That's not true; OCD can be diagnosed without compulsions. I also disagree with your assertion that psychotropic medicines do not work. Risperdal has been used to curb obsessive thoughts as well as anti-depressants.
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does anyone suffer from anxiety?
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So could a lot of things - the person diagnosing will find whatever they're looking for..
What happens when a person stops taking the medication? Many do at some point or another - whether it be because they can no longer tolerate the side effects, take it due to health, or because they can no longer even afford the medication. Medication is short term - for the present, not something that's going to help them 20, 30, or even 50+ years later.
My only point was you can't dope people up, send them out the door and have that be the end of it. Maybe someday doctors will get in some trouble for this like they did for prescribing narcotics painkillers so easily.
Many years of asst. therapies, which taught me quite a bit...unfortunately they cannot fix the chemical imbalance within my body though I can cope for the most part and only need meds for PD. There's been times in my life where I needed the help of meds for depression, and unfortunately am heading back that way.
Meds have their place, but no matter what, people need to research as sometimes the med is worse than what it is treating.
If you can get by living a normal quality of life without meds, that's the route I'd take. Use meds as a last resort if nothing else helps.
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Oh yea I definitely laugh at myself later on...
Well it is mostly relief I feel, like all that worry was for nothing and it was soo silly of me to worry.
One time I worried someone around my neighborhood will die because of a raven I saw- and there is a superstition I know of that says ravens bring death. The funny part is I am not the least bit superstitious ..My rational logical mind doesn't believe in any of that stuff..So why I thought someone would die is just beyond me.
I was actually wondering how many meds the psychiatrist I saw was on- she was moving kinda slow, the way she talked was exaggerated and she looked like she wasn't really there with me... everyone is on something these days it is so terrible. The thing that ticks me off the most is when little kids of 4 or 5 are given ADHD meds like ritalin
A couple weeks ago I obsessed over a fortune cookie fortune that said "Your luck will change" ...
I thought I had been having good luck! So I worried for a better part of the day about my luck becomming bad.
Talk about ridiculous...
Are Crows and Ravens the same thing? I thought Crows brought death?
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oh yea I probably meant crows, I thought they were the same.. I probably can't tell a raven from a crow, and it most likely was a duck or goose I was seeingOriginally Posted by Nekomania
A couple weeks ago I obsessed over a fortune cookie fortune that said "Your luck will change" ...
I thought I had been having good luck! So I worried for a better part of the day about my luck becomming bad.
Talk about ridiculous...
Are Crows and Ravens the same thing? I thought Crows brought death?
But the whole thinking about having good luck thus far, without the fortune cookie is something that bothers me too...I think to myself with all the suffering in the world, the odds are too great for my life to be so peachy (even tho its not I exaggerate) so most likely a tragedy will strike me soon lol
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Maybe she was? Or maybe she had some medical problem? (strokes can cause lasting issues)Originally Posted by ut0pia
I was actually wondering how many meds the psychiatrist I saw was on- she was moving kinda slow, the way she talked was exaggerated and she looked like she wasn't really there with me... everyone is on something these days it is so terrible. The thing that ticks me off the most is when little kids of 4 or 5 are given ADHD meds like ritalin
IMO, yes ADD/ADHD are over diagnosed. I remember watching this one show where doctors were talking about how sleep apnea in children can look like ADHD. Not sleeping does some pretty crazy things to people of all ages, as can other medical issues.
Again, get your health issues straightened out as much as possible - that could help some and prevent lasting damage (that vit. D is very important!). If you feel you can make yourself do it, seek another opinion and therapy, PLUS someone you feel comfortable talking to. If the person is pushy or off-putting to you then you're not as likely to get as much from them. (who wants to talk to someone they don't like?)
I hope you can get things on track.
O/T: seeing crows would have made me think about Huginn and Muninn and various crow themed songs play through my head for the next few hours.
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I was thinking the psychiatrist probably takes meds for everything since she can identify all the issues she may have..I think a lot of people have issues they are unaware of and if someone digs in their thoughts they may find then...
I should be good with the vitamin D tablets I got from the doctor..I am sure if it was really bad she would have told me to come back or something so maybe it is deficient by only a little..
I am not sure about what other blood tests they did, they did a test called something metabolic, and another one which I did not remember the name of. But they took two vials of blood, and since nothing else was mentioned I assume everything else must have been okay. I have another appointment with that psychiatrist in four weeks and I plan to talk to her then. Therapy is really not something I am considering because I don't have the time and I really don't like therapy...
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Maybe eventually?
And always get copies of your labs. Ask about everything they're doing, get copies of any reports. It's good to have you're own copies. Say, you were to move to another country and your past doctors here weren't easily contacted for various reasons?
