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[here-to-help]

So, I am new to this support, but I personally just got out of a lot of treatment and would like to provide the information and tools i have learned with other people that might be in need of a new perspective! Feel free to ask me anything you are are curious about.

[Iloveart7]

Welcome!

[HappyThinkin]

Welcome! Please share what you have learned. What kind of treatment did u go through?

[here-to-help in reply to HappyThinkin]

I went through multiple hospitalizations, psychotherapy, EMDR, and i just got out of a residential treatment center. What would you like to know?

[HappyThinkin in reply to here-to-help]

Were you hospitalized for your depression and anxiety?

[here-to-help in reply to HappyThinkin]

Yeah, I had multiple suicide attempts, was self harming a lot along with having really bad anxiety and panic attacks

[tamka38 in reply to here-to-help]

What have u learned about controlling your anxiety and depression? What’s new things have u learned about yourself. Do u still need to take medication? How have the EMDR works in your life?

[here-to-help in reply to tamka38]

For my anxiety, I find grounding techniques very helpful to bring me back and remind myself that i am not actually in a life threatening situation. I also use "safe place" with bilateral tapping as an EMDR technique my therapist has told me about. For depression, i have a unique scenario. I got diagnosed with lyme disease and mold exposure. So for me, the biggest thing was doing the treatment for that. But I have found that journaling is incredibly therapeutic. It is nice to have a setup you journal every night. for example, i say 3 things i was grateful for, 3 goals i have for the next day, and 2 thing i did well that day. EMDR has been really helpful! EMDR is used mostly to process traumas but can also be used for depression, anxiety, and eating disorders (along with some others but these are most commonly what EMDR is used for). I have used it for basically everything I listed but focussing mainly on my depression and being able to connect my feelings to traumatic events, allowing me to fully process what happened, giving me clarity and closure about the events. Please keep asking questions! I can go more in depth on things if you want to focus on some things in particular.

[tamka38 in reply to here-to-help]

Am diagnosed with clinical depression PTSD server anxiety panic disorder

And I use deep breathing exercise and meditation I need to start back doing grounding techniques and I just started tapping a couple weeks ago and I always write what am grateful for daily and I use to love writing share as much as u would Ike am here to listen and learn something new today and thank u for sharing

[here-to-help in reply to tamka38]

Of course! I hope that you find the right treatment for you. Are you currently in any programs?

[tamka38 in reply to here-to-help]

I see a psychiatrist and waiting to see a therapist but no program

[here-to-help in reply to tamka38]

are you interested in joining a support group or group therapy?

[tamka38 in reply to here-to-help]

Yes

[here-to-help in reply to tamka38]

have you looked into options near you yet?

[tamka38 in reply to here-to-help]

No

[tamka38 in reply to here-to-help]

Am a waiting list for a therapist some times am so anxious I be afraid to leave my house

[HappyThinkin in reply to tamka38]

Sounds familiar to what I am experiencing. Clinical depression, general anxiety disorder, and OCD. What medications are you on and what is helping you the most with depression and anxiety. lmk

[tamka38 in reply to HappyThinkin]

Am diagnosed with clinical depression PTSD server anxiety panic disorder am

On Zoloft and Xanax and I do deep breathing exercise and meditation

[HappyThinkin in reply to tamka38]

Have you had any problems with Zoloft? Ive been on Lexapro in the past and it worked well but this time around it made me have really dark thoughts and I got really scared. I have Ativan and that helps but I have to take it everyday (lowest dose). I need to get on another antidepressant but again I am really scared of the side effects. Are you tolerating all the meds ok?

[tamka38 in reply to HappyThinkin]

I had mild side effects with Zoloft and when it got upped I still didn’t notice

Anything I been on 100mg for 3 weeks

Now while if u talk to your psychiatrist

I know they could help find one with

Less side effects I heard good things

About Lexapro I tried Prozac in the past

And it work but this time around it give

Me bad side effects and I had to stop

It than it was zoloft but am an alcoholic

And I self medicate for years to numb my

Anxiety and depression and I been sober going on 3 months

[HappyThinkin in reply to tamka38]

Stay sober!!! Congratulations on 3 months! That's awesome! So you had the same experience with Prozac as I did with Lexapro. Worked the first time around but not he second time. What side effects did you get?

