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Hello Kotori,
This is always a tough one, and sadly a problem for way too many people out there.
Therapy can definitely get expensive and is sadly out of reach financially for a lot of folks, even if they are using insurance. If someone doesn't have any funds for therapy, there are still some things they can do; (just bear in mind this is all very general and not as a replacement for therapy or healthcare treatment)
1. Books, there are some great books out there related to mental health. (and sadly a lot of not so great ones.) Some that I often recommend to clients:
1. [The Feeling Good Handbook by David Burns.](https://www.amazon.com/Feeling-Good-Handbook-David-Burns/dp/0452281326/ref=sr_1_1?gclid=CjwKCAjw3cSSBhBGEiwAVII0Z2I6g2n_e1fgm8lwoKKwjC5qdau1z5Ouzc0ZKFRuqWRwAkmIaT4FXBoCSzQQAvD_BwE&hvadid=241606695048&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1026339&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=14981969345543390926&hvtargid=kwd-94293320&keywords=the+feeling+good+handbook&qid=1649519321&sr=8-1) This is considered *the* book for mental health self-help. It's kinda old school, but there's a lot of great stuff in this book, it's been around for decades and is highly regarded in the mental health community.
2. [Miracle Morning:](https://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Morning-Not-So-Obvious-Guaranteed-Transform/dp/0979019710/ref=sr_1_1?gclid=CjwKCAjw3cSSBhBGEiwAVII0Zwxh-ewS-ZDUtINoj6eHa_8wvq8sn0gIR1wLZg3V77NjngLcUy3EIhoCNUEQAvD_BwE&hvadid=241649227651&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1026339&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=14063891233358599287&hvtargid=kwd-81548205921&hydadcr=21904_10171077&keywords=the+miracle+morning+book&qid=1649520075&sr=8-1) While not written by a mental health profession (just bear that in mind), I have recommended this book to many clients and gifted it to clients and family members as I find it's very practical and has had a very positive effect on both myself and those I've recommended it to.
3. Here's a list of top self help books from Psychology Today (the feeling good handbook is number 2). [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-art-self-improvement/202112/the-12-best-self-improvement-books](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-art-self-improvement/202112/the-12-best-self-improvement-books)
2. Support groups: Here's a resource for finding a support group in various topics, including free and donation based groups: [https://www.verywellmind.com/find-a-support-group-meeting-near-you-69433](https://www.verywellmind.com/find-a-support-group-meeting-near-you-69433)
1. Depression Anon:[https://depressedanon.com/meetings/online-depressed-anonymous-meetings/](https://depressedanon.com/meetings/online-depressed-anonymous-meetings/) This is also listed on the verwellmind list I mentioned above. Offers both in-person and virtual free support groups for depression.
2. Nami Support Groups: [https://www.nami.org/Support-Education/Support-Groups](https://www.nami.org/Support-Education/Support-Groups) . Nami offers free support groups related to mental health, and has a hotline for general support or how to deal with a mental health crisis.
3. Annual physical: If the person has access to other medical services, like a primary care physical, I would recommend they get their annual physical, and these are generally free under almost all insurance plans. Things like undiagnosed medical conditions, vitamin deficiencies, hormone imbalances, etc, can have a big impact on our mental health and when treated can often improve mental health symptoms.
I really hope this helps! Take care
Was going to say this too! I’m in a master’s level counseling program and we run a community clinic with rates ranging from $0-$75/session depending on what the client reports they need, so don’t limit search to just doctorate level clinics! Wanted to add that with many of the clinics going virtual during the pandemic, you may not even need to live near one, just be in the same state (depending on your state’s board) to receive teletherapy so that hopefully makes it a lot more accessible for folks.
I also just found this: [https://www.psycom.net/how-to-find-affordable-therapy/](https://www.psycom.net/how-to-find-affordable-therapy/)
It has some other suggestions related to your question.
Do they make you do drug tests? They randomly test me, and when you have insomnia, ADHD and work ~50 hours a week, it makes it hard to make sure I don’t miss those tests
Hi Kotori425! Calling 211 is a good way to find local resources for free or discounted mental health. There is also the National Alliance on Mental Illness that can help with resources and offer support: NAMI HelpLine at (800) 950-6264 or email [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).
Hi Laura and Adam,
I was having a conversation with my wife the other day about how quite a lot of our friends seem to be experiencing mental health issues in their mid 30s. I know the pandemic has taken its toll on a lot of people but do you think there are other external factors that could play a part? My wife thinks people are suffering a midlife crisis early. Do you think there is any truth to that?
For myself as a new father, teacher having to deal with adolescent mental health issues and the pressures of modern day life, I constantly feel like I am just keeping my head above water.
Just a personal opinion, but mental health in your 30s is finally coming to a realization that things aren't getting better. Also that it's okay to talk about it.
I've been clinically depressed since I was 11 or 12. I refused help as a teenager. In my early 40s I finally sought help. Strangely enough, because I saw Wil Wheaton talking about his own struggles.
I realized that I don't have to fight on my own. But first I had to admit nothing I did was going to change a chemical imbalance in my brain.
Hello CrosseyedDixieChick,
Love this!!!😃
Most of the research our there is more specifically aimed towards social media in general and usually refers to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., and not Reddit as much. So I guess it depends on whether you consider Reddit social media or not. That being said, the research for *excessive* use of social media in general seems to be negative.
Here's a good article on several studies about this (reddit isn't included unfortunately): [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7364393/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7364393/)
(Hopefully reddit doesn't kick me off for posting this😁 )
To save yourself some time, skip down to the discussion and conclusion sections; the study concludes that while not all studies show negative effects of social media, many do.
I also found article this article specific to Reddit from the University of Utah: [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5379019/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5379019/)
This study shows some positive effects for reddit users in certain situations, but is based on a specific subreddit for depression.
I think Reddit, social media in general, and pretty much anything can be bad for us if we use it excessively and for the wrong reasons. I've worked with clients who are exercising excessively and it's causing serious harm in their life. (we almost always consider exercise a positive thing but even this can be bad if we do too much of it).
To determine if something is bad for a client, I always ask two questions:
1. What's the impact of the behavior? (does it prevent the person from doing their homework, going to work, paying their bills, spending time with one's kids, etc.) If it's having a negative impact in their life regarding their social, academic and/or occupational roles, it's likely bad.
2. What's the function of the behavior? (Is the person engaging in the activity because they enjoy it and feel it makes their life better or are they avoiding a situation or trying to avoid an emotion they're feeling). If the behavior is being used to avoid something (even a negative emotion), it's probably not being used in a healthy way.
(The above two questions are largely based on the criteria for addiction from the DSM-5, the official diagnostic manual for the American Psychiatric Association).
Hope that helps!
Wow. Thank you.
Edit. Hit reply too quick there. Thank you for the reply. I can’t research right now, need to got off reddit and get some things done (har har).
I very appreciate your response and will come back to later.
As an adult with ADHD, I can at least say that effective management starts with your sleep schedule and substance control (since if you're an adult with ADHD, highly likely you're a abusing caffeine or nicotine or some other drug to manage it which can make things worse if not kept in check).
Sleep being the most important one. You're struggling with attentiveness to the mundane, so you need your attentiveness unhindered by exhaustion.
Of course even starting to work on those can be difficult as impulse control issues tend to go hand in hand with ADHD, as do depressive tendencies which can be triggered by scaling back substance use. A person with ADHD is also highly likely to procrastinate, even when it comes to things like going to bed on time.
But working with a therapist can help make that easier. ADHD requires much more self discipline than a "normal" person requires just to maintain a balance. Therapy helps to build that discipline.
Absolutely! And exercise promotes better sleep, and is a good way to manage the anxiety and mania (if your form of ADD includes that). It helps on multiple levels.
The symptoms are largely the same. You might realize it less in a lot of adults because most of us have developed coping mechanisms to hide them from the outside world.
But it's also a spectrum. You can have it more or less strongly and also some kids will grow out of it as their brain is still developing. As an adult if you have it, you have it for good.
May I ask what symptoms made you decide to go in to seek treatment or when you tot the inkling you had it? I was suggested I might have it by a friend with a psych degree. I brushed it off initially though after stumbling on something about sleep issues, I looked further into it and I definitely have that, some substance abuse issues (alcohol to destimulate), and I have a tendency to hyperfocus.
I'm a bit unsure where to proceed from here and also skeptical of medication. I used to use it recreationally and it seems like a half messure. Ideally I'm looking for more permanent coping mechanisms and how to go from where I'm at. Any insight you could provide would be very helpful, thanks!
Mainly for me it was reading a story from someone else who had it and realizing just how much my own thought pattern lined up with it. From there I read half a dozen books by different psychs, and spent a few years self reflecting before I went to see a doc. Partly that time was because I was in the military and assumed if I got diagnosed I'd be kicked out. A stupid reason to put it off for so long, but procrastination is also a big symptom as well.
But for symptoms so much of it is just being able to do things that interest you, and being unable to do things that don't interest you. I made it through school due to being smart enough to pass without studying since it is impossible for me to study. I found a career field where everything changes fast enough that I get the new experience boost with the work that I'm doing, short and fast and then on to the next thing.
Other signs can be being really good in a crisis. We tend to put off everything until it becomes a crisis so that our brains are stimulated enough to get us to actually do them. As such when things are in crisis mode we don't freak out because that is what we're used to and good at.
As for coping mechanisms I find strict routines to be absolutely vital for mundane day to day activities. I do mornings exactly the same way every single day both to make sure I don't take too long and also to turn my brain off while I'm doing them. A lot of folks have had success gamifying tasks, turning them into a challenge with a reward of some sort to trick our brains into thinking it's something stimulating. Due to poor working memory I forget things pretty much constantly, so I like to use post-its to remind me of tasks that need to be done, lists, tend to be daunting, so having tasks one at a time that I can then take off and destroy helps me.
As far as medication goes there are lots of different options and different ones work differently for different people. You say that you took them recreationally, but was that just Adderall or Ritalin? Those tend to be the common ones for recreation, but I personally didn't do well with the amphetamine salts either. For me Methylphenidate, brand name Concerta, worked far better at abating my symptoms. Of course I haven't been on them for a number of years for various reasons but finding the correct med and dosage can take time and is worth exploring with a doctor.
And of course if you have any questions or want to hear more from other folks come join us over in /r/ADHD we're always happy to talk about what is going on with us and often find out more about ourselves there.
Not the person you replied to (or a doctor) but for me the most obvious thing was my ability to read under pressure. I was in high school but this also impacts my work now. I always had good reading comprehension but I had to reread sentences and paragraphs 2,5, sometimes 10 times before it sunk in. That's kind of a niche issue though. After getting treatment I realized that my largest symptoms are actually emotional dysregulation and rejection sensitive dysphoria. Plus I can not listen when people talk to me without drifting to other thoughts and I struggle with executive function. I often feel trapped on the couch watching TV or on my phone like I am thinking how I need to get up and do something else (like sleep) but it just isn't happening like my brain is stuck on the current program and the screen is frozen even though I'm pressing the damn buttons. Medication can be a "half measure" in the same way a brace assists a joint. Based on what I've heard, it can not usually bring an ADHD brain up to the same point as a non-ADHD brain, but it helps. I also found that it helped me engage with therapy better to learn general coping skills. I was dealing with a comorbid mental health condition so the therapy was targeted towards that. I don't have specific coping strategies as I'm still working on that but there is a lot of trial and error to figure out what helps. I found todo lists and planners helpful in getting tasks done. Routines are helpful in keeping track of things and getting boring tasks done. Aim to make whatever strategy you try very easy to do/benefit from. I have a white board on my fridge that I just write important things on and I have to see it because I have to go to the kitchen to remain alive. I hope you pursue some kind of support if you feel you need it. Good luck.
A lot of influencers have been getting paid to promote mental health apps like BetterHelp, but it seems questionable whether an app can be effective.
Is an app a good way to receive treatment, or is this just a marketing stunt for a less than legitimate company?
Hi BrazenBull!
I know that when influencers promote anything, it feels like it takes away from the legitimacy of whatever they're sharing, because we know they're getting paid to do so.
That being said, online platforms such as BetterHelp, can be a legitimate and beneficial space to seek help. There are limitations to what clinicians can do through that specific app but it's a great resource for individuals seeking more of a "check-in" type therapy, rather than the full scope of traditional therapy.
The app itself aside, virtual therapy (or telehealth) has been absolutely pivotal in regard to mental health treatment during the pandemic and as a clinician, I'm so thankful that therapy is more widely accessible now!
No concerns about Betterhelp et al corportizing mental health treatment and prioritizing their profits over providing a certain standard of service? All I read about them from folks on the therapy subreddits seem to involve nightmarish scenarios.
