brainy
Junior Member
Gay, atheist, psychologist. The fundie trifecta!
Posts: 63
|
Post by brainy on Jun 1, 2011 15:47:59 GMT -5
largeham: I feel you, man...for the longest time I thought I was just weak, that I couldn't actually be depressed because, hey, what the fuck do I have to be depressed about? Even after I started therapy, I convinced myself that I was just looking for attention and giving the therapist the 'right' answers to get a depression diagnosis... Oh dear, the whole 'what do I have to be depressed about' is something that has bugging me for ages, considering only two family members have died (one of them I hadn't even met, the other I barely knew) and I can't find any other reasons. TL;DR: I really don't like anything about myself, but I have distractions so I don't notice anything beyond my 1600x900 screen. QFT. Two questions in general: 1. What should one look for in a therapist? 2. One symptom I read about depression is the inability to remember specific points of happiness, something I've found that applies to me. What do people here think of writing down what the time, date and occasion is when one feels happy. 1. I'd look for either a psychologist or a counselor. No offense to LCSW's, I just haven't had much interaction with them. A psychologist will have a PhD and will call themselves either a Clinical Psychologist or a Counseling Psychologist. There is a difference but for the purpose of this answer, the difference is moot. A counselor may have only a Master's degree. They would be a Licensed Professional Counselor in their state and may have a Mental Health Service Provider designation. Their credentials would look something like: Brainy Girpants, M.S., LPC-MHSP. A counselor may also have a doctorate in which case you would replace the MS with either PhD or EdD. As far as what to look for in personality...its kind of trial and error and really depends on your own personality. Different therapists approach treatment differently. A good therapist will not be offended if you don't have a personality match and request a referral for another therapist. 2. I think thats an excellent idea. I typically give this an assignment when working with clients who are struggling with depression.
|
|
brainy
Junior Member
Gay, atheist, psychologist. The fundie trifecta!
Posts: 63
|
Post by brainy on May 31, 2011 23:17:00 GMT -5
I'm quite certain that I would have a significant number of negative emotions in that situation. I don't mean as if to sound that I think its as easy as just flipping a switch and choosing to be positive. I apologize if it came off that way. I'm just eternally optimistic, its a curse. Sorry myself, I don't mean to come off as prickly. I've just had it suggested to me recently that I need to fake it until I either make it or break. Kinda of a "either way, we're happier with the way you're acting if you do that" thing. I really dislike the "fake it til you make it" sentiment. Regardless of what we feel, we should have the freedom to feel it in a environment in which we feel safe. Its more important to be genuine than to "fake it" for the sake of someone else. Faking it never did anyone any good.
|
|
brainy
Junior Member
Gay, atheist, psychologist. The fundie trifecta!
Posts: 63
|
Post by brainy on May 31, 2011 22:31:00 GMT -5
But you can see that about yourself. Many people never do. Thus it becomes something to be proud of. *shrugs* I suppose I can see what you're saying. My problem was that my family doesn't really care about me and I was using this other thing as a surrogate family. So when it was yanked out from underneath me I lost all hope. Hell, trying going from feeling loved and wanted one week to being told people were glad you were gone the next and see how screwed up your mental state will be. I'm quite certain that I would have a significant number of negative emotions in that situation. I don't mean as if to sound that I think its as easy as just flipping a switch and choosing to be positive. I apologize if it came off that way. I'm just eternally optimistic, its a curse.
|
|
brainy
Junior Member
Gay, atheist, psychologist. The fundie trifecta!
Posts: 63
|
Post by brainy on May 31, 2011 22:17:57 GMT -5
I work as the director of an IOP program now. Ours is a for dual diagnosis (mental health plus substance use disorder) but there are many, many across the country that are strictly mental health related only. There could be one near you that just isn't promoted all that much. You could possibly ask for a referral from your therapist. I'm very glad that your attempt didn't work, and being able to realize that you would try again and checking yourself in voluntarily shows a degree of insight you should really be proud of. I commend you for your bravery because it sounds like you have an awful lot of it. *hugs* Not really, it just shows that I became insanely attached to something that I shouldn't have been all that fond of and when it was taken away my abandonment issues reared their ugly head. And when my abandonment issues kick in, and I haven't been on my medicine, well....a desperate Chi I be. But you can see that about yourself. Many people never do. Thus it becomes something to be proud of.
|
|
brainy
Junior Member
Gay, atheist, psychologist. The fundie trifecta!
