Best Types of Therapy?

So, lately things haven’t been great - after ending up in hospital last week and getting put on new meds, I know I really need to find someone to talk to. My teacher at college has been amazing, but I don’t feel like I can just keep dumping my stuff on her - she’s busy and it’s not fair. I was wondering what sort of therapy people would recommend for anxiety and moderate to severe depression, as someone with a complicated past and trouble ‘opening up’. What sort of experience have other people had with psychotherapy, CBT etc.?

[MAS_Nurse]

Hi Laetliss, I'm sorry things have been tough for you again recently.Your tutor sounds lovely and supportive, but agree with you that you need maintain appropriate boundaries in your tutor-student relationship, as she is not the one to help you manage your symptoms. It would be good to chat with your GP about how you are feeling, and to ask what local community mental health services are available to you that you could either self-refer or be referred on too. It's hard to say which therapy is best as this is very individual and depends on specific needs. Generally if you have a MH referral this type of thing would be discussed at your initial consultation with MH professional. More often than not on the NHS the first type of therapy offered is usually Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), but there are others out there such as Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) or a combination of the two over a number of sessions. These have been shown to be effective in helping anxiety related conditions and depression, in conjunction with medication. Sometimes it's offered on a one-to-one basis or in group, again discussed at the initial consultation.

Check out MIND's information: mind.org.uk/information-sup...

mind.org.uk/information-sup...

Folks here are very supportive and many folks will know how you feel. Therapy is very individual though, and what might work for one, may not for another, so it's good to be open-minded.

Hope this helps and that you can get the right help that you need. Take care and keep in touch.

[Honey10]

Hi laetliss, sorry your going through a bad patch, hope you get the right support for you.

I was on psychotherapy waiting about 18months ago, very long waiting list in my area.Cognitive behaviour therapy easier to access, i personally didn't feel they were that great, i needed someone in my case knowedgable in the field of schizophrenia. The mental health team where i live very good at medicated people less resources put into talking therapy. It sadden me to say i see friends heavily medicated not enjoying life to the full.

I would say there is a huge gap between Nhs are able to offer and private sector, i have experienced both. Just the manner your greeted, appointment within days and treated with empathy and compassion. When i was in private care no medication, lots of man hours of care made the world difference to my life. Of course this should be the same for the nhs, sadly not in my area. Eighteen months no therapy absolute joke on nhs.

Anyone else had ghastly long waits for care?

Wishing you all the best xx

[Hidden in reply to Honey10]

I was turned down for therapy by the NHS. Maybe I am considered 'too old' now for it to be worthwhile? x

[Honey10 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Lilaclil,

I am sorry to hear this, i do think the easy and cheap option is drug everyone. I truely believe talking and in my case understanding the voices in my head is the key to my mental well being today. I used to think just shut the voices up, in reality these voices were part of me, like a coping mechanism. When i was medicated i was unable to hold job down , i just felt numb i didn't feel i could enjoy life. It like part of my brain was being shut down. I now feel me which is priceless and alive. I am finally starting to regain control of my weight, because i don't want ten years shaved off my life due to becoming diabetic or other health condition associated with weight gain and mentally ill. I feel let down by nhs, just drugging me to silence when all i needed was a listening ear and support.

[Hidden in reply to Honey10]

Oh dear not good Honey10. It's much quicker to drug than use therapy and cheaper. I'm afraid with the NHS in such dire straights things are only going to get worse.

I am medicated and often feel quite numb and I will have to stay like this until my end days now that I have been turned down for counselling. I have deep issues I still can't sort out and I was hoping for a better old age than youth. I have accepted it though as I have long given up expecting life to be fair. It doesn't mean it's right though does it? Lil x

[Honey10]

It sadden me to hear this, i am sure your not alone. We mustn't be silenced, keep fighting for a fairer nhs where mental illness is seen as equal to physical illness.

[Honey10]

Yes, its the quiet ones, who are probably the most needy.

I have suffered with mental illness for years, from minor eating disorder, depression, anxiety to full blown schizophrenia. Eighteen years ago GP told be i shouldn't had waited two weeks for GP appointment ,but i did. The psycharist told me i didn't have psychoasis years ago, so i didn't get treatment. I was offered help for eating disorder. I learnt to put on a brave face and carry on , at my lowest i sat on the roof of my house, sobbing and slapping my face in sheer despair and running down to the bridge over dual carriageway wanting to end things. But I am here today, fighting on

[20Voices]

Hi Laetliss, Sorry to hear that you were in hospital. It is good your tutor has been supportive. It is really good that you recognize that you help other than the medication. I found that although the other things that I was doing was really good that one to one sessions with a psychologist was the best thing. I have completed an interactive CBT program, but talking to the psychologist helped me to work through issues and it wasn't until after I didn't need the sessions with her anymore that I realised that she helped me to use the knowledge I already have as well as helped me by asking the questions that allowed me to see what changes I needed to make myself and that she just guided me to the solutions that I was comfortable with. She did introduce me to new techniques also but then again it was the information that I gave her that led her to suggest that type of thing I would need.

So I would highly recommend getting one-to-one counselling with a trained counselor or psychologist.

Take care.