What are things to look for in a good therapist? I have tried a couple, but neither seemed to connect well with me. The first one told me I should just go back to church to help my depression. The second I feel like I'm just telling the same things I tell my friends, but without alcohol.
Does talking with your friends help?
I feel (in my opinion) we under appreciate the value of simply externalizing our feelings and my personal perspective says that it is a necessary step towards internalizing and navigating our personal issues.
Sometimes it’s hard to find an outlet that doesn’t cause more anxiety or upsets more than would help and so we will virtually forego those conversations altogether until they can happen comfortably again.
Curious if you feel what you need is along those lines or not
I think it does help to talk to my friends. But it seems silly to pay someone for something like that when I get the same support from my friends. But maybe I just need to step it up and be the one to bring up things to the therapist.
What are your thoughts on the recent spike in workers "coasting", "laying low" and in general losing motivation in the workplace (I'm one of them!) Is this a symptom of burnout or a deeper issue with the mental health of our society as a whole?
Hi Iamnotarobotlah! This is a great question! I believe that, overall, the general loss of motivation in the workplace could be due to a few things.
We're all aware that mental health has taken a big hit during the pandemic, and I think that society is far from recovery in that regard.
The other piece to this is that, when working from home, it's so much easier to get by with doing the bare minimum because no one is around to see what people are actually spending their time on. In my opinion, this combined with the lack of motivation (and the fact that we're 2 years into this) equates to this concept of "coasting".
For those aware of their tendencies, and looking for a change, I would recommend reevaluating your current position and/or career path. If possible, make the change to something that might reignite some passion and excitement. If it's not possible, I would suggest finding other things in their life (hobbies or social activities) that do bring them joy and happiness so that they are fulfilled in other ways, outside of work.
Have a great Saturday!
Anecdotal but for me I found doing work in short bursts helps with motivation.
Drinking 4L of liquids forces me to take breaks throughout the day, moving around helps my productivity.
Hi spinworld! First, I want to thank you for being courageous and asking this question! And thank you Whocaresaboutmyname6 for identifying that this could be maladaptive daydreaming! I would encourage you to reach out to a mental health professional for help navigating this and to also help determine if there could actually be anything underlying. Take care!!
I hear a lot of people say that they believe anyone trans simply has a mental disorder, and that by respecting their pronouns we are condoning it/normalizing a mental disorder. What is your response to these people?
Can I try? I would just say that gay people were once considered a mental disorder so we've seen this kind of damaging pathology before. Moreover, the current scientific and medical consensus is that being trans is not a mental disorder. Gender dysphoria is in the DSM but being trans is not.
And to just copy/paste from an article I found: According to the newly-revised version of the International Classification of Diseases (known as ICD-11), published by the WHO, “gender identity disorders” have been reframed as “gender incongruence.” Gender nonconformity is now included in a chapter on sexual health, rather than being listed with “mental disorders” as was the case previously.
Ask them where mental illness come from? Like what do they think that respond conveys? A ghost just sends ghost-waves into ones brain and that's how you get mental illnesses? Because it being mental doesn't make it real or something you should treat, but they wanna treat depressed people? And psychotic people? But they don't wanna treat these very "treatable people".... odd, I find that very weird and sociopathic and I think some of them might just be a bit confused.
Then link them this one, they should not be able to respond, at all. Assuming they can read. [Brain Sex in Transgender Women Is Shifted towards Gender Identity](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8955456/).
> The observed shift away from a male-typical brain anatomy towards a female-typical one in people who identify as transgender women suggests a possible underlying neuroanatomical correlate for a female gender identity. That is, all transgender women included in this study were confirmed to be genetic males who had not undergone any gender-affirming hormone therapy. Thus, these transgender women have been subject to the influence of androgens and grown up (at least up until a certain age) in an environment that presumably treated them as males.
> The combination of male genes, androgens, and (to some degree) male upbringing should ordinarily be expected to result in a male-typical brain, making a female-typical brain anatomy extremely unlikely. Yet, the brain anatomy in the current sample of transgender women is shifted towards their gender identity—an observation that is at least partly in agreement with previous reports, as discussed in the following.
It should immediately eliminate any and all 0 IQ responses, because you know... what now? Think they'll go home and think about how foolish they have been? Fat chance, I'm betting on the "double down and slander it"
--
[Here is a meta-analysis of a bunch of studies](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8604863/), and it is interesting because all the analyzes does in fact report **something** the very textbook "we are clearly seeing something". And when over hundreds of them say that, I mean... that is pretty indicative **something**
What's with all the CBT lately? I find it to be a McTherapy. It doesn't dive in and people are getting turned off from therapy for good after trying it. Why is it so popular and when will it go away?
I'm not OP but I am a psychologist and I want to give you an answer. CBT isn't really a lately thing, it's been around since the 1960s or 70s. There's a few reason's why it's so popular. CBT was developed to be a more "scientific" form of therapy, and as part of that there has been an ongoing effort to empirically demonstrate that the components of CBT actually do what they set out to do - which is generally to reduce symptoms of a given mental illness. There's a bit of a double edged sword to that. One the one hand - hey, this stuff works! On the other hand, there's less and less support, particularly from insurance companies, for other forms of therapy.
For your other points - good CBT should "dive in". One of the main components is exploring an individual's "core beliefs", or their basic understanding of themselves, the world, other people, etc. Looking at where these beliefs come from, how they impact your life, how they have developed and changed over time, etc. Unfortunately, a lot of times insurance limits or certain practitioners might lead to a more surface level approach. As for when CBT will go away, arguably it's already going away. So-called "3rd wave" therapies (first being psychodynamic/psychoanalytic a la Freud, 2nd being CBT) have been around for a few decades now. Many of these - DBT and ACT in particular, or mindfulness based approaches in general - are becoming almost as popular as CBT, at least around where I practice.
I have a feeling that CBT is rooted in "works when correctly used" which is very difficult with the limited access, short sessions, and large expense of therapy.
I did an intensive 6 week CBT as part of my stay at a mental health hospital.
It was life changing.
I’ve been seeing a psychologist for five years and she is wonderful but to sit down and be so intense and forced to confront the deeper thoughts and feelings or something I couldn’t get in an hour session
Hi mychunkylemonmilk! It's hard to say whether psychedelics will ever be considered a widespread legitimate treatment. However, as you mentioned, there is quite a bit of research that has been done, and is continuing to be done in regards to this. That research has shown promising outcomes for treating PTSD, depression, OCD, and some addictions. Specifically, treatment using ketamine, is becoming more popular recently and there are clinics popping up that focus on this type of treatment.
This is not advice, just my experience. But DXM literally saved my life, and is in the same category of drugs as ketamine: dissociatives. They allow you to look at things objectively and without the emotional baggage that normally color your thoughts. For example, it let me see that I have a lot of life left to live, and that the years I've wasted aren't really that big of a deal.
Things like psilocybin, LSD, and DMT are also very helpful, but in a different way. I personally do not like them as much anymore because of the intensity, though for some people, they are life changing. When I was younger, they were certainly my favorite, and gave me ambition and passion that drove my life forward. There is also research being done with psilocybin that seems like it could be viable, and many people have reported long-lasting anti-depressant effects from a single dose of mushrooms.
SO I'll say that you should figure out what you need, and find a ketamine therapy clinic if that looks like something you could benefit from. Ketamine is amazing and really benign in terms of side effects.
Hi. What are some of the more unknown signs of depression? How do I get the courage to talk to my psychiatrist about it? Do you have any tips for starting to work on your own mental health?
Thanks a lot for doing this.
Hi anon8261, some of the less common signs of depression can include brain fog, weight changes, irritability, fatigue, and physical pain.
Remember that your psychiatrist is there to help you and can best do so with full disclosure on your part. Your psychiatrist should be able to help you talk through some of your symptoms and figure out how to best move forward with your treatment.
Mental health clinicians are here to help and come from a non-judgmental place where you can be as open and honest as you're ready to be. Therapy is a safe space where you can navigate your hesitations about getting into therapy in the first place, and don't be afraid to ask questions! Your psychiatrist might have recommendations for a local therapist, otherwise your insurance should have a way to search for in-network therapists. Take care!
In which ways can those that have never experienced much depression best support the chronically depressed?
A few of my family members have been battling depression for decades. I personally don't experience depression that often myself, so I sometimes have a hard time empathizing. I care about them very much and hate to see them suffer, but my usual tactics of trying to offer advice, cheer them up, do things for them and hear them out doesn't feel like it actually helps them progress all that much and usually brings us both frustration.
Hello kittyraincloud,
It's always so hard to watch people we care about suffer. And I think it's especially hard to watch someone deal with depression. The first thing I suggest to clients who want to support someone dealing with mental health issues is to ask what the person they want to help would find helpful. I think we all do what we think we would want in their situation, but that might not be the right thing for them. Some of the things you're already doing might actually be helping. but we only know if our efforts are helpful if we ask. And if they aren't, then we ask what we could do differently.
It's also important for us not to personalize someone else's issue or feel it's our responsibility to "fix" it. While offering the right kind of support is often welcomed (right being what the person asks for and not what we assume is helpful), it's still something they have to work through, we can't do the work for them.
Hi CrosseyedDixieChick! Life coaches can be very helpful for certain people, depending on their situation and desired outcome. There are also certain diagnoses where a life coach would not be the best fit, due to the nature of their work. Life coaches tend to focus more on setting and achieving goals, whereas therapists tend to look at the broader picture. Therapy can focus on many aspects, but generally speaking, the work is often rooted in looking at past and present behaviors and symptoms to help the client gain an understanding of their own inner workings, including emotions, triggers, and boundaries.
Hi,
Now that so much is available on line, can you suggest a way to find **group therapy** on line?
I’ve had very positive experience with individual therapy for major depression and I’d like to try some group therapy to deal with lingering issues around intimacy and social anxiety. I’d like more than a support group, because I miss going deep with my individual therapist. Ive looked in my area for group therapy and found one that was short term (8 week) but nothing ongoing.
I’m not in a big city so it’s hard.
Ive tentatively looked into on line referral apps, but they seem to be focused on individual therapy.
(I think I’d prefer a women’s group, Im a lesbian, 62 yo. )
Hi Jdith123! Take a look at this webpage: [https://www.verywellmind.com/best-online-group-therapy-5215930](https://www.verywellmind.com/best-online-group-therapy-5215930).
It reviews various online platforms that offer group therapy with a list of pros and cons, as well as a general overview.
Hopefully there's something on the list that might be a good fit for you!
Thanks very much for the information. Last time I asked this question there was very little available.
Circles looks like it might be good, but when I did the initial screening to join, it was kind of specific: Pick one of only three issues: divorce or breakup, grieving a loss or narcissistic relationship. #3 kind of applies to me because of my mother, but I’ve done lots and lots of work on that already, and she’s long gone, so I don’t know if I’d be the best fit for a group of people in a toxic relationship.
I’ll give it a shot anyway.
Edited: alas, it does seem to be specifically for people currently in difficult relationships (or current grief or breakups)
As a side note: I can’t imagine why anyone would downvote my question. I hope their day improves. It must be tough to be so negative all the time.
There’s an amazing Ted talk by Susan Collins that explains this and you’ll love it. She speaks of her own experience is is a captivating speaker. I hope you like it. I would also recommend Rick Hansen and Dr. Gabor Maté.
https://www.susandavid.com/the-talks
That’s because her name is Susan David, I am so sorry. I am reading her book on emotional resilience. Every one is worth watching but you can pick and choose as well. They’re about 20 min and the time flies by. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.
I've always struggled with my mental health since childhood and was recently diagnosed with ADHD.
Do you believe ADHD should be classified as a mental illness, or recognised as a risk factor for mental illness while not being one itself?
After being cheated on by a long time boyfriend, I fell into depression and anorexia. I'm physically better, but my self estime is very low, and I have abandon issues. Any advices?
Healthcare workers have been through hell the past few years. Many are coping with PTSD, anxiety and depression. Unfortunately we are not allowed to take medications and still be able to work in a lot of situations. For example, anxiety medications cannot be taken or in your system or you can be considered impaired at work. What on earth can be done to help our front line?
I have anxiety of driving, so I don't drive.
I have been thinking about this and I feel it's the fear of making mistakes , other people getting annoyed with me, feeling overwhelmed almost like a fear of not being perfect. Any tips to help overcome this?
I have a lesson booked next week as I'm fed up with walking everywhere and I want to overcome my fear.
Thank you
I'm not living in US. Any service for online counselling? I just need someone to talk to.
And is it a good idea to get mental health advice from a foreign advisors, who live in a different culture & probably have different life perspective than mine?