One thing you do have to be somewhat concerned about is that now your diagnosis of an anxiety disorder/depression will be in your medical records. It could affect future medical treatment (people taking you serious), could affect you if a job would have access to those records, and will affect you if you when getting insurance (life and health).
And always get copies of your labs. Ask about everything they're doing, get copies of any reports. It's good to have you're own copies. Say, you were to move to another country and your past doctors here weren't easily contacted for various reasons?
One thing you do have to be somewhat concerned about is that now your diagnosis of an anxiety disorder/depression will be in your medical records. It could affect future medical treatment (people taking you serious), could affect you if a job would have access to those records, and will affect you if you when getting insurance (life and health).
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most therepists are more messed up than any of their pateints at least in my dealings...
I have a brain issue which causes mini panic attacks and anxiety/ depression... tried meds once they made a slightly problematic issue into a HUGE ONE.. thus I discontinued them...
I am lucky that my primary dr does not push meds... so when he did suggest some for a condition I have , I tried them and while not a full fix it does calm the issue down
I have a brain issue which causes mini panic attacks and anxiety/ depression... tried meds once they made a slightly problematic issue into a HUGE ONE.. thus I discontinued them...
I am lucky that my primary dr does not push meds... so when he did suggest some for a condition I have , I tried them and while not a full fix it does calm the issue down
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It looks like the healthcare reform bill will pass, then it shouldn't affect my ability to get health insurance later. My previous therapist advised not to put down a diagnosis and she never diagnosed me because of future issues with insurance. And actually when I saw this psychiatrist they asked me to sign a paper that had two options one said" send information to my primary care provider" and the other one said "I do not give my permission for any information released to a third party" or something like that...I am pretty sure medical records stay with the primary care provider. They have actually lost my records several times because they moved officesOriginally Posted by strange_wings
Maybe eventually?
And always get copies of your labs. Ask about everything they're doing, get copies of any reports. It's good to have you're own copies. Say, you were to move to another country and your past doctors here weren't easily contacted for various reasons?
One thing you do have to be somewhat concerned about is that now your diagnosis of an anxiety disorder/depression will be in your medical records. It could affect future medical treatment (people taking you serious), could affect you if a job would have access to those records, and will affect you if you when getting insurance (life and health).
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I've been to different specialists that wanted records faxed, or copies brought.
I was also recently denied life insurance. There's nothing serious in my medical history - in fact about the only thing I have that could possibly cause my death (chronic hypokalemia) isn't asked about.
The only thing we could figure out it was from is a infection and later a rather routine surgery happening within 3 months of each other.
(the agent did manage to finally get it accepted without higher rates but it had to be done differently
)
If that is in your records and you wanted a government job, or one in medicine, you better believe they'll find it.
I was also recently denied life insurance. There's nothing serious in my medical history - in fact about the only thing I have that could possibly cause my death (chronic hypokalemia) isn't asked about.
(the agent did manage to finally get it accepted without higher rates but it had to be done differently
If that is in your records and you wanted a government job, or one in medicine, you better believe they'll find it.
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Seriously?? While I can see that someone with anxiety should probably not be a police officer or a security guard or a pilot, I am sure those jobs already have tests that you take before you ever start the job to see that you are mentally capable of doing it. I found some info about what employers can use from medical records and found this
from http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs16-bck.htm#3
So pretty much they have to ask after they make the job offer, and cannot take back the offer unless there is a condition that makes it physically impossible to do the work required.
My dad has a government job, and they required a physical before he started it but after they made the job offer, and they paid for the physical. It is an accounting job for the local city government. I'd understand if someone who has schizophrenia or something serious would be treated differently by their doctors, but depression and anxiety?? I really doubt it.
I have severe depression (suicidal) in my medical records that were obtained in my background check to become a CNA and it didn't affect my ability to take the class, do my internship, or get a job.
My friend on the other hand has epilepsy which was corrected by brain surgery, but still cannot get a job as a cop or an emt.
So I agree that only a diagnoses taken seriously by most people, such as epilepsy or something like schizophrenia would impair you from taking a job.
My friend on the other hand has epilepsy which was corrected by brain surgery, but still cannot get a job as a cop or an emt.
So I agree that only a diagnoses taken seriously by most people, such as epilepsy or something like schizophrenia would impair you from taking a job.
That's not a very nice generalization. I am a therapist and so are many of my friends and colleagues. Have you ever thought how difficult this type of work is? I would like to think that I am not "messed up". Nobody is perfect and people have problems including mental health professionals. I work hard to help people and it's not fun to be the butt of people's jokes.
