primitive not sure where to get some help

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/114211885

Oh my.

penultimate (912 posts)    Fri Mar 28, 2014, 09:06 PM

Not sure where to start to get some help

So all my life I've been limited by some mixture of anxiety and a host of other issues. It's not fully debilitating, but it's bad enough that I am not living my life the way I should. I know people who are far worse off, and I managed to make huge advances on my own, so I always thought I would eventually get through it all and be good to go.

However, I recently came to the realization that I either hit a brick wall or the hill I'm climbing got a lot steeper and I need some outside help. The problem is that I don't know where to go or how to start. Do I just call up random people in the yellow pages, do I go to a regular doctor to get referred? I know I don't want to just take pills in the hope they help, so just having my doctor prescribe me anxiety meds isn't a route I want to go. Any suggestions?

elleng (46,314 posts)    Fri Mar 28, 2014, 09:09 PM

1. See a general practitioner,

and join Mental Health Support here.

mopinko (40,629 posts)    Fri Mar 28, 2014, 09:22 PM

2. def start with your primary doc.

a good going over is in order. there are a lot of things could be in your way.

always a good place to start looking for a mental health practitioner. they usually know who is in their network, or city, or… can help you pick the right person for you.

and yeah, mental health support is prolly the sweetest spot on this board.*

*Yeah.  With the departure of classics such as Dennis the Menace, the subway cat, and the locust primitive, there's new blood needed in the forum.

penultimate (912 posts)    Fri Mar 28, 2014, 09:31 PM

3. I'll be going in to see my primary doctor soon

so I'll be sure to bring up my concerns about wanting to see someone. I thought maybe that was my best choice, but I wasn't too sure. I'll check out that board.

Miigwech (10 posts)    Fri Mar 28, 2014, 09:42 PM

4. Your plight is not uncommon

Seek a very reputable Psychiatrist who can prescribe medication along with giving you therapy. Many people suffer unnecessarily without understanding that they can be helped with modern drugs an or therapy, that sometime can be accomplished within a short period time. Maybe no medication is necessary, the Doctor will help you figure this out. You owe to yourself to get professional mental help. Understand that the Doctor and you must form a good relationship, otherwise you need to fire him/her and get one that works for you. It is amazing how well you will feel with the right treatment. If you had a broken leg would you wait to seek help? Same thing.

MannyGoldstein  (26,056 posts)    Sat Mar 29, 2014, 02:26 AM

5. Anxiety is a bear. It causes all kinds of issues.

As others have said, seeing a GP is a good idea. If there's not a medical-ish cause, you might want to find a good psychologist and/or psychiatrist to work with.
 
Anxiety runs in my family. And, as it happens, my sister is a psychologist who treats patients with anxiety - really awful anxiety, she sees a fair number of people with terminal cancer. She tells me that:
 
-- the best course of treatment in the long term is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which more and more psychologists are practicing these days. You can buy books on it, too.
 
-- since CBT takes a while to work, medication can be helpful in the shorter term, then can be tapered off as CBT becomes effective. It turns out that the same drugs tend to help both anxiety and depression, so docs will often prescribe an antidepressent like Prozac or buproprion. GPs will often prescribe these meds, but you might consider seeing a psychiatrist as well. My sis also says that different drugs affect different people quite differently, so the first thing tried might not work.
 
Be tough! Be brave! And go after this agressively! You will win!

SheilaT (14,521 posts)    Sat Mar 29, 2014, 04:47 AM

6. It will depend at least in part on

your health care provider. Most of the time you do need a referral, so you'd need to start with your primary care physician.
 
If you are allowed to seek out specialists on your own, your problem is that you (understandably) haven't a clue where to start to get the help you need.
 
The only other thing I can add is to tell you that it may take some time, and more than one person, to get you the help you need, to get you to function as you want to and need to. It may well be a mixture of medication and talk therapy. Do not despair. Life is not easy.

tridim (43,305 posts)      Sat Mar 29, 2014, 09:04 AM

7. What worked for me...

Changing diet from the American standard to a more natural, healthy diet, and walking every day.
 