Posts: 63
|
Post by brainy on May 31, 2011 22:04:57 GMT -5
That actually sounds wonderful. I wish they had it in my area. No, what I'm doing is meet with a doctor tomorrow to get my prescriptions double checked to see if they need to be upped or changed. Then come friday I'm meeting with a new therapist to discuss some issues I've been having. This was actually scheduled before I went into the hospital so it's good to have it. Come monday I've got a meeting with my regular counselor. I normally see him bi-weekly but he may bump it up to weekly until the danger is passed. He may also refer me to a case manager or have me attend a once a week group therapy until things cool down. All on the road to getting better, right? I work as the director of an IOP program now. Ours is a for dual diagnosis (mental health plus substance use disorder) but there are many, many across the country that are strictly mental health related only. There could be one near you that just isn't promoted all that much. You could possibly ask for a referral from your therapist. I'm very glad that your attempt didn't work, and being able to realize that you would try again and checking yourself in voluntarily shows a degree of insight you should really be proud of. I commend you for your bravery because it sounds like you have an awful lot of it. *hugs* EDIT: Yes, the 72 hour is mandatory in most states for voluntary treatment. An involuntary psychiatric hold is also 72 hours but it is much more likely that the treatment would be extended for involuntary patients. The person must be deemed as a danger to themselves or others to gain the involuntary hold. There usually has to be an identified person when talking about "harm to others" which then becomes part of the Tarasoff Rule.
|
|
brainy
Junior Member
Gay, atheist, psychologist. The fundie trifecta!
Posts: 63
|
Post by brainy on May 30, 2011 21:57:30 GMT -5
I need therapy, but I can't find a good one that takes fucking Medicaid. The ones that do? Aren't worth it. Plus, you know, it takes time to trust people, and ... yeah. I miss my old therapist. Currently I'm angry, and I don't know why. I think it's because I tend to turn my depression and anxiety outward, and it comes out as RAEG. I'm kinda heading towards a RAGE-BAWWW. I don't like it. I don't like me.I don't wanna be around me, right now. You may try a local university. Some have counseling centers for students who also see members of the community on a sliding fee scale. You can request not to see a student, if that doesn't work you could also request to see a doctoral intern. So a potential downside is that you may have to see someone in training, the absolute upside is that whoever you end up seeing would be rigorously supervised and your care would be given the utmost importance.
|
|
brainy
Junior Member
Gay, atheist, psychologist. The fundie trifecta!
Posts: 63
|
Post by brainy on May 29, 2011 22:47:31 GMT -5
*wince* Well...whatever it is, I hope you and your doctor find some way to help with the symptoms...lethargy and disinterest in activities = teh suck. Big time. *offers hugs* And I apologize if I came off as saying "Psh bitch you don't know what you talkin' 'bout that's totally depression"...I tend to sound like that without meaning to, and I honestly was just surprised at the idea that it might be ADD as opposed to what I automatically assume at those symptoms. I swear to Astania, I'm not a jackass. I knew you weren't being mean. :3 I was just saying, "well, it might be depression, too." *hugs back* I'm open for ideas. A big problem with diagnosing mental health problems is that different things manifest in different ways in different people. Plus the fact that many different disorders can look alike in some regards. What is typically thought of as the symptoms of ADD/ADHD can also look like the mania or hypomania associate with Bipolar Disorder and vice versa. I had a patient once that I was sure had a personality disorder, the attending psychiatrist was also sure that he was just Bipolar and in a long mania cycle. Turns out I was totally wrong and once he started a mood stabilizer the narcissism gradually faded, but it illustrates how intertwined and muddy things can get when it comes to mental health diagnoses.
|
|
brainy
Junior Member
Gay, atheist, psychologist. The fundie trifecta!
Posts: 63
|
Post by brainy on May 24, 2011 22:48:41 GMT -5
Indulge my screeching inner nerd and give this a look-see. I didn't see it anywhere else on the boards.
|
|
brainy
Junior Member
Gay, atheist, psychologist. The fundie trifecta!
Posts: 63
|
Post by brainy on May 23, 2011 22:26:18 GMT -5
Just heard on the local news that Camping has been "reflecting today in a motel room." He says he feels bad that he was wrong and has stated that now he is sure the Rapture will occur on October 21, 2011. I couldn't immediately find anything online to confirm so take it with a grain of salt as it was the local news. Feel free to accost me if I just perpetuated bad journalism. I like it rough anyway FOUND A LINK. Looks like my local news didn't understand what he said. No surprise there.
|
|
brainy
Junior Member
Gay, atheist, psychologist. The fundie trifecta!