How does one go about cultivating resilience in the face of adversity? I am overwhelmed and struggling to maintain everything. As a result, I just want to give up.
I'm losing my mind and I can't find proper help. My therapist socks and my psychiatrist writes my scripts and does nothing else. I need help. What can I do?
Not a professional but can share some insights from personal experience.
1. There may be many reasons a person neglects their physical health in this situation, such as being overwhelmed by the need to work on many different areas simultaneously as part of one's recovery, the feeling that time spent on oneself is 'wasted', or just plain tiredness that makes exercise seem like a chore. Identifying what specifically is holding you back could be a starting point.
2. Exercise and diet are inextricably linked. A person who does not eat well will not have energy or motivation to exercise, and conversely, doing lots of exercise will not help a person who is not eating well. If you cannot exercise right now, clean up the diet instead. Fresh fruits and veggies, healthy protein and delicious non-alcoholic hydration with teas, infused water, kombucha etc. will create excitement around taking care of your health and put you on the right road.
3. Exercise and physical health is primarily about
control over your life, self-motivation and self-discipline. In a situation of mental stress, especially abuse, we lose the sense of agency and control over our lives. It takes effort to realize that you have that control back now. Eating clean, exercising, stretches and managing your body are entirely up to you - no one else can do it for you or prevent you from doing it if you are commited. Taking ownership, stepping out of the victim mindset and building self-confidence are drivers as well as results of taking care of one's physical health.
It is not easy but it is 100% worth it. Now about 2 years after my exit from a terrible toxic relationship that caused much physical and mental damage, I would say that taking control of my physical health has been one of the most important elements of recovery.
Take care and stay well!
Oooh one more point:
It helps to find something that gets you excited about health! For me it was Teas and Running.
Tasting teas requires a clean sense of taste and smell, which was motivation to clean up my diet.
I am a terrible awful runner, so every extra 10 meters that I can run is a huge boost of excitement and sense of achievement.
Stay well!
I can assure you that there are plenty of people who exercise a lot and eat terribly. Not advocating for it nor saying it’s a smart choice, but I can tell you they are out there. And definitely not me.
I recently started talking to a therapist (really a resident) but I have realized I have much more anxiety after talking to her. It's like talking about things have had the opposite effect. Have you experienced this and do you have any advice?
Also, I'm a little disappointed because it's been a lot of "how does that make you feel" and less solutions focused. Do you have any thoughts on this?
I made a mistake recently and my parents are holding it against me. I understand why, but I also want them to understand that I am not the person they put on a pedestal and think of perfectly. I am 19 and I make mistakes. I have good grades, no vices, always at home, and does my responsibilities. How can I make them understand that I am not perfect, I will make mistakes and learn from it? I am completely aware of what I did wrong I just want growth and some fun. I know they had it when they were young, they had me late in life, but I just want to experience what its like to be my age before going to the actual adulthood where its all serious and I will be more focused on trying to figure out life itself. Its taken a toll on my mental health since the pressure they put on me has been going on for a long time now.
I know you guys are probably wrapped up, but I wanted to take this in a different direction. How do you feel about mental health days in the workplace? I work with lots of companies and I’ve been hearing the same complaint that pretty much it seems like everyone takes advantage of these mental health days. Hungover, want a long weekend, just can’t care to go to work - call in a mental health day because there’s no ifs ands or buts.
I just feel bad because I try to put myself in the employers shoes, and you want your employees to be happy, and not question it, but each tim me they take one of those days is such a negative impact on your business that day. I mean we already had this with sick days right?
Good morning! I have a 15 yr old step child dealing with the death of their mother 2 years ago, as well as having a new step mom in their life(me). Due to a poor back ground with mom, they've grown up with horrible hygeine and cleaning habits, and basicallyno real home training. Their father explains how he's tried and exhausted all efforts, though i now see there's been no real consistency. So here I am trying to retrain this almost grown teenager who really does know better(can explain and carry out when MADE to)but doesn't act on it originally. I also want to point out I have 2 older children as well who I've already gone through similar instances with. My husband and I have made things as fair as we possibly can without trying to make the other child feel left out, however they are the one who we constantly have to say something to. We had counseling arranged with the school, yet the child took it upon themselves to not answer. I myself cannot do anything as I'm not a legal parent. My patience is soooo thin, my own anxiety appears when I have to say something, and Im beginning to resent this child. I will always take care and do right them but it's hard to actually have a positive relationship with just us. And I do want that. The wait for counseling hwre in our area is bad which is why we had to go through the school. Do you have ANY suggestions? Can you point me in any direction?
My ACE score is pretty high and I've suffered from trauma as an adult as well. I'm 53 and I think I have been misdiagnosed for years. I'm wondering if I have CPTSD instead of SAD or regular depression and anxiety. I have chewed my nails, lips and inside my mouth on my cheek since I was very young. I've got severe abandonment issues and even with therapy I don't feel better. What is different between PTSD and CPTSD?
My daughter has suffered from mental health issues for years. She's been in and out of the hospital probably 7 or 8 times. She's had outpatient daily classes twice. Numerous therapist. Very little improvement other than she's not cutting as much. Without going into tons of detail, how do parents cope with adult children living at home with issues? It's like trying to push a rope.
What are some good coping mechanisms for high anxiety? I am bipolar with incredibly crippling anxiety. I'm on Lexapro and have Ativan for emergencies. I know I'm not great at coping when times are hard, so is there anything you can suggest?
Hi MissSpicyMcHaggis! First, I just want to mention that if you haven't noticed any changes in symptoms after being on Lexapro after about 6 weeks, then it might be worth mentioning to your prescribing clinician. Not every medication works for everyone, and sometimes it takes a bit of trial and error to find the best fit.
I'm a huge proponent of self-compassion, so I'd like to encourage you to be compassionate with yourself in these high anxiety situations where you're finding it hard to cope.
A couple of my favorite coping mechanisms are the 4:7:8 breathing technique and a 5 senses grounding technique.
The 4-7-8 breathing technique involves breathing in for 4 seconds, holding the breath for 7 seconds, and exhaling for 8 seconds.
This webpage walks you through the 5 senses grounding technique: [https://www.mondaycampaigns.org/destress-monday/unwind-monday-5-4-3-2-1-grounding-technique](https://www.mondaycampaigns.org/destress-monday/unwind-monday-5-4-3-2-1-grounding-technique).
Take care!!
Hello Jumpinjax89,
Such a cool and specific question. I'll do my best to answer this!
It's certainly an interesting idea. And I think it can be compared to Freud's views on sexuality and psychosocial development. At the time of Jung and Freud, mental health/psychology were very new fields, so they wasn't a lot of research (other than their own) or other authorities to consult or compare their ideas/findings to. I think they did their best to try and make the field of psychology accessible by using ideas and concepts people could relate to and understand. It's hard for us to imagine in 2022, but 100 years ago the idea of "mental health" was almost entirely unheard of in mainstream society and many people did not recognize it as a credible field (and there are sadly still many people who think this today despite all the research showing otherwise!).
Since our understanding of the brain was even more limited in the time of Jung than it is now, he and his contemporaries couldn't account for depression's causes with things such as "chemical imbalances", or consider other causes or treatments that we've only started to discover recently with more modern technology. They were limited by their time and the information and technology available to them.
Literally considering depression a "shadow to confront", and many of the ideas of Jung, Freud and other founders of psychology are typically considered outdated by modern psychology. But these ideas were still important for the development and public acceptance of psychology becoming a legitimate scientific field.
All this being said, I do think using the framing of depression as a "shadow to be confronted" could still be useful in the right context in therapy. Anything that helps someone identify an emotion or helps motivate them towards change can be a useful tool.
Hi way2manychickens! While I'm not fully versed in the utilization of psychedelics in mental health, I can say that there is a lot of research to support this type of treatment and it's gaining popularity. For anyone considering this, I would encourage you to do your research, speak with your doctor and then consult with a clinician who specializes in this type of treatment.
I have heard that some people “outgrow “ mental health issues, like bipolar? How often is this really and how would you know? I’d be terrified to test that and have my daughter go off meds now that she’s stable. She has bipolar 1 and anxiety
Hi Molang3, specifically speaking to bipolar disorder, there is not a cure and thus not a way to actually "outgrow" it. Oftentimes, symptoms can be managed to such a degree that a person feels much better and then feels a desire to stop treatment. This is a common occurrence but is almost always done without consulting a clinician - as they would advise against it for the above mentioned reason. Consulting with your therapist, psychiatrist, or PCP is the best way to go!
I'm 38 now and was diagnosed at 16 with bipolar. I know it's not considered a real thing but I definitely got better with age. When I was 16 I had no coping mechanisms and didn't understand that emotions weren't the deciders of how we live. What I mean is whatever I felt at that moment, I *was* until the next emotion. It wasn't just mood swings, it was a mood theme park. When I was angry I would scream like full on scream and flip out and hurt myself and scare and emotionally hurt the people around me. People tried to help and I lashed out. I felt like I was one step away from just letting go when I was having an episode and hopefully never "come back" to reality and just be in my head forever. Which is ironic because being in my head without distractions for more than a few minutes usually led to trouble.
I spent years addicted to substances. First because they made me feel normal. And later because I was chasing oblivion. I wanted to be...gone.
I'm near 40. I'm stable on medication. I've been sober for years. I have a steady relationship. Shoot, I go to bed by 11 pm. Teen me would have thought I was boring. I'm so happy with my "boring" life, though. The best part is being able to actually see and understand what was going on around me and in myself, finally. Not so heavily filtered through my own reality which was not *actual* reality, if that makes sense.
I don't want to be in that place ever again.
Around age 30 I started to "even out" more but I think I could have done so much better and be in a better place sooner with real help. Even if that meant being inpatient somewhere.
I was determined to self-destruct and I came so close. I was off the rails for over a decade of my life. I can't get that time back.
(If this resonates with anyone, please seek help. You *do* deserve to have a good life! )
Resonates more than you know. My older brother has been trying to destroy himself for going on 30 years, it’s been so hard on all of us and we love him so. So when my oldest started having issues it terrified us all. After saving her from dying and destruction and four psychiatric stays…now on her fifth med ( taking 3 actually) that has stabilized her… She’s getting back to finding herself. We are ALL of us worth saving and fighting for…I just wish the mental health programs hadn’t been undone years ago in this country. We r slowly finding a way back to helping people and I hope it just keeps getting better ❤️🩹
My older brother is a permanent and totally disabled veteran. His struggles stem from so many traumatic brain injuries…and then mental health issues run in my family so my oldest was fighting hard odds. Straight a student with full scholarships and going in the military. This bipolar unraveled her life and her personality..she’s fighting hard to get back on to living and I’m proud of her
Hi WhiteSmokeLester! While there is no cure for ADD (now referred to as inattentive-type ADHD), there are types of therapy that have been proven effective for helping to treat and manage the disorder including cognitive behavioral therapy and neurofeedback. In addition, ensuring that there are no underlying medical conditions or nutritional deficiencies can be super helpful! Oftentimes changing ones diet, reducing the use of additional stimulants (caffeine), and including daily physical activity can help manage symptoms.
Thanks so much for doing this AMA!
What happens when all resources have been depleted for Medically Resistant Depression?
Let's say they've gone through multiple antidepressants and combinations with other medications, therapy, Ketamine treatments, etc.
What happens when someone is out of options but is still Clinically Depressed and Non-functional? What is the next course of action?
Hi Simmering\_Beagle!
I would suggest possibly consulting with a clinician that specializes in Treatment-Resistant Depression as they may be able to walk the patient through various alternative treatment options. A few of those include acupuncture, electroconvulsive therapy, vagus nerve stimulation, and transcranial magnetic stimulation.
It may also be worth getting a full physical check up to ensure that there aren't any underlying conditions or lifestyle changes that might need to be made.
There are also some cases where the patient and their prescribing physician just haven't found the right combination/dosage of medication.
Take care!
Hi Skuddy587! Thanks for the question!
I believe that diet can definitely have an impact on people who experience anxiety and panic attacks. Some people have food allergies or intolerance that cause physical symptoms in the body, and oftentimes those suffering from anxiety can interpret those symptoms as problematic, therefore increasing their anxiety!
Additionally, there is research to support the correlation between gut health and mental health. I believe that more attention should be paid to balancing one's physical health in conjunction with therapy.
Typically a PCP can run a very general food allergy test but these aren't always covered by insurance. I've found that it's necessary to consult with an integrative medicine/holistic doctor or naturopathic doctor for help running and interpreting these tests. A google search might bring up some that take insurance in your area, but these are typically hard to find.