Been reading through this thread and noticed that a few members were talking about their use of wellbutrin for anxiety.
it is a valid use and does work.
that said, readers should know that a significant amount of people (~15%) who use wellbutrin experience worse anxiety.
it shouldn't stop you from trying it, but it is something that you should be aware of.
see Wellbutrin and anxiety disorders
looking over it again, otto did a fair job of covering it, but that article is fairly comprehensive and goes over more of the details.
it is a valid use and does work.
that said, readers should know that a significant amount of people (~15%) who use wellbutrin experience worse anxiety.
it shouldn't stop you from trying it, but it is something that you should be aware of.
see Wellbutrin and anxiety disorders
looking over it again, otto did a fair job of covering it, but that article is fairly comprehensive and goes over more of the details.
Why in the heck is your primary doc prescribing psych meds? I could understand your primary giving you a referral to a psychologist or psychiatrist (obviously the latter if he or she thinks you would benefit from a medication), but I'm surprised to hear that your primary is playing psychiatrist.
Back some time ago when somebody I was close to severely hurt me (emotionally), I decided to consult a psychiatrist and tried Lexapro myself. It didn't really do anything for me, but I stayed on it for a little while before I decided it wasn't worth the copay. Also, just something I learned back then, if you start getting what seems like vasovagal episodes with or without syncope, tell the doctor because it might mean that the Lexapro has caused you to excrete too much sodium causing blood pressure drops. Also, I think you've mentioned that you have a boyfriend, don't be surprised if the Lexapro makes "super happy fun time" (if you know what I mean), not so much fun.
ETA:
Back some time ago when somebody I was close to severely hurt me (emotionally), I decided to consult a psychiatrist and tried Lexapro myself. It didn't really do anything for me, but I stayed on it for a little while before I decided it wasn't worth the copay. Also, just something I learned back then, if you start getting what seems like vasovagal episodes with or without syncope, tell the doctor because it might mean that the Lexapro has caused you to excrete too much sodium causing blood pressure drops. Also, I think you've mentioned that you have a boyfriend, don't be surprised if the Lexapro makes "super happy fun time" (if you know what I mean), not so much fun.
ETA:
I experienced this first hand about 2 years ago. I was put on generic Wellbutrin to try to help me stop smoking cigarettes. I guess if you want to be picky, it was generic Zyban which is the exact same drug just marketed for smokers so they don't feel like they're taking a psych med and get turned off by the stigma attached to psych meds. Also, I think they marketed it as Zyban so that pulmonologists and primary docs could prescribe it without feeling like they're dangerously close to playing the role of psychiatrist. Anyways, after a short amount of time I felt a very unpleasant feeling of being anxious and the doc had me stop the medication. I can't remember what the dosage was. After that they wanted me to try Chantix but after saying they wanted me to take it, they sent me into this office where a nurse basically read me all of this literature about how Chantix could cause sudden thoughts of suicide, and could cause all these other nasty side effects so I ultimately said thanks but no thanks and finally was able to quit smoking on my own in March 2009 (almost a year now).
From personal experience, I gotta say that medication has definitely helped me to move on with my life. I exhibited all of the symptoms you explained and the medication kept me from living like a hermit for the rest of my life. I have major anxiety and OCD.
Now, I will say one thing....you more than likely don't need to be on Lexapro forever (I was on Zoloft). In fact, I had the unfortunate experience of having to wean myself off of it because I lost my health insurance. The positive thing that came from me taking the drug was that I was able to adapt to new environments. I've been off the zoloft for about a year now and I feel great. My therapist appointments coinciding with my zoloft use helped me to GROW into myself if that makes any sense.
Obviously, if I had the insurance, I would love to go back on the medication. But it's just far too expensive and heck, I'm just glad to HAVE experienced it. It adjusted my life.
Many people are against health care reform, but not having insurance has made me all for it. My father in law had a full-fledged (and very expensive) Heart Surgery. Had universal health care or health care reform been enforced before-hand, he wouldn't be in $30,000 debt.
Ah well. I'm rambling. Good luck, hun! You're gonna be fine!
Now, I will say one thing....you more than likely don't need to be on Lexapro forever (I was on Zoloft). In fact, I had the unfortunate experience of having to wean myself off of it because I lost my health insurance. The positive thing that came from me taking the drug was that I was able to adapt to new environments. I've been off the zoloft for about a year now and I feel great. My therapist appointments coinciding with my zoloft use helped me to GROW into myself if that makes any sense.
Obviously, if I had the insurance, I would love to go back on the medication. But it's just far too expensive and heck, I'm just glad to HAVE experienced it. It adjusted my life.
Many people are against health care reform, but not having insurance has made me all for it. My father in law had a full-fledged (and very expensive) Heart Surgery. Had universal health care or health care reform been enforced before-hand, he wouldn't be in $30,000 debt.
Ah well. I'm rambling. Good luck, hun! You're gonna be fine!
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