Posts: 63
|
Post by brainy on May 23, 2011 20:19:06 GMT -5
Personality Disorders are incredibly difficult to diagnose unless they are extreme. There is quite a bit of controversy within the field about whether or not personality disorders even exist. I wouldn't be comfortable making a BPD diagnosis after 10 minutes even if I had a comprehensive psych history in front of me. Incidentally, he wasn't the first psychologist I've seen who jumped to conclusions. When I was 15, I saw a psych. who told my dad (after only two sessions) that there was a "strong possibility" that I had ADD because whenever a door slammed in the office suite, I'd briefly glance in the direction the sound was coming from. She cited no other evidence for pursuing that diagnosis -- just "I notice you look over whenever a door slams". Because reacting to sudden sounds in an otherwise quiet environment is so abnormal, right? Lol, well that could get me into a entire conversation about the differences between psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors, and social workers (who all provide therapy) and their training standards (or lack thereof in some cases). But I don't want to write a book or make broad generalizations so I won't go into that. One thing I will say is that in my respective field (counseling psyc) I sometimes see professionals who are lackadaisical about the gravity of assigning a mental health diagnosis and what the label that comes along with that means. It isn't something that should be taken so lightly and I get a little twinge of anger whenever I hear stories about "professionals" making snap diagnoses like this.
|
|
brainy
Junior Member
Gay, atheist, psychologist. The fundie trifecta!
Posts: 63
|
Post by brainy on May 23, 2011 16:42:01 GMT -5
Also, some shrink at the hospital tried to suggest that I have Borderline Personality Disorder during an assessment a number of years back, but he'd only spoken to me for like ten minutes, so I'm not terribly inclined to take that to heart. Personality Disorders are incredibly difficult to diagnose unless they are extreme. There is quite a bit of controversy within the field about whether or not personality disorders even exist. I wouldn't be comfortable making a BPD diagnosis after 10 minutes even if I had a comprehensive psych history in front of me. @deadpan I totally agree with your sentiment about therapy. We aren't all incompetent...I hope
|
|
brainy
Junior Member
Gay, atheist, psychologist. The fundie trifecta!
Posts: 63
|
Post by brainy on May 22, 2011 18:46:56 GMT -5
I have dealt with anxiety and depression since high school. I went through one major depressive episode from about age 15-16 and when it eased up the anxiety kicked in and I've been fighting it ever since. I have a diagnosis of Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Somatization Disorder. Basically my anxiety gets so high at times that I experience physical pain. This usually occurs for me in my legs, neck/shoulders and mouth but has occurred in a myriad of different places over the years. I choose not to take medication though I could be on an antidepressant full time and anxiety meds as needed. Its a personal choice and I respect anyone's choice to take medication if they think it is the right thing for them. I just have very negative reactions to psychiatric medication. Anxiety meds turn me into a zombie. The antidepressants aren't as bad but my sex drive decreases to absolutely nonexistent. I'm of the opinion that I can manage it all with therapy, behavioral changes, exercise and social support. I definitely have good days and bad days though. Things might be more consistent with medication. I'm supposed to have an appointment with a councilor on June 8, but I don't think I want to go anymore. Therapy has saved my life before. Its the reason I became a psychologist. Not saying that your life needs saving, but if it were possible I'd choose to be in therapy for the rest of my life in some form or another.
|
|
brainy
Junior Member
Gay, atheist, psychologist. The fundie trifecta!
Posts: 63
|
Post by brainy on May 22, 2011 10:54:17 GMT -5
Hey all--
As you can tell from those words beneath Gir over there <--- I'm in the mental health field. Unsurprisingly I also deal with my own mental health issues, specifically extreme anxiety for which I don't take medication.
I thought it might be a good idea to have a place where people can talk about what has been going on with them, to get support for problems, to ask questions and to start a dialogue about mental health issues and the stigma that surrounds it. We may have someone with no other means to address their problems. Wouldn't it be awesome to finally provide them with a place to talk about these kinds of things?!
I know that we have a great community here full of accepting and understanding people. If there is no interest Distind can just delete the thread but I thought it was worth a shot. I will gladly detail my own struggle with mental health and join in the conversation when I have time this afternoon.
What do you all think? Oh, and feel free to move this if it is more appropriate elsewhere.
|
|
brainy
Junior Member
Gay, atheist, psychologist. The fundie trifecta!
Posts: 63
|
Post by brainy on May 22, 2011 0:36:34 GMT -5
Does good crying count? I always tear up when I hear this because he has perfectly captured my view on life, purpose, and faith within a 5 minute pocket of amazing-ness. "Tell me what's the point of light you have to strike a match to find?""So throw away those lamentations We both know them all too well If there's a Book of Jubilation We'll have to write it for ourselves"
|
|
brainy
Junior Member
Gay, atheist, psychologist. The fundie trifecta!
Posts: 63
|
Post by brainy on May 22, 2011 0:19:02 GMT -5
What the fuck?! Why am I so angry at this? It isn't surprising at all and yet I'm totally fuming from the ears. He'll be fucking better off without them. A parent who would choose to behave this way does not deserve their child.
|
|