[tamka38 in reply to HappyThinkin]

Thank you my anxiety got worse and depression my skin felt like it was on

Fire night sweats couldn’t sleep or

Eat what was your side effects with

Lexapro this time

[HappyThinkin in reply to tamka38]

kinda the same as yours. insomnia, feeling like I want to crawl out of my skin, dark thoughts, dizziness, and pressure headache, and night sweats. Did the other meds not cause any problems for you? I am so terrified to take anything but I feel like I'll have to. Advice?

[tamka38 in reply to HappyThinkin]

My new medication was mild side effects and if u really don’t want to take meds

Look into all natural remedies and they

Say exercise helps yoga meditation deep

Breathing what have u tried

[here-to-help in reply to tamka38]

you can do a variety of different exercises but they are all most effective if you use them before you have completely reached panic attack. For meditations, if you can, i find when i am really flustered that using a guided meditation helps me stay most focused. But, once they become more regular and routine for you, you'll be able to lead yourself through one. Along with meditations, there are a million different types of breathing exercises. One that is easy and helps regulate my breath is "squared breathing". Breath in for 4 seconds, hold for four, exhale for 4, then hold again for 4. 4-4-4-4

[tamka38 in reply to here-to-help]

Thank you

[tamka38 in reply to HappyThinkin]

What medication are u on ? And what help u?

[HappyThinkin in reply to here-to-help]

What kind of meds have you tried and what worked for you?

[tamka38]

Hi and welcome I would love to hear about your experience on what u have learned

[HappyThinkin]

I think I am in a similar situation with depression and anxiety. My biggest problem is extreme lack of concentration, lightheadedness, and dark thoughts. Feeling like I will never feel normal happy self. All of these got worse on Lexapro so doctor took me off of it. What kind of techniques did you learn to deal with the extreme inability to concentrate and think straight? How do you break the cyclical thought process? Please lmk. Im desperate to find some techniques to help me out. I feel like I am going nuts.

[tamka38 in reply to HappyThinkin]

What have u been trying ? Did they change your medication?

[HappyThinkin in reply to tamka38]

Ive been on Lexapro for 2 months up and down 2.5 mg and 5 mg. I felt that the medication was making it worse (dark thoughts, despair, crawling out of your skin feeling) so Dr. finally told me to stop cold turkey and wait till it's out of my system so I can start something new. That has not happened yet. I take Seroquel at night for sleep (not great but calms down anxiety) and Ativan for panic attacks (once daily lowest dose). I'm really scared of all the antidepressant meds since they all have black box warning and I don't want to be a part of that statistic. So meanwhile, once my doc comes back from vacation and I can start something new I need some coping techniques for the moments where you just want to give up. I'm terrified. Have any of you been scared of these meds like me?

I feel aweful and I am scared that this will never go away. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[here-to-help in reply to HappyThinkin]

It's hard to say because everyone is different. #1 is find a medication that works for you, and that could mean having more than one prescription. In terms of negative cognitions, are you doing any psychotherapy right now? For concentration I found that a lot of the time i was disconnected from my body a lot. This can happen when you are experiencing extreme emotions and your body needs to find away to escape it. So if this is what is happening for you, you need to find what coping skills work for bringing you back to your body. Though this may seem counter productive at times, it is necessary, especially if you are looking for long term results. Personally, I use grounding, breathing, and the 5 senses in public situations.

[HappyThinkin in reply to here-to-help]

Please give me the coping skills! My therapy does not start till early January and I am at a loss. The out of body experience, what exactly did it feel like? I feel like Im slowed down and can't get my thinking straight. Afraid to talk to people because I don't know if they notice in behavior. Please tell me more about grounding, breathing, and the 5 senses. I need al the help I can get. And thank you!

[here-to-help in reply to HappyThinkin]

That sounds similar to me, I just feel disconnected from my thoughts and as you said, it's hard to get thoughts organized and keep them on track. Breathing is one of the best things you can know because it completely calms down the nervous system, telling your body that you aren't in danger and can relax. It is great because you can use it at all times, without drawing much attention to yourself if you're in public situations. Using your 5 senses brings you back to your surroundings. Its as simple as just finding 5 details you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell, 1 taste. You could probably google grounding techniques and a bunch will pop up and you can just try them all as you need them. The one I find most helpful sounds odd but it is just paying attention to gravity. If you are sitting in a chair pay attention to where your body seems to be pulled down onto the chair or feet to the ground, paying attention to exactly where you are feeling it. If you can lay down to do this, I find that to be more effective and secure feeling to me. If laying down, you do the same thing but can go even deeper into it. Some people have a hard time getting to this but for others it is easy so you'll just have to hear me out and then see if it works. But sometimes, if you pay so close attention to the gravity on your body whilst laying, I can only describe it as feeling like you are melting into the floor.