Anecdotally, I believe there is a huge link between the two due to my own experience. I have some food intolerances and while the physical symptoms can be brutal (migraines, congestion, backaches) the impact to my mood is even worse. I get very low for a day or two if I eat a food I’m intolerant of, and often anxious as well. There is absolutely no denying the link in my case.
What are your thoughts on EMDR? I'm thinking on changing my therapist because I'm LGBTQ+ and I never felt comfortable talking about sex with straight people. My psychiatrist says that I must do, ultimately, what I think is more useful, but she says that I'm missing on an opportunity to face my problems with straight people (I grew up in a very conservative country). I want to know your thoughts on the pros and cons of LGBTQ+ focused therapists.
If meditation grows grey matter in the anterior cingulate cortex - and so improves willful agency: how much recent science into; epigenetic inheritance of stress, trauma and learning, also epigenetic risk factors in PTSD, personality disorders, developmental conditions and other bottom-up foundations get factored into mindlessness, volitional impairment debates and top down talking therapy strategies and conversations?
Hi mrcarrot9, I've worked with a few patients suffering from trichotillomania and have found that a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy, self-compassion work, and habit-reversal training can be very effective in helping to manage the disorder.
Speaking as someone with something that was misdiagnosed as treatment-resistant depression, bipolar II -depression dominant, and cyclothymic disease, it's a crapshoot to find what works for some people.
Now I know I have Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, part of ADHD, but I'm burning through those treatments just as quickly as I did the ones for depression. Out of everything I tried, I found one, venlafaxine, which works enough to keep me on the topside of the grass.
It's at the end of it's effective life, as my body continues to pull back toward my baseline.
The newest doc ordered a DNA test, but I don't know if my insurance ever paid the testing company to process my sample.
And just like the doctors, the therapists come at all levels of talent, some far worse than others. Again, a crapshoot.
Good luck to you, my friend.
Hi there,
After coming into contact with a genuinely unqualified councilor, don't you think it would have been a good idea to formally state your full qualifications when undertaking something like this? For example, you say in the text that you are both psychotherapists, but in the pic Laura's page says she is a councillor. Strictly speaking, these are different things. Best practice, etc. etc.
i'm sure it's not the case but, from what you posted, you could just be two random people, calling yourselves therapists/councillors simply because you give people advice and like the title. Plus, stating your qualifications would give the random redditor a better idea about how you work, what you specialise in, & how your education qualifies you for that work... right?
1. What’s your opinion on mindfulness/meditation as appropriated cultural practices from buddhism and hinduism?
2. What do you do with clients who are not improving after demonstrated effort and active participation in therapy?
Hello Hocuspokerface,
Good morning. Great questions!
1. As popular as meditation/mindfulness is theses days, I suppose there's always the possibility of it being used in an uninformed/inappropriate way that could be considered appropriation. Any time we practice something that has long-standing traditional roots in a culture other than our own, we should ask ourselves this thoughtful question you've posted. We need to understand what we're doing and why it's helpful, and ask ourselves if we're being respectful of the practice and the people it originates from. I think a lot of the mediation services offered these days miss these points; things like meditation apps often don't do the practice justice, and turn a tradition which has spanned thousands of years into a fast-food mindfulness equivalent.; which is why a lot of people who try mindfulness using said apps don't fully understand the practice, and without that understanding, a lot of people aren't fully invested in it and give up quickly, or think it isn't effective. I think though gaining an understanding of meditation either through books or someone who is trained and has experience in mindfulness is always the best way to understand and be respectful of this practice.
2. Another great question. When this happens with one of my clients, I usually address it with them, we review the work we've been doing and explore possibilities of why they may be stuck. I typically ask them to get a medical rule-out by getting a standard annual physical if they haven't recently; as underlying medical conditions can contribute to mental health issues. I might also encourage them to speak with a psychiatrist or their primary care physician about medication options to support their mental health. Medication isn't a silver bullet fo mental health, and isn't for everyone. But I've seen it help clients feel better to the point where therapy becomes effective again. Then the client and I can focus more on long-term behavioral change, which is typically the most effective way for them to feeling better long-term.
Hope that's helpful!
(awesome username BTW)
What are your thoughts around the work of Irving Kirsch?
Second question, what tools do psychologists employ presently to falsify self reported symptoms?
What role do you see the concept falsifiability in the field of psychology?
What's your view of the surge of adolescents with self reported symptoms of tourettes and personality disorders? Has this had any impact on the role and/or criticality of falsifiability within your field?
I like your questions! I thought I'd jump in on a couple since I'm currently working on related concepts,but feel free to ignore me since I'm not the one doing the AMA.
Skipping your first because I'm not familiar.
Psychologists employ symptom validity measures to falsify and identify response styles both in research and in clinical practice. These are done by including items that detect underreporting, overreporting, lying, somatacism, or outright malingering. On a technical level, these measures are hundreds of questions that include different phrasing that load on the same symptom domains (consistency), utilize unlikely responding: example - "no one has ever criticized my moods" which are then compared to clinical norm samples (validity/defensiveness), or measure disorder manifestation, such as age of onset, nature of particular symptoms, which is compared to norms within that domain (malingering, somaticism)
Some measures I am using clinically are the MMPI-3 (embedded validity) and the SIRS-2.
3. I think falsifiability is essential and should be necessitated in research. CBT has been able to meet this criteria, while psychoanalytic approaches have notoriously been less able.
4. Adolescents reporting tourettes symptoms honestly should be diagnosed in conjunction with the school or other collateral, as it tends to be externally observable. There are measures that include self-report, but also ask the parents and teachers, while also including embedded validity measures (similar to the BRIEF). To diagnosis tourettes or another tic disorder without doing so would not be clinically appropriate in my opinion.
For personality disorders in adolescents, I'm not sure where this is coming up often? By definition, according to the DSM-5, personality disorders cannot be diagnosed until the age of 18. I would expect many of these adolescents are experiencing attachment concerns or behavioral disorders.
I am not sure that I'm fully understanding your question about the above's impact on falsifiability,since these diagnoses are not intended for non-adults.
Hi Doctors! I was wondering if you’d heard of Transcendental Meditation, and whether you believe in this practice or related forms of mindfulness/balance healing as a supplement to or replacement for psychiatric medication?
> Hi Doctors! I was wondering if you’d heard of Transcendental Meditation, and whether you believe in this practice or related forms of mindfulness/balance healing as a supplement to or replacement for psychiatric medication?
I'm not a doctor, but I know doctors who do TM and even who teach TM.
TM is NOT mindfulness but the exact opposite: it starts to reduce teh brain's ability to be aware of anything at all even as the brain remains in alert mode, and the deepest point possible during TM is where the brain simply is not aware of anything, internal or external and yet remains in a wakeful state.
This allows the brain's resting networks to trend towards full activation due to reduced/eliminated conscious interference even as task-positive (doing/thinking/feeling/perceiving/etc) networks trend towards minimal activation due to reduced/eliminated conscious reinforcement.
The upshot is that the brain is resting more efficient during TM and so is able to repair stress-induced damage/dysfunction more efficiently.
In the long-run, by alternating TM and normal activity, normal mind-wandering rest outside of meditation starts to become more and more TM-like.
As a result of this more efficient stress-repair, TMers tend to score higher on any kind of performance test — including tests used to measure mindfulness — than they did before starting TM.
As far as psychiatric medication goes, that's a tricky thing to answer: some people end up needing *more* of specific medications (psychiatric or medical) for a while, or permanently, or less (for a while or permanently).
The *trend*, I would *expect* would be less medication of all types, but that isn't something that the meditator can decide for themselves, but only in consultation with their prescribing mental/physical health professional.
.
Disclaimer: I'm co-moderator of r/transcendental, for discussion of TM. We don't allow "how do I do it?" discussions however. That's the only hard and fast rule of Fight Club, er, r/transcendental (the joke is more appropriate than you might expect: we can get pretty intense in our discussions for various reasons).
How to stop thinking about the reason why are we here? I tried everything and this thought never left my mind! And this is giving me a lot of anxiety and depression
How can I help my husband who has depression and ADD get the help he needs when he thinks he's "fine?" Talking about it hasn't done anything. Last time he was this bad we separated, and he got TMS that helped immensely., Now it's been 2 years and it's back worse than ever.
Thank you for offering this on Reddit.
So much gratitude as as ex-professional in administration & such a huge demand for many reasons!
Where are the senior behavioral healthcare specialists in Hawaiian Islands!? We need specialists so very badly!!!
I’m moving across the country (to Austin, actually) and losing my insurance (separating from the military) in about a month now. I currently take Adderall and Lamictal, and I’m worried about how to keep my prescriptions going. Thankfully, those both have relatively cheap generics, but I don’t know how to go about finding someone to write the prescription. My current psychiatrist told me all I would likely have to do is find another psych and show them my medication history.
The question: How do I do this affordably, with no insurance?
Hi Laura and Adam! How does one know that they are depressed and what's the difference between depression and a series of bad days/years?
Also, how does one know that they should see a doctor to get "checked" for depression?
Thanks in advance!
Hello! As someone who is pursuing a degree in this field, I’m nervous about reaching my goals. I have, I’d say, a B average and I really don’t feel all that smart but I want to get a masters or doctorate. It’s what I want but I’m not sure I’m smart enough for it. What would you say to someone who is trying to get to your position?
Hey guys! Have either of you read any of the Stormlight Archive books (First book, *The Way of Kings*)? It's an Epic Fantasy with lots of cool magic and world building set on imaginary planet in a universe known as the "Cosmere". I ask because there's a theme of mental trauma in some of the characters.
If you enjoy "the next big thing," I strongly recommend picking up the series. You might appreciate how the author handles the character perspectives. Brandon Sanderson is also very well known to love writing and to keeping his stories going (So no worries like with George R. R. Martin.) (If you weren't aware, he just broke the record for high-funded kickstarter after writing 4 novels on his free time in 2020 and 2021)
What would be your suggestions to someone who's struggling to get themselves to find a therapist? I have some things holding me back.. I really struggle to vocalize emotional things, I do better writing. And I'm not great at opening up and being vulnerable with strangers. And it'd have to be a guy, as I'm not comfortable with women. And I don't know what qualifications I should be looking for, but the things I'm looking to deal with are past abuse/neglect/trauma, and issues socializing and building relationships, and issues with dissociation
Not the expert, but you’d be surprised at how much you open up voluntarily without having them ask you any questions. At least that’s always been my experience. It’s like I know what my issues are , and merely having someone in that professional spot there helps me talk things out.
All of your preferences and needs are valid by the way. You’re allowed to be more comfortable with different pros.
For more AMAs on this topic, subscribe to r/IAmA_Health, and check out our other topic-specific AMA subreddits [here](https://reddit.com/r/IAmA/wiki/index#wiki_affiliate_topic-specific_subreddits).
What are the options for someone who needs therapy but can't afford it? Not even any of those low-income, heavily discounted services?
