Questions about therapy

In My Humble Opinion
21

XJET

Well I hope you take this advice and start thearpy. Do your breakdowns come at regular intervals? Like every Christmas? Are they associated with an uncomfortable anniversary or is it more like when the stress of the world catches up with you.

If it is not an anniversary thing you may want to see a pill doctor and not a talking doctor. They would probably do the sleeping pill as well.

(as an aside in your story I wasn’t sure who got the restraining order filed against them, ex-bf or you!)

Anyway I hope you start to feel better soon.

22

The only regularity I’ve noticed is that it’s about every two years. The anniversary of C.J.'s death is December 9th, which I think might have set me off this year, as my husband is so much like he was. But in the end I think it’s a little of both, stress of the world and nostalgia combined.

My doctor did put me on welbutrin after I complained of problems sleeping, but he said the only reason he prescribed it was because he wanted me to quit smoking. The fact that it would help me sleep was only an aside. I tried it for four days and was so jittery and anxious I couldn’t stand it. I’m not so sure that medication will be the way to go.

Actually, both. I got one against him, and he was so afraid of my parents that he got one against all of us. It was, all in all an incredibly messy situation.

Thanks ever so much! I’m not exactly down right now, doing quite well actually, but now that I have a rational outlook again I feel it’s time to start looking into fixing the problems rather than just waiting to feel normal again.

23

My two cents: if you think you may need to see a shrink, chances are you will get some benefit by doing so.

Therapy changed my life.

Don’t be afraid to ask for referrals from your doctor or even a friend’s doctor or shrink. And don’t hesitate to talk to more than one. It took me three tries to find the one I’m with now.

24

Thanks, MaddyStrut, what you were experiencing sounds very familiar to me. I think it’s more a matter of just taking the time to look into why I’m feeling the things I do and how to reroute my thinking.

I checked, and I think my insurance does cover some sessions, so I’m going to look into it when I can afford to take some time off work again (legislature’s in session next month and I’ll be working overtime). I figure it’ll be next to impossible to get an appointment after hours, so I want to look into a time where I can leave early from work.

NinjaChick, I share a lot of the concerns you’ve expressed, which is why I wanted to get answers from those who’ve been there. I’ve taken psychology classes in both high school and college, and I understand the basics of how the mind works, but not enough of how to fix my problems.

In high school, I had many friends whose parents toddled them away to the therapist at the first sign of troublesome behavior. Many of them became even worse off after being force-fed zoloft and paxil by well-meaning parents. I’m thankful that my parents never forced that on me. I think that a lot of emotional distress, confusion, and coping problems are part and parcel of being that age. I don’t think I knew anyone at that age that didn’t have those kinds of problems.

I’m concerned now because I believe that something I should have resolved with myself years ago has never really gone away, and is still affecting my life. My husband has been very caring and compassionate, and it’s refreshing to have someone with a more logical perspective on the issue to talk to.

I’ve just always thought it was something I would get over with time and maturity, and I’ve been denying how much it has affected my life. I’ve always thought that my problems weren’t serious enough to warrant therapy, but I’m beginning to see now just how much I could be wrong (especially if I don’t do something about it soon).

Again, thanks for all the caring responses! You’ve really been incredibly helpful, and I’m feeling 1000x more confident that this is something I need to do for myself. I think I’ll also be a bit wiser than other first time therapy clients (Maybe I’ll get a gold star!).

25

looks like the thread is done,
XJET:
I’m a therapist,
the main question is (and it looks like you have already answered it): Does the stress/events that have happened cause you enough difficulty that you aren’t able to effectively live your life?

Don’t worry about being diagnosed, they probably have to in order to bill your insurance, for some diagnoses an hour is fine, for others definitely a prudent therapist would take longer (depression is pretty easy to diagnose whereas a personality disorder shouldn’t be diagnosed lightly for instance).

Reading over your descriptions of your problems, it seems like one or two sessions with a therapist will at least help you define your goals, decide what it is that is bothering you in an organized way. That’s half the battle.
good luck, I’ll see if the thread survives and check back if you have any questions.

26

Thanks for stopping by, greck!

I mostly wanted to kind of feel out the process of looking into therapy, and get an idea of whether or not it would even be helpful.

I’m not so sure that depression is really my problem, as most of what I’m experiencing is really along the lines of fundamental misunderstandings of how things work in relation to other people. From what I’ve learned in my scant psychology classes this may have to do with associations made during some of the events outlined above.

Also, I’m having difficulty resolving certain aspects of my ideas, thoughts and opinions with my emotions. I can’t think of a better way to explain that, though.

I think in the long run, by ignoring these issues and trying to use them instead to bolster my self image rather than dealing with them head on and taking control over how they affect me I’ve done more damage than good.

Or maybe I just think about it too much ::grin::

27

I’m going to take issue with NinjaChick’s advice about meds.

Not all psychoactive drugs are addictive; some are, but most aren’t. They have benefit in that they help remove some of the acute symptoms of depression or anxiety, or what-have-you and can help make counseling more productive. Also, some people have psychological problems that are purely physical in nature, not related to past issues, and meds help with that, as well.

My advice is that if your counselor suggests medication, talk to a psychiatrist (an MD who is trained in the use of drugs and can prescribe them) to see what meds may benefit you, given the nature of the problem at hand. Not every medication works for everyone, or every kind of problem. It’s a trial and error process, and you may have to try several before you find one that works.

Robin