[HappyThinkin]

Thank you so much! Where you able to use it all in social situations? I feel like people will notice that something is off with me as I am not my usual cheerful self. I feel like I am zoned out. My OCD is also getting worse with the depression.

How many meds did they give you when you got hospitalized and what kind? I am just curious just in case I hit the rock bottom and need to get to the ER. What should I expect if it ever came to that?

[here-to-help in reply to HappyThinkin]

So, people might notice that something might be off and that isn't the worst thing. Taking a couple of minutes to be within yourself is better than being like that the whole time or having to completely remove yourself from the situation because you can't control your anxiety. In terms of meds, i have tried a few but as you know, it is different for everyone and your chemical makeup. Right now I am on a high dose of Wellbutrin, Pristiq, and a million supplements. It is important that you do blood work before being put on a prescription if you want to avoid unnecessary drug intake. Sometimes we are depressed because of how deficient our bodies are of some vitamins. So, for me, I went to the ER after my attempts except for one time I went because I had the plan and the materials to kill myself. If you are going to the ER because your suicidal ideation is so strong you can't keep yourself safe, they will send you to an inpatient facility. They will most likely put you on a 72 hold, meaning you will be inpatient for a minimum of 3 days, usually longer. So the ER themselves probably won't prescribe you anything but wait until you are inpatient to see a psychiatrist, who will then asses what you should go on. Honestly, inpatient facilities differ place to place, but for the most part they aren't as bad and scary as most people make them out to be. It doesn't mean you are crazy and you will most likely be around a bunch of kids in your same situation. I'm not sure how much you know about being admitted so let me know if you want me to talk more about what inpatient is like bc i dont want to just be rambling about thungs you dont care about.

[HappyThinkin]

Thank you again. Im trying not to get to that point but in case I lose my marbles, I have to make sure that I am safe and know what to expect. I have two young kids so I can't make stupid mistakes. Getting myself to the ER would be a responsible thing to do if needed. Ill try all my best so that it won't happen.

So, yes, please tell me what inpatient is like and how do they determine the right meds and how do they determine that you are stable enough to function.

[here-to-help in reply to HappyThinkin]

Med management is usually done one of two ways. You can get a genetic test that tells you what meds would would work with your body including pain meds and some other ones too, usually accurate and very useful in my experience. What I have experienced, and usually see is just trial and error. Usually a psychiatrist will talk to you and just pick a medication that would treat the symptoms you gave. This can get tricky as there are a lot of different med options for the same set if symptoms but I have seen this to work a lot more commonly than it seems. I would recommend starting to try medications before you completely hit rock bottom but are feeling like you might need that extra support. Usually anti-depressants can take 4-6 weeks to start having a full effect so better to start sooner than later. They determine that you are ready to leave once your SI (suicidal ideation) has decreased significantly as they usually re-asses daily. Honestly, inpatient is really just a safe hold for a couple of days until both you and they feel like you are no longer a risk to your own (or someone else's if you are homicidal) life. Again, I am just speaking from my own experience so things can vary place to place. The places I have been to are mostly what you'd expect. The schedule is similar day to day including group and individual therapy sessions, meeting with your psychiatrist, and usually some sort of activity. There isn't much to it. You will get therapeutic assignments that you need to complete, some of which are the basics and others that are more personalized. For me, I had family therapy sessions once a week-ish. Again, the places I went to had visiting hours almost, if not daily. At most places you will have a roommate and be in a unit that covers all psych admits. Because of how severe my case was, there were times I would spend 3 weeks in the hospital before getting released, and other times I was released immediately after the 72 hour hold. I recommend not trying to push it despite how much you want to get out because it could mean life or death. It would be important to continue seeing a therapist regularly and also a psychiatrist, even if you are feeling okay. I have learned that even if nothing seems wrong it usually because you are repressing something significant. If there are things you are holding back from your therapist, do everything you can to push yourself into saying it because even though opening up those difficult conversations sucks, your treatment will work better long-term and you will eventually feel better that you said whatever it was. Whether that be stress from work, family issues, past or current traumas/abuse.