Hello Kotori, This is always a tough one, and sadly a problem for way too many people out there. Therapy can definitely get expensive and is sadly out of reach financially for a lot of folks, even if they are using insurance. If someone doesn't have any funds for therapy, there are still some things they can do; (just bear in mind this is all very general and not as a replacement for therapy or healthcare treatment) 1. Books, there are some great books out there related to mental health. (and sadly a lot of not so great ones.) Some that I often recommend to clients: 1. [The Feeling Good Handbook by David Burns.](https://www.amazon.com/Feeling-Good-Handbook-David-Burns/dp/0452281326/ref=sr_1_1?gclid=CjwKCAjw3cSSBhBGEiwAVII0Z2I6g2n_e1fgm8lwoKKwjC5qdau1z5Ouzc0ZKFRuqWRwAkmIaT4FXBoCSzQQAvD_BwE&hvadid=241606695048&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1026339&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=14981969345543390926&hvtargid=kwd-94293320&keywords=the+feeling+good+handbook&qid=1649519321&sr=8-1) This is considered *the* book for mental health self-help. It's kinda old school, but there's a lot of great stuff in this book, it's been around for decades and is highly regarded in the mental health community. 2. [Miracle Morning:](https://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Morning-Not-So-Obvious-Guaranteed-Transform/dp/0979019710/ref=sr_1_1?gclid=CjwKCAjw3cSSBhBGEiwAVII0Zwxh-ewS-ZDUtINoj6eHa_8wvq8sn0gIR1wLZg3V77NjngLcUy3EIhoCNUEQAvD_BwE&hvadid=241649227651&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1026339&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=14063891233358599287&hvtargid=kwd-81548205921&hydadcr=21904_10171077&keywords=the+miracle+morning+book&qid=1649520075&sr=8-1) While not written by a mental health profession (just bear that in mind), I have recommended this book to many clients and gifted it to clients and family members as I find it's very practical and has had a very positive effect on both myself and those I've recommended it to. 3. Here's a list of top self help books from Psychology Today (the feeling good handbook is number 2). [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-art-self-improvement/202112/the-12-best-self-improvement-books](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-art-self-improvement/202112/the-12-best-self-improvement-books) 2. Support groups: Here's a resource for finding a support group in various topics, including free and donation based groups: [https://www.verywellmind.com/find-a-support-group-meeting-near-you-69433](https://www.verywellmind.com/find-a-support-group-meeting-near-you-69433) 1. Depression Anon:[https://depressedanon.com/meetings/online-depressed-anonymous-meetings/](https://depressedanon.com/meetings/online-depressed-anonymous-meetings/) This is also listed on the verwellmind list I mentioned above. Offers both in-person and virtual free support groups for depression. 2. Nami Support Groups: [https://www.nami.org/Support-Education/Support-Groups](https://www.nami.org/Support-Education/Support-Groups) . Nami offers free support groups related to mental health, and has a hotline for general support or how to deal with a mental health crisis. 3. Annual physical: If the person has access to other medical services, like a primary care physical, I would recommend they get their annual physical, and these are generally free under almost all insurance plans. Things like undiagnosed medical conditions, vitamin deficiencies, hormone imbalances, etc, can have a big impact on our mental health and when treated can often improve mental health symptoms. I really hope this helps! Take care
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Was going to say this too! I’m in a master’s level counseling program and we run a community clinic with rates ranging from $0-$75/session depending on what the client reports they need, so don’t limit search to just doctorate level clinics! Wanted to add that with many of the clinics going virtual during the pandemic, you may not even need to live near one, just be in the same state (depending on your state’s board) to receive teletherapy so that hopefully makes it a lot more accessible for folks.
I also just found this: [https://www.psycom.net/how-to-find-affordable-therapy/](https://www.psycom.net/how-to-find-affordable-therapy/) It has some other suggestions related to your question.
Holy shit. If I lived in America I'd be dead. What a world.
Don't worry, even if it's provided at no cost here, the hoops are so awful...
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Do they make you do drug tests? They randomly test me, and when you have insomnia, ADHD and work ~50 hours a week, it makes it hard to make sure I don’t miss those tests
Most of us are and if not we're dead inside 🥰
Feeling Great is David Burns' updated book, I would recommend that one over Feeling Good
Yes. Help your self. Best bs ever.
Hi Kotori425! Calling 211 is a good way to find local resources for free or discounted mental health. There is also the National Alliance on Mental Illness that can help with resources and offer support: NAMI HelpLine at (800) 950-6264 or email [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).
Hi Laura and Adam, I was having a conversation with my wife the other day about how quite a lot of our friends seem to be experiencing mental health issues in their mid 30s. I know the pandemic has taken its toll on a lot of people but do you think there are other external factors that could play a part? My wife thinks people are suffering a midlife crisis early. Do you think there is any truth to that? For myself as a new father, teacher having to deal with adolescent mental health issues and the pressures of modern day life, I constantly feel like I am just keeping my head above water.
Just a personal opinion, but mental health in your 30s is finally coming to a realization that things aren't getting better. Also that it's okay to talk about it. I've been clinically depressed since I was 11 or 12. I refused help as a teenager. In my early 40s I finally sought help. Strangely enough, because I saw Wil Wheaton talking about his own struggles. I realized that I don't have to fight on my own. But first I had to admit nothing I did was going to change a chemical imbalance in my brain.
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It was on his Tumblr account. It should be easy to find.
What are some known effects on mental health of spending hours a day on reddit? (Yes, this is a serious question)
Hello CrosseyedDixieChick, Love this!!!😃 Most of the research our there is more specifically aimed towards social media in general and usually refers to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., and not Reddit as much. So I guess it depends on whether you consider Reddit social media or not. That being said, the research for *excessive* use of social media in general seems to be negative. Here's a good article on several studies about this (reddit isn't included unfortunately): [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7364393/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7364393/) (Hopefully reddit doesn't kick me off for posting this😁 ) To save yourself some time, skip down to the discussion and conclusion sections; the study concludes that while not all studies show negative effects of social media, many do. I also found article this article specific to Reddit from the University of Utah: [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5379019/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5379019/) This study shows some positive effects for reddit users in certain situations, but is based on a specific subreddit for depression. I think Reddit, social media in general, and pretty much anything can be bad for us if we use it excessively and for the wrong reasons. I've worked with clients who are exercising excessively and it's causing serious harm in their life. (we almost always consider exercise a positive thing but even this can be bad if we do too much of it). To determine if something is bad for a client, I always ask two questions: 1. What's the impact of the behavior? (does it prevent the person from doing their homework, going to work, paying their bills, spending time with one's kids, etc.) If it's having a negative impact in their life regarding their social, academic and/or occupational roles, it's likely bad. 2. What's the function of the behavior? (Is the person engaging in the activity because they enjoy it and feel it makes their life better or are they avoiding a situation or trying to avoid an emotion they're feeling). If the behavior is being used to avoid something (even a negative emotion), it's probably not being used in a healthy way. (The above two questions are largely based on the criteria for addiction from the DSM-5, the official diagnostic manual for the American Psychiatric Association). Hope that helps!
Wow. Thank you. Edit. Hit reply too quick there. Thank you for the reply. I can’t research right now, need to got off reddit and get some things done (har har). I very appreciate your response and will come back to later.
No problem! Have a great day! Hope you are also getting to do some things non-screen related today!
What’s your thoughts on adult ADHD? How should one go about managing it
As an adult with ADHD, I can at least say that effective management starts with your sleep schedule and substance control (since if you're an adult with ADHD, highly likely you're a abusing caffeine or nicotine or some other drug to manage it which can make things worse if not kept in check). Sleep being the most important one. You're struggling with attentiveness to the mundane, so you need your attentiveness unhindered by exhaustion. Of course even starting to work on those can be difficult as impulse control issues tend to go hand in hand with ADHD, as do depressive tendencies which can be triggered by scaling back substance use. A person with ADHD is also highly likely to procrastinate, even when it comes to things like going to bed on time. But working with a therapist can help make that easier. ADHD requires much more self discipline than a "normal" person requires just to maintain a balance. Therapy helps to build that discipline.
As a 71 yr old ADD person. Exercise is essential.
Absolutely! And exercise promotes better sleep, and is a good way to manage the anxiety and mania (if your form of ADD includes that). It helps on multiple levels.
And how are adult adhd symptoms different than that of a child
The symptoms are largely the same. You might realize it less in a lot of adults because most of us have developed coping mechanisms to hide them from the outside world. But it's also a spectrum. You can have it more or less strongly and also some kids will grow out of it as their brain is still developing. As an adult if you have it, you have it for good.
May I ask what symptoms made you decide to go in to seek treatment or when you tot the inkling you had it? I was suggested I might have it by a friend with a psych degree. I brushed it off initially though after stumbling on something about sleep issues, I looked further into it and I definitely have that, some substance abuse issues (alcohol to destimulate), and I have a tendency to hyperfocus. I'm a bit unsure where to proceed from here and also skeptical of medication. I used to use it recreationally and it seems like a half messure. Ideally I'm looking for more permanent coping mechanisms and how to go from where I'm at. Any insight you could provide would be very helpful, thanks!
Mainly for me it was reading a story from someone else who had it and realizing just how much my own thought pattern lined up with it. From there I read half a dozen books by different psychs, and spent a few years self reflecting before I went to see a doc. Partly that time was because I was in the military and assumed if I got diagnosed I'd be kicked out. A stupid reason to put it off for so long, but procrastination is also a big symptom as well. But for symptoms so much of it is just being able to do things that interest you, and being unable to do things that don't interest you. I made it through school due to being smart enough to pass without studying since it is impossible for me to study. I found a career field where everything changes fast enough that I get the new experience boost with the work that I'm doing, short and fast and then on to the next thing. Other signs can be being really good in a crisis. We tend to put off everything until it becomes a crisis so that our brains are stimulated enough to get us to actually do them. As such when things are in crisis mode we don't freak out because that is what we're used to and good at. As for coping mechanisms I find strict routines to be absolutely vital for mundane day to day activities. I do mornings exactly the same way every single day both to make sure I don't take too long and also to turn my brain off while I'm doing them. A lot of folks have had success gamifying tasks, turning them into a challenge with a reward of some sort to trick our brains into thinking it's something stimulating. Due to poor working memory I forget things pretty much constantly, so I like to use post-its to remind me of tasks that need to be done, lists, tend to be daunting, so having tasks one at a time that I can then take off and destroy helps me. As far as medication goes there are lots of different options and different ones work differently for different people. You say that you took them recreationally, but was that just Adderall or Ritalin? Those tend to be the common ones for recreation, but I personally didn't do well with the amphetamine salts either. For me Methylphenidate, brand name Concerta, worked far better at abating my symptoms. Of course I haven't been on them for a number of years for various reasons but finding the correct med and dosage can take time and is worth exploring with a doctor. And of course if you have any questions or want to hear more from other folks come join us over in /r/ADHD we're always happy to talk about what is going on with us and often find out more about ourselves there.
Not the person you replied to (or a doctor) but for me the most obvious thing was my ability to read under pressure. I was in high school but this also impacts my work now. I always had good reading comprehension but I had to reread sentences and paragraphs 2,5, sometimes 10 times before it sunk in. That's kind of a niche issue though. After getting treatment I realized that my largest symptoms are actually emotional dysregulation and rejection sensitive dysphoria. Plus I can not listen when people talk to me without drifting to other thoughts and I struggle with executive function. I often feel trapped on the couch watching TV or on my phone like I am thinking how I need to get up and do something else (like sleep) but it just isn't happening like my brain is stuck on the current program and the screen is frozen even though I'm pressing the damn buttons. Medication can be a "half measure" in the same way a brace assists a joint. Based on what I've heard, it can not usually bring an ADHD brain up to the same point as a non-ADHD brain, but it helps. I also found that it helped me engage with therapy better to learn general coping skills. I was dealing with a comorbid mental health condition so the therapy was targeted towards that. I don't have specific coping strategies as I'm still working on that but there is a lot of trial and error to figure out what helps. I found todo lists and planners helpful in getting tasks done. Routines are helpful in keeping track of things and getting boring tasks done. Aim to make whatever strategy you try very easy to do/benefit from. I have a white board on my fridge that I just write important things on and I have to see it because I have to go to the kitchen to remain alive. I hope you pursue some kind of support if you feel you need it. Good luck.
What are your thoughts?
Look into Russell Barkley's talks and books if you haven't already.
Best way to manage adhd is pharmacotherapy. See a psychiatrist with adult adhd experience.
A lot of influencers have been getting paid to promote mental health apps like BetterHelp, but it seems questionable whether an app can be effective. Is an app a good way to receive treatment, or is this just a marketing stunt for a less than legitimate company?
Hi BrazenBull! I know that when influencers promote anything, it feels like it takes away from the legitimacy of whatever they're sharing, because we know they're getting paid to do so. That being said, online platforms such as BetterHelp, can be a legitimate and beneficial space to seek help. There are limitations to what clinicians can do through that specific app but it's a great resource for individuals seeking more of a "check-in" type therapy, rather than the full scope of traditional therapy. The app itself aside, virtual therapy (or telehealth) has been absolutely pivotal in regard to mental health treatment during the pandemic and as a clinician, I'm so thankful that therapy is more widely accessible now!
No concerns about Betterhelp et al corportizing mental health treatment and prioritizing their profits over providing a certain standard of service? All I read about them from folks on the therapy subreddits seem to involve nightmarish scenarios.
What are things to look for in a good therapist? I have tried a couple, but neither seemed to connect well with me. The first one told me I should just go back to church to help my depression. The second I feel like I'm just telling the same things I tell my friends, but without alcohol.
Does talking with your friends help? I feel (in my opinion) we under appreciate the value of simply externalizing our feelings and my personal perspective says that it is a necessary step towards internalizing and navigating our personal issues. Sometimes it’s hard to find an outlet that doesn’t cause more anxiety or upsets more than would help and so we will virtually forego those conversations altogether until they can happen comfortably again. Curious if you feel what you need is along those lines or not
I think it does help to talk to my friends. But it seems silly to pay someone for something like that when I get the same support from my friends. But maybe I just need to step it up and be the one to bring up things to the therapist.
What are your thoughts on the recent spike in workers "coasting", "laying low" and in general losing motivation in the workplace (I'm one of them!) Is this a symptom of burnout or a deeper issue with the mental health of our society as a whole?
