t “you gormless, stumpy ****t” I’d be very disappointed.

Just ‘ticking’

I’ll come back tomorrow and type a reply about my experiences. Won’t now as have a splitting headache (not through my anxiety meds)

Cougar – you misunderstand me – I’m saying that unrelated jokey threads are good and all that but the forum can also pull together and offer good constructive personal help when it’s required.

Perhaps from ‘apart’ I should have said ‘in addition to’!