It fixed most of my anxiety issues within 6 months.

YMMV, but I doubt it. Diet and exercise are THE key to feeling better. Pharmaceutical "cures" should always be the ultimate last resort.

penultimate (912 posts)    Sat Mar 29, 2014, 09:58 AM

8. Yeah, exercise always had an overall positive effect for me

I've been trying to get back into running again. The same goes with eating more healthy. That definitely helped things in the past, but there are some things and certain situations that I just cannot seem to get past myself. Based on my previous experiences with overcoming issues, I'm certain that once I just break through it, I will won't be nearly as big of a problem. I just can't get through the big ones on my own anymore. I also want to talk someone because it's hard for me to pinpoint exactly what my deal is. I'm like all over the place, in some situations I have no anxiety at all and come off as very confident, in others I feel like an insecure kid who doesn't feel like I belong. That being all over the place has me concerned that it may be something more than just anxiety.
 
But yeah, exercise and eating healthy is for sure something I need to get back into doing consistently.

goldent (707 posts)    Sat Mar 29, 2014, 10:40 AM

9. I agree to start with your gp

If you are referred to a psychiatrist, they will often suggest medications quickly, so make it known up front that you want to avoid that (tell that to your gp also). But if nothing else works and if you need help, there is nothing wrong with trying medications. If they work, they can really improve your life.
 
You can also see a counseling psychologist who would be much less likely to suggest prescription medication (and you would still need an MD to prescribe it). It may be a stereotype, but I think psychologists vary widely in effectiveness, so try to get a referral from someone who knows them well.

[Chris_]

mental health support is prolly the sweetest spot on this board.

Hardly a ringing endorsement of DU or its members.

[JohnnyReb]

I can't believe a DUmmie said this...... Pharmaceutical "cures" should always be the ultimate last resort.

[thundley4]

elleng (46,314 posts)    Fri Mar 28, 2014, 09:09 PM

1. See a general practitioner,

and join Mental Health Support here.

Join the Suicide Retention Squad. 

[Big Dog]

Nobody recommended self-medicating with PBR and weed.

Where's fizzy when they need her?

[GOBUCKS]

mopinko (40,629 posts)    
Fri Mar 28, 2014, 09:22 PM

and yeah, mental health support is prolly the sweetest spot on this board.

You got that right, Butch, sometimes it's more laughs than a barrel of monkeys.

But we need a fresh batch of nuts. The old reliables seem to be jumping ship (or jumping off buildings).

So welcome aboard, DUmmy penultimate.

And don't worry about embarrassment. The crazier you are, the more you'll be appreciated.

[tanstaafl]

I can't believe a DUmmie said this...... Pharmaceutical "cures" should always be the ultimate last resort.

Well, Yea-ah. That DUmmie ain't getting any benjimans from dealing the dope if the Dr.s are doling out the Rx's. So walk, penultimate, walk down to the corner. The man there in the hoodie will fix you right up.

[obumazombie]

Someone had a sane response about diet and exercise.
The rest are typical libs who want free health care so they can run to a doctor for every hangnail.
The last time I checked anxiety is part of the human condition.

[Skul]

Someone had a sane response about diet and exercise.
The rest are typical libs who want free health care so they can run to a doctor for every hangnail.
The last time I checked anxiety is part of the human condition.

In spades if you drive slingwings. 

[BannedFromDU]

Not sure where to start to get some help

     Smith and Wesson have the ultimate help for you.

[Skul]

     Smith and Wesson have the ultimate help for you.

Maybe gNads could take a "selfie"? 

[RobJohnson]

Hardly a ringing endorsement of DU or its members.

Whatever works. 

[fatboy]

The cure for this aliment:

1. Stay away from the rice paddies

2. Keep your bong packed and at the ready. Invest in a good OWB kydex pipe holster.

[fatboy]

...and if that doesn't work, try the Will Pitt Islay Single Malt diet.