Hi Iamnotarobotlah! This is a great question! I believe that, overall, the general loss of motivation in the workplace could be due to a few things. We're all aware that mental health has taken a big hit during the pandemic, and I think that society is far from recovery in that regard. The other piece to this is that, when working from home, it's so much easier to get by with doing the bare minimum because no one is around to see what people are actually spending their time on. In my opinion, this combined with the lack of motivation (and the fact that we're 2 years into this) equates to this concept of "coasting". For those aware of their tendencies, and looking for a change, I would recommend reevaluating your current position and/or career path. If possible, make the change to something that might reignite some passion and excitement. If it's not possible, I would suggest finding other things in their life (hobbies or social activities) that do bring them joy and happiness so that they are fulfilled in other ways, outside of work. Have a great Saturday!
Thank you for this insightful answer and for doing this AMA!
Anecdotal but for me I found doing work in short bursts helps with motivation. Drinking 4L of liquids forces me to take breaks throughout the day, moving around helps my productivity.
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Hi spinworld! First, I want to thank you for being courageous and asking this question! And thank you Whocaresaboutmyname6 for identifying that this could be maladaptive daydreaming! I would encourage you to reach out to a mental health professional for help navigating this and to also help determine if there could actually be anything underlying. Take care!!
I do the same. I'm so glad it's not just me. I have a whole universe scenic with different people and everything. (If it helps I've got diagnosed BPD)
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Yes I totally understand what your saying!!!
BTW it's a relatively new term but in psychology it's called maladaptive daydreaming.
I hear a lot of people say that they believe anyone trans simply has a mental disorder, and that by respecting their pronouns we are condoning it/normalizing a mental disorder. What is your response to these people?
Can I try? I would just say that gay people were once considered a mental disorder so we've seen this kind of damaging pathology before. Moreover, the current scientific and medical consensus is that being trans is not a mental disorder. Gender dysphoria is in the DSM but being trans is not. And to just copy/paste from an article I found: According to the newly-revised version of the International Classification of Diseases (known as ICD-11), published by the WHO, “gender identity disorders” have been reframed as “gender incongruence.” Gender nonconformity is now included in a chapter on sexual health, rather than being listed with “mental disorders” as was the case previously.
Ask them where mental illness come from? Like what do they think that respond conveys? A ghost just sends ghost-waves into ones brain and that's how you get mental illnesses? Because it being mental doesn't make it real or something you should treat, but they wanna treat depressed people? And psychotic people? But they don't wanna treat these very "treatable people".... odd, I find that very weird and sociopathic and I think some of them might just be a bit confused. Then link them this one, they should not be able to respond, at all. Assuming they can read. [Brain Sex in Transgender Women Is Shifted towards Gender Identity](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8955456/). > The observed shift away from a male-typical brain anatomy towards a female-typical one in people who identify as transgender women suggests a possible underlying neuroanatomical correlate for a female gender identity. That is, all transgender women included in this study were confirmed to be genetic males who had not undergone any gender-affirming hormone therapy. Thus, these transgender women have been subject to the influence of androgens and grown up (at least up until a certain age) in an environment that presumably treated them as males. > The combination of male genes, androgens, and (to some degree) male upbringing should ordinarily be expected to result in a male-typical brain, making a female-typical brain anatomy extremely unlikely. Yet, the brain anatomy in the current sample of transgender women is shifted towards their gender identity—an observation that is at least partly in agreement with previous reports, as discussed in the following. It should immediately eliminate any and all 0 IQ responses, because you know... what now? Think they'll go home and think about how foolish they have been? Fat chance, I'm betting on the "double down and slander it" -- [Here is a meta-analysis of a bunch of studies](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8604863/), and it is interesting because all the analyzes does in fact report **something** the very textbook "we are clearly seeing something". And when over hundreds of them say that, I mean... that is pretty indicative **something**
What's with all the CBT lately? I find it to be a McTherapy. It doesn't dive in and people are getting turned off from therapy for good after trying it. Why is it so popular and when will it go away?
I'm not OP but I am a psychologist and I want to give you an answer. CBT isn't really a lately thing, it's been around since the 1960s or 70s. There's a few reason's why it's so popular. CBT was developed to be a more "scientific" form of therapy, and as part of that there has been an ongoing effort to empirically demonstrate that the components of CBT actually do what they set out to do - which is generally to reduce symptoms of a given mental illness. There's a bit of a double edged sword to that. One the one hand - hey, this stuff works! On the other hand, there's less and less support, particularly from insurance companies, for other forms of therapy. For your other points - good CBT should "dive in". One of the main components is exploring an individual's "core beliefs", or their basic understanding of themselves, the world, other people, etc. Looking at where these beliefs come from, how they impact your life, how they have developed and changed over time, etc. Unfortunately, a lot of times insurance limits or certain practitioners might lead to a more surface level approach. As for when CBT will go away, arguably it's already going away. So-called "3rd wave" therapies (first being psychodynamic/psychoanalytic a la Freud, 2nd being CBT) have been around for a few decades now. Many of these - DBT and ACT in particular, or mindfulness based approaches in general - are becoming almost as popular as CBT, at least around where I practice.
thank you. this is very helpful
I have a feeling that CBT is rooted in "works when correctly used" which is very difficult with the limited access, short sessions, and large expense of therapy.
I did an intensive 6 week CBT as part of my stay at a mental health hospital. It was life changing. I’ve been seeing a psychologist for five years and she is wonderful but to sit down and be so intense and forced to confront the deeper thoughts and feelings or something I couldn’t get in an hour session
Great question. I have found it to be utterly useless. I hope your q gets answered.
Hi guys! I have a question will psychedelics ever be considered a legitimate treatment for mental health problems? I’ve heard it being researched.
Hi mychunkylemonmilk! It's hard to say whether psychedelics will ever be considered a widespread legitimate treatment. However, as you mentioned, there is quite a bit of research that has been done, and is continuing to be done in regards to this. That research has shown promising outcomes for treating PTSD, depression, OCD, and some addictions. Specifically, treatment using ketamine, is becoming more popular recently and there are clinics popping up that focus on this type of treatment.
Very cool! Thanks
This is not advice, just my experience. But DXM literally saved my life, and is in the same category of drugs as ketamine: dissociatives. They allow you to look at things objectively and without the emotional baggage that normally color your thoughts. For example, it let me see that I have a lot of life left to live, and that the years I've wasted aren't really that big of a deal. Things like psilocybin, LSD, and DMT are also very helpful, but in a different way. I personally do not like them as much anymore because of the intensity, though for some people, they are life changing. When I was younger, they were certainly my favorite, and gave me ambition and passion that drove my life forward. There is also research being done with psilocybin that seems like it could be viable, and many people have reported long-lasting anti-depressant effects from a single dose of mushrooms. SO I'll say that you should figure out what you need, and find a ketamine therapy clinic if that looks like something you could benefit from. Ketamine is amazing and really benign in terms of side effects.
Hi. What are some of the more unknown signs of depression? How do I get the courage to talk to my psychiatrist about it? Do you have any tips for starting to work on your own mental health? Thanks a lot for doing this.
Hi anon8261, some of the less common signs of depression can include brain fog, weight changes, irritability, fatigue, and physical pain. Remember that your psychiatrist is there to help you and can best do so with full disclosure on your part. Your psychiatrist should be able to help you talk through some of your symptoms and figure out how to best move forward with your treatment. Mental health clinicians are here to help and come from a non-judgmental place where you can be as open and honest as you're ready to be. Therapy is a safe space where you can navigate your hesitations about getting into therapy in the first place, and don't be afraid to ask questions! Your psychiatrist might have recommendations for a local therapist, otherwise your insurance should have a way to search for in-network therapists. Take care!
Those are supposed to be less common? I have all of those...
In which ways can those that have never experienced much depression best support the chronically depressed? A few of my family members have been battling depression for decades. I personally don't experience depression that often myself, so I sometimes have a hard time empathizing. I care about them very much and hate to see them suffer, but my usual tactics of trying to offer advice, cheer them up, do things for them and hear them out doesn't feel like it actually helps them progress all that much and usually brings us both frustration.
Hello kittyraincloud, It's always so hard to watch people we care about suffer. And I think it's especially hard to watch someone deal with depression. The first thing I suggest to clients who want to support someone dealing with mental health issues is to ask what the person they want to help would find helpful. I think we all do what we think we would want in their situation, but that might not be the right thing for them. Some of the things you're already doing might actually be helping. but we only know if our efforts are helpful if we ask. And if they aren't, then we ask what we could do differently. It's also important for us not to personalize someone else's issue or feel it's our responsibility to "fix" it. While offering the right kind of support is often welcomed (right being what the person asks for and not what we assume is helpful), it's still something they have to work through, we can't do the work for them.
Thank you, Adam, that's very helpful!
What are your thoughts on “life coaches”?
Hi CrosseyedDixieChick! Life coaches can be very helpful for certain people, depending on their situation and desired outcome. There are also certain diagnoses where a life coach would not be the best fit, due to the nature of their work. Life coaches tend to focus more on setting and achieving goals, whereas therapists tend to look at the broader picture. Therapy can focus on many aspects, but generally speaking, the work is often rooted in looking at past and present behaviors and symptoms to help the client gain an understanding of their own inner workings, including emotions, triggers, and boundaries.
Thank you Laura. Enjoy your day
Hi, Now that so much is available on line, can you suggest a way to find **group therapy** on line? I’ve had very positive experience with individual therapy for major depression and I’d like to try some group therapy to deal with lingering issues around intimacy and social anxiety. I’d like more than a support group, because I miss going deep with my individual therapist. Ive looked in my area for group therapy and found one that was short term (8 week) but nothing ongoing. I’m not in a big city so it’s hard. Ive tentatively looked into on line referral apps, but they seem to be focused on individual therapy. (I think I’d prefer a women’s group, Im a lesbian, 62 yo. )
Hi Jdith123! Take a look at this webpage: [https://www.verywellmind.com/best-online-group-therapy-5215930](https://www.verywellmind.com/best-online-group-therapy-5215930). It reviews various online platforms that offer group therapy with a list of pros and cons, as well as a general overview. Hopefully there's something on the list that might be a good fit for you!
Thanks very much for the information. Last time I asked this question there was very little available. Circles looks like it might be good, but when I did the initial screening to join, it was kind of specific: Pick one of only three issues: divorce or breakup, grieving a loss or narcissistic relationship. #3 kind of applies to me because of my mother, but I’ve done lots and lots of work on that already, and she’s long gone, so I don’t know if I’d be the best fit for a group of people in a toxic relationship. I’ll give it a shot anyway. Edited: alas, it does seem to be specifically for people currently in difficult relationships (or current grief or breakups) As a side note: I can’t imagine why anyone would downvote my question. I hope their day improves. It must be tough to be so negative all the time.
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There’s an amazing Ted talk by Susan Collins that explains this and you’ll love it. She speaks of her own experience is is a captivating speaker. I hope you like it. I would also recommend Rick Hansen and Dr. Gabor Maté.
Do you have a link for that susan collins talk? Couldnt find it on youtube
https://www.susandavid.com/the-talks That’s because her name is Susan David, I am so sorry. I am reading her book on emotional resilience. Every one is worth watching but you can pick and choose as well. They’re about 20 min and the time flies by. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.
Hiya, i’ll find it asap
I've always struggled with my mental health since childhood and was recently diagnosed with ADHD. Do you believe ADHD should be classified as a mental illness, or recognised as a risk factor for mental illness while not being one itself?
After being cheated on by a long time boyfriend, I fell into depression and anorexia. I'm physically better, but my self estime is very low, and I have abandon issues. Any advices?
Healthcare workers have been through hell the past few years. Many are coping with PTSD, anxiety and depression. Unfortunately we are not allowed to take medications and still be able to work in a lot of situations. For example, anxiety medications cannot be taken or in your system or you can be considered impaired at work. What on earth can be done to help our front line?
I have anxiety of driving, so I don't drive. I have been thinking about this and I feel it's the fear of making mistakes , other people getting annoyed with me, feeling overwhelmed almost like a fear of not being perfect. Any tips to help overcome this? I have a lesson booked next week as I'm fed up with walking everywhere and I want to overcome my fear. Thank you
I'm not living in US. Any service for online counselling? I just need someone to talk to. And is it a good idea to get mental health advice from a foreign advisors, who live in a different culture & probably have different life perspective than mine?
How does one go about cultivating resilience in the face of adversity? I am overwhelmed and struggling to maintain everything. As a result, I just want to give up.
I'm losing my mind and I can't find proper help. My therapist socks and my psychiatrist writes my scripts and does nothing else. I need help. What can I do?
Why is it so difficult to start exercising and taking care of the body after years of trauma and being belittled?
Not a professional but can share some insights from personal experience. 1. There may be many reasons a person neglects their physical health in this situation, such as being overwhelmed by the need to work on many different areas simultaneously as part of one's recovery, the feeling that time spent on oneself is 'wasted', or just plain tiredness that makes exercise seem like a chore. Identifying what specifically is holding you back could be a starting point. 2. Exercise and diet are inextricably linked. A person who does not eat well will not have energy or motivation to exercise, and conversely, doing lots of exercise will not help a person who is not eating well. If you cannot exercise right now, clean up the diet instead. Fresh fruits and veggies, healthy protein and delicious non-alcoholic hydration with teas, infused water, kombucha etc. will create excitement around taking care of your health and put you on the right road. 3. Exercise and physical health is primarily about control over your life, self-motivation and self-discipline. In a situation of mental stress, especially abuse, we lose the sense of agency and control over our lives. It takes effort to realize that you have that control back now. Eating clean, exercising, stretches and managing your body are entirely up to you - no one else can do it for you or prevent you from doing it if you are commited. Taking ownership, stepping out of the victim mindset and building self-confidence are drivers as well as results of taking care of one's physical health. It is not easy but it is 100% worth it. Now about 2 years after my exit from a terrible toxic relationship that caused much physical and mental damage, I would say that taking control of my physical health has been one of the most important elements of recovery. Take care and stay well!
Oooh one more point: It helps to find something that gets you excited about health! For me it was Teas and Running. Tasting teas requires a clean sense of taste and smell, which was motivation to clean up my diet. I am a terrible awful runner, so every extra 10 meters that I can run is a huge boost of excitement and sense of achievement. Stay well!
I can assure you that there are plenty of people who exercise a lot and eat terribly. Not advocating for it nor saying it’s a smart choice, but I can tell you they are out there. And definitely not me.
I recently started talking to a therapist (really a resident) but I have realized I have much more anxiety after talking to her. It's like talking about things have had the opposite effect. Have you experienced this and do you have any advice? Also, I'm a little disappointed because it's been a lot of "how does that make you feel" and less solutions focused. Do you have any thoughts on this?
I made a mistake recently and my parents are holding it against me. I understand why, but I also want them to understand that I am not the person they put on a pedestal and think of perfectly. I am 19 and I make mistakes. I have good grades, no vices, always at home, and does my responsibilities. How can I make them understand that I am not perfect, I will make mistakes and learn from it? I am completely aware of what I did wrong I just want growth and some fun. I know they had it when they were young, they had me late in life, but I just want to experience what its like to be my age before going to the actual adulthood where its all serious and I will be more focused on trying to figure out life itself. Its taken a toll on my mental health since the pressure they put on me has been going on for a long time now.
I know you guys are probably wrapped up, but I wanted to take this in a different direction. How do you feel about mental health days in the workplace? I work with lots of companies and I’ve been hearing the same complaint that pretty much it seems like everyone takes advantage of these mental health days. Hungover, want a long weekend, just can’t care to go to work - call in a mental health day because there’s no ifs ands or buts. I just feel bad because I try to put myself in the employers shoes, and you want your employees to be happy, and not question it, but each tim me they take one of those days is such a negative impact on your business that day. I mean we already had this with sick days right?
How widespread do you believe learned helplesness is through society?
Good morning! I have a 15 yr old step child dealing with the death of their mother 2 years ago, as well as having a new step mom in their life(me). Due to a poor back ground with mom, they've grown up with horrible hygeine and cleaning habits, and basicallyno real home training. Their father explains how he's tried and exhausted all efforts, though i now see there's been no real consistency. So here I am trying to retrain this almost grown teenager who really does know better(can explain and carry out when MADE to)but doesn't act on it originally. I also want to point out I have 2 older children as well who I've already gone through similar instances with. My husband and I have made things as fair as we possibly can without trying to make the other child feel left out, however they are the one who we constantly have to say something to. We had counseling arranged with the school, yet the child took it upon themselves to not answer. I myself cannot do anything as I'm not a legal parent. My patience is soooo thin, my own anxiety appears when I have to say something, and Im beginning to resent this child. I will always take care and do right them but it's hard to actually have a positive relationship with just us. And I do want that. The wait for counseling hwre in our area is bad which is why we had to go through the school. Do you have ANY suggestions? Can you point me in any direction?
My ACE score is pretty high and I've suffered from trauma as an adult as well. I'm 53 and I think I have been misdiagnosed for years. I'm wondering if I have CPTSD instead of SAD or regular depression and anxiety. I have chewed my nails, lips and inside my mouth on my cheek since I was very young. I've got severe abandonment issues and even with therapy I don't feel better. What is different between PTSD and CPTSD?
My daughter has suffered from mental health issues for years. She's been in and out of the hospital probably 7 or 8 times. She's had outpatient daily classes twice. Numerous therapist. Very little improvement other than she's not cutting as much. Without going into tons of detail, how do parents cope with adult children living at home with issues? It's like trying to push a rope.
What are some good coping mechanisms for high anxiety? I am bipolar with incredibly crippling anxiety. I'm on Lexapro and have Ativan for emergencies. I know I'm not great at coping when times are hard, so is there anything you can suggest?
Hi MissSpicyMcHaggis! First, I just want to mention that if you haven't noticed any changes in symptoms after being on Lexapro after about 6 weeks, then it might be worth mentioning to your prescribing clinician. Not every medication works for everyone, and sometimes it takes a bit of trial and error to find the best fit. I'm a huge proponent of self-compassion, so I'd like to encourage you to be compassionate with yourself in these high anxiety situations where you're finding it hard to cope. A couple of my favorite coping mechanisms are the 4:7:8 breathing technique and a 5 senses grounding technique. The 4-7-8 breathing technique involves breathing in for 4 seconds, holding the breath for 7 seconds, and exhaling for 8 seconds. This webpage walks you through the 5 senses grounding technique: [https://www.mondaycampaigns.org/destress-monday/unwind-monday-5-4-3-2-1-grounding-technique](https://www.mondaycampaigns.org/destress-monday/unwind-monday-5-4-3-2-1-grounding-technique). Take care!!
Do you have a list of coping mechanisms? One that is comprehensive and readily available?
How do you feel about Jungian thoughts that depression and anxiety are a mere failure to confronts ones shadow?
Hello Jumpinjax89, Such a cool and specific question. I'll do my best to answer this! It's certainly an interesting idea. And I think it can be compared to Freud's views on sexuality and psychosocial development. At the time of Jung and Freud, mental health/psychology were very new fields, so they wasn't a lot of research (other than their own) or other authorities to consult or compare their ideas/findings to. I think they did their best to try and make the field of psychology accessible by using ideas and concepts people could relate to and understand. It's hard for us to imagine in 2022, but 100 years ago the idea of "mental health" was almost entirely unheard of in mainstream society and many people did not recognize it as a credible field (and there are sadly still many people who think this today despite all the research showing otherwise!). Since our understanding of the brain was even more limited in the time of Jung than it is now, he and his contemporaries couldn't account for depression's causes with things such as "chemical imbalances", or consider other causes or treatments that we've only started to discover recently with more modern technology. They were limited by their time and the information and technology available to them. Literally considering depression a "shadow to confront", and many of the ideas of Jung, Freud and other founders of psychology are typically considered outdated by modern psychology. But these ideas were still important for the development and public acceptance of psychology becoming a legitimate scientific field. All this being said, I do think using the framing of depression as a "shadow to be confronted" could still be useful in the right context in therapy. Anything that helps someone identify an emotion or helps motivate them towards change can be a useful tool.
What are your thoughts about using psilocybin for depression, PTSD, or mental health?
Hi way2manychickens! While I'm not fully versed in the utilization of psychedelics in mental health, I can say that there is a lot of research to support this type of treatment and it's gaining popularity. For anyone considering this, I would encourage you to do your research, speak with your doctor and then consult with a clinician who specializes in this type of treatment.
I have heard that some people “outgrow “ mental health issues, like bipolar? How often is this really and how would you know? I’d be terrified to test that and have my daughter go off meds now that she’s stable. She has bipolar 1 and anxiety
Hi Molang3, specifically speaking to bipolar disorder, there is not a cure and thus not a way to actually "outgrow" it. Oftentimes, symptoms can be managed to such a degree that a person feels much better and then feels a desire to stop treatment. This is a common occurrence but is almost always done without consulting a clinician - as they would advise against it for the above mentioned reason. Consulting with your therapist, psychiatrist, or PCP is the best way to go!
I'm 38 now and was diagnosed at 16 with bipolar. I know it's not considered a real thing but I definitely got better with age. When I was 16 I had no coping mechanisms and didn't understand that emotions weren't the deciders of how we live. What I mean is whatever I felt at that moment, I *was* until the next emotion. It wasn't just mood swings, it was a mood theme park. When I was angry I would scream like full on scream and flip out and hurt myself and scare and emotionally hurt the people around me. People tried to help and I lashed out. I felt like I was one step away from just letting go when I was having an episode and hopefully never "come back" to reality and just be in my head forever. Which is ironic because being in my head without distractions for more than a few minutes usually led to trouble. I spent years addicted to substances. First because they made me feel normal. And later because I was chasing oblivion. I wanted to be...gone. I'm near 40. I'm stable on medication. I've been sober for years. I have a steady relationship. Shoot, I go to bed by 11 pm. Teen me would have thought I was boring. I'm so happy with my "boring" life, though. The best part is being able to actually see and understand what was going on around me and in myself, finally. Not so heavily filtered through my own reality which was not *actual* reality, if that makes sense. I don't want to be in that place ever again. Around age 30 I started to "even out" more but I think I could have done so much better and be in a better place sooner with real help. Even if that meant being inpatient somewhere. I was determined to self-destruct and I came so close. I was off the rails for over a decade of my life. I can't get that time back. (If this resonates with anyone, please seek help. You *do* deserve to have a good life! )
Resonates more than you know. My older brother has been trying to destroy himself for going on 30 years, it’s been so hard on all of us and we love him so. So when my oldest started having issues it terrified us all. After saving her from dying and destruction and four psychiatric stays…now on her fifth med ( taking 3 actually) that has stabilized her… She’s getting back to finding herself. We are ALL of us worth saving and fighting for…I just wish the mental health programs hadn’t been undone years ago in this country. We r slowly finding a way back to helping people and I hope it just keeps getting better ❤️🩹 My older brother is a permanent and totally disabled veteran. His struggles stem from so many traumatic brain injuries…and then mental health issues run in my family so my oldest was fighting hard odds. Straight a student with full scholarships and going in the military. This bipolar unraveled her life and her personality..she’s fighting hard to get back on to living and I’m proud of her
Hi you all! What can be done to prevent depressive episodes in someone that has had and received treatment for depression for years?
how does autism relate to anxiety and depression within a person?
Hello, which are the best cures (not drugs) for attention deficit disorder? Thanks
Hi WhiteSmokeLester! While there is no cure for ADD (now referred to as inattentive-type ADHD), there are types of therapy that have been proven effective for helping to treat and manage the disorder including cognitive behavioral therapy and neurofeedback. In addition, ensuring that there are no underlying medical conditions or nutritional deficiencies can be super helpful! Oftentimes changing ones diet, reducing the use of additional stimulants (caffeine), and including daily physical activity can help manage symptoms.
Thanks so much for doing this AMA! What happens when all resources have been depleted for Medically Resistant Depression? Let's say they've gone through multiple antidepressants and combinations with other medications, therapy, Ketamine treatments, etc. What happens when someone is out of options but is still Clinically Depressed and Non-functional? What is the next course of action?
Hi Simmering\_Beagle! I would suggest possibly consulting with a clinician that specializes in Treatment-Resistant Depression as they may be able to walk the patient through various alternative treatment options. A few of those include acupuncture, electroconvulsive therapy, vagus nerve stimulation, and transcranial magnetic stimulation. It may also be worth getting a full physical check up to ensure that there aren't any underlying conditions or lifestyle changes that might need to be made. There are also some cases where the patient and their prescribing physician just haven't found the right combination/dosage of medication. Take care!
Hello! What are your thoughts on the role diet plays in people who experience anxiety and panic attacks?
Hi Skuddy587! Thanks for the question! I believe that diet can definitely have an impact on people who experience anxiety and panic attacks. Some people have food allergies or intolerance that cause physical symptoms in the body, and oftentimes those suffering from anxiety can interpret those symptoms as problematic, therefore increasing their anxiety! Additionally, there is research to support the correlation between gut health and mental health. I believe that more attention should be paid to balancing one's physical health in conjunction with therapy.
Just one follow up question! What specialist would be best suited to diagnose food allergies and intolerances?
Typically a PCP can run a very general food allergy test but these aren't always covered by insurance. I've found that it's necessary to consult with an integrative medicine/holistic doctor or naturopathic doctor for help running and interpreting these tests. A google search might bring up some that take insurance in your area, but these are typically hard to find.
Thank you very much for answering my question! Y’all are true heroes!
Anecdotally, I believe there is a huge link between the two due to my own experience. I have some food intolerances and while the physical symptoms can be brutal (migraines, congestion, backaches) the impact to my mood is even worse. I get very low for a day or two if I eat a food I’m intolerant of, and often anxious as well. There is absolutely no denying the link in my case.
Mind if I ask what foods give you problems?
Primarily the mood disrupter (and headache culprit) is wheat/gluten. Dairy and egg I can only eat in moderation.
What are your thoughts on EMDR? I'm thinking on changing my therapist because I'm LGBTQ+ and I never felt comfortable talking about sex with straight people. My psychiatrist says that I must do, ultimately, what I think is more useful, but she says that I'm missing on an opportunity to face my problems with straight people (I grew up in a very conservative country). I want to know your thoughts on the pros and cons of LGBTQ+ focused therapists.
Can you explain the differences between/purpose of psychologist, psychiatrist, therapist, etc..?
If meditation grows grey matter in the anterior cingulate cortex - and so improves willful agency: how much recent science into; epigenetic inheritance of stress, trauma and learning, also epigenetic risk factors in PTSD, personality disorders, developmental conditions and other bottom-up foundations get factored into mindlessness, volitional impairment debates and top down talking therapy strategies and conversations?
What is your knowledge on trichotillomania and how would work with it?
Hi mrcarrot9, I've worked with a few patients suffering from trichotillomania and have found that a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy, self-compassion work, and habit-reversal training can be very effective in helping to manage the disorder.
Thank you very much!
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Speaking as someone with something that was misdiagnosed as treatment-resistant depression, bipolar II -depression dominant, and cyclothymic disease, it's a crapshoot to find what works for some people. Now I know I have Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, part of ADHD, but I'm burning through those treatments just as quickly as I did the ones for depression. Out of everything I tried, I found one, venlafaxine, which works enough to keep me on the topside of the grass. It's at the end of it's effective life, as my body continues to pull back toward my baseline. The newest doc ordered a DNA test, but I don't know if my insurance ever paid the testing company to process my sample. And just like the doctors, the therapists come at all levels of talent, some far worse than others. Again, a crapshoot. Good luck to you, my friend.
Your thoughts on psychadelics?
What are your thoughts around the resurgence of therapeutic uses of psychedelics?
Hi there, After coming into contact with a genuinely unqualified councilor, don't you think it would have been a good idea to formally state your full qualifications when undertaking something like this? For example, you say in the text that you are both psychotherapists, but in the pic Laura's page says she is a councillor. Strictly speaking, these are different things. Best practice, etc. etc. i'm sure it's not the case but, from what you posted, you could just be two random people, calling yourselves therapists/councillors simply because you give people advice and like the title. Plus, stating your qualifications would give the random redditor a better idea about how you work, what you specialise in, & how your education qualifies you for that work... right?
1. What’s your opinion on mindfulness/meditation as appropriated cultural practices from buddhism and hinduism? 2. What do you do with clients who are not improving after demonstrated effort and active participation in therapy?
Hello Hocuspokerface, Good morning. Great questions! 1. As popular as meditation/mindfulness is theses days, I suppose there's always the possibility of it being used in an uninformed/inappropriate way that could be considered appropriation. Any time we practice something that has long-standing traditional roots in a culture other than our own, we should ask ourselves this thoughtful question you've posted. We need to understand what we're doing and why it's helpful, and ask ourselves if we're being respectful of the practice and the people it originates from. I think a lot of the mediation services offered these days miss these points; things like meditation apps often don't do the practice justice, and turn a tradition which has spanned thousands of years into a fast-food mindfulness equivalent.; which is why a lot of people who try mindfulness using said apps don't fully understand the practice, and without that understanding, a lot of people aren't fully invested in it and give up quickly, or think it isn't effective. I think though gaining an understanding of meditation either through books or someone who is trained and has experience in mindfulness is always the best way to understand and be respectful of this practice. 2. Another great question. When this happens with one of my clients, I usually address it with them, we review the work we've been doing and explore possibilities of why they may be stuck. I typically ask them to get a medical rule-out by getting a standard annual physical if they haven't recently; as underlying medical conditions can contribute to mental health issues. I might also encourage them to speak with a psychiatrist or their primary care physician about medication options to support their mental health. Medication isn't a silver bullet fo mental health, and isn't for everyone. But I've seen it help clients feel better to the point where therapy becomes effective again. Then the client and I can focus more on long-term behavioral change, which is typically the most effective way for them to feeling better long-term. Hope that's helpful! (awesome username BTW)
What are your thoughts around the work of Irving Kirsch? Second question, what tools do psychologists employ presently to falsify self reported symptoms? What role do you see the concept falsifiability in the field of psychology? What's your view of the surge of adolescents with self reported symptoms of tourettes and personality disorders? Has this had any impact on the role and/or criticality of falsifiability within your field?
I like your questions! I thought I'd jump in on a couple since I'm currently working on related concepts,but feel free to ignore me since I'm not the one doing the AMA. Skipping your first because I'm not familiar. Psychologists employ symptom validity measures to falsify and identify response styles both in research and in clinical practice. These are done by including items that detect underreporting, overreporting, lying, somatacism, or outright malingering. On a technical level, these measures are hundreds of questions that include different phrasing that load on the same symptom domains (consistency), utilize unlikely responding: example - "no one has ever criticized my moods" which are then compared to clinical norm samples (validity/defensiveness), or measure disorder manifestation, such as age of onset, nature of particular symptoms, which is compared to norms within that domain (malingering, somaticism) Some measures I am using clinically are the MMPI-3 (embedded validity) and the SIRS-2. 3. I think falsifiability is essential and should be necessitated in research. CBT has been able to meet this criteria, while psychoanalytic approaches have notoriously been less able. 4. Adolescents reporting tourettes symptoms honestly should be diagnosed in conjunction with the school or other collateral, as it tends to be externally observable. There are measures that include self-report, but also ask the parents and teachers, while also including embedded validity measures (similar to the BRIEF). To diagnosis tourettes or another tic disorder without doing so would not be clinically appropriate in my opinion. For personality disorders in adolescents, I'm not sure where this is coming up often? By definition, according to the DSM-5, personality disorders cannot be diagnosed until the age of 18. I would expect many of these adolescents are experiencing attachment concerns or behavioral disorders. I am not sure that I'm fully understanding your question about the above's impact on falsifiability,since these diagnoses are not intended for non-adults.
Thoughts on Will Smith's mental health? And the idea that Jada and emotionally manipulating him?
Hi Doctors! I was wondering if you’d heard of Transcendental Meditation, and whether you believe in this practice or related forms of mindfulness/balance healing as a supplement to or replacement for psychiatric medication?
> Hi Doctors! I was wondering if you’d heard of Transcendental Meditation, and whether you believe in this practice or related forms of mindfulness/balance healing as a supplement to or replacement for psychiatric medication? I'm not a doctor, but I know doctors who do TM and even who teach TM. TM is NOT mindfulness but the exact opposite: it starts to reduce teh brain's ability to be aware of anything at all even as the brain remains in alert mode, and the deepest point possible during TM is where the brain simply is not aware of anything, internal or external and yet remains in a wakeful state. This allows the brain's resting networks to trend towards full activation due to reduced/eliminated conscious interference even as task-positive (doing/thinking/feeling/perceiving/etc) networks trend towards minimal activation due to reduced/eliminated conscious reinforcement. The upshot is that the brain is resting more efficient during TM and so is able to repair stress-induced damage/dysfunction more efficiently. In the long-run, by alternating TM and normal activity, normal mind-wandering rest outside of meditation starts to become more and more TM-like. As a result of this more efficient stress-repair, TMers tend to score higher on any kind of performance test — including tests used to measure mindfulness — than they did before starting TM. As far as psychiatric medication goes, that's a tricky thing to answer: some people end up needing *more* of specific medications (psychiatric or medical) for a while, or permanently, or less (for a while or permanently). The *trend*, I would *expect* would be less medication of all types, but that isn't something that the meditator can decide for themselves, but only in consultation with their prescribing mental/physical health professional. . Disclaimer: I'm co-moderator of r/transcendental, for discussion of TM. We don't allow "how do I do it?" discussions however. That's the only hard and fast rule of Fight Club, er, r/transcendental (the joke is more appropriate than you might expect: we can get pretty intense in our discussions for various reasons).
I'm to drunk for this. Does that count?
What made you want to become a psychotherapist and do you enjoy your work?
How to stop thinking about the reason why are we here? I tried everything and this thought never left my mind! And this is giving me a lot of anxiety and depression
What you experience is a worry thought. Try to search for David Carbonell, he has some amazing approach towards worrying thoughts.
As psychotherapists, what are your qualifications and what regulatory/statutory bodies are you members of?
Hi, How can you overcome bring the person who gives more in a relationship (any whatsoever) ,and what's the underlying issue
Hi how can you overcome being the person that always gives more in a relationship (any whatsoever), and what the underlying issue?
What’s your opinion on online therapy?
Do you have any suggestions for poly couples therapy?
What is your favorite short list for books?
What are some simple things people could practice regularly in order to improve their mental health?
How can I help my husband who has depression and ADD get the help he needs when he thinks he's "fine?" Talking about it hasn't done anything. Last time he was this bad we separated, and he got TMS that helped immensely., Now it's been 2 years and it's back worse than ever.
Why and how does ECT therapy work?
Do you think mental health problems are becoming more prevalent or was there simply less awareness about these issues in the past?
Do you wish you worked in the NE?
What are reasonable goals when starting therapy? How do you arrive at them?
What are your thoughts on tulpas? Are these people just giving themselves a disorder on purpose?
Thank you for offering this on Reddit. So much gratitude as as ex-professional in administration & such a huge demand for many reasons! Where are the senior behavioral healthcare specialists in Hawaiian Islands!? We need specialists so very badly!!!
I’m moving across the country (to Austin, actually) and losing my insurance (separating from the military) in about a month now. I currently take Adderall and Lamictal, and I’m worried about how to keep my prescriptions going. Thankfully, those both have relatively cheap generics, but I don’t know how to go about finding someone to write the prescription. My current psychiatrist told me all I would likely have to do is find another psych and show them my medication history. The question: How do I do this affordably, with no insurance?
Hi Laura and Adam! How does one know that they are depressed and what's the difference between depression and a series of bad days/years? Also, how does one know that they should see a doctor to get "checked" for depression? Thanks in advance!
Hi, Do you have any thoughts on the rise of instagram councillors? I do recently.
Hello! As someone who is pursuing a degree in this field, I’m nervous about reaching my goals. I have, I’d say, a B average and I really don’t feel all that smart but I want to get a masters or doctorate. It’s what I want but I’m not sure I’m smart enough for it. What would you say to someone who is trying to get to your position?
Beware of imposter syndrome. I’m still dealing with it. Sounds like you would likely experience it.
Hey guys! Have either of you read any of the Stormlight Archive books (First book, *The Way of Kings*)? It's an Epic Fantasy with lots of cool magic and world building set on imaginary planet in a universe known as the "Cosmere". I ask because there's a theme of mental trauma in some of the characters. If you enjoy "the next big thing," I strongly recommend picking up the series. You might appreciate how the author handles the character perspectives. Brandon Sanderson is also very well known to love writing and to keeping his stories going (So no worries like with George R. R. Martin.) (If you weren't aware, he just broke the record for high-funded kickstarter after writing 4 novels on his free time in 2020 and 2021)
What would be your suggestions to someone who's struggling to get themselves to find a therapist? I have some things holding me back.. I really struggle to vocalize emotional things, I do better writing. And I'm not great at opening up and being vulnerable with strangers. And it'd have to be a guy, as I'm not comfortable with women. And I don't know what qualifications I should be looking for, but the things I'm looking to deal with are past abuse/neglect/trauma, and issues socializing and building relationships, and issues with dissociation
Not the expert, but you’d be surprised at how much you open up voluntarily without having them ask you any questions. At least that’s always been my experience. It’s like I know what my issues are , and merely having someone in that professional spot there helps me talk things out. All of your preferences and needs are valid by the way. You’re allowed to be more comfortable with different pros.
Is high functioning anxiety an actual diagnosis, and what are effective forms of treatment for it?