Mental and Physical Health

[Sci-2]

Man I desperately am in need of a therapist right now.

I think I have gone completely insane at this point.

Either that or now I have a stronger sense of clarity than before. I somehow got over all of my angst/fears just earlier today. I have been fighting a mental battle for years and somehow I just over just today somehow.

Just like that.

I am going to need this resolve when the financial issues that me and my family have come crashing down hard in the next few months lulz.

No more angst posting from me from now on.

Like it just happened. Did I snap into becoming a sociopath somehow??

If money is an issue, check out the links under mental health in my sig.

I'll dig some up a bit later that might be helpful as I realize there's a shit-ton of stuff in there at this point.

[Guest Raidne]

I am familiar with the point where things get SO BAD that anxiety abates and the parh is clear. Could be that. I'd be sure to see someone though and check your current state. How are people close to you reacting? Do they think you seem better? Or do they seem wary?

[Sansa_Stark]

will those links work out of the us though

I am familiar with the point where things get SO BAD that anxiety abates and the parh is clear. Could be that. I'd be sure to see someone though and check your current state. How are people close to you reacting? Do they think you seem better? Or do they seem wary?

is there a name for this kind of thing.

i think i just went through it today.

and nobody really talks to me so i dont really know regardless

[Sci-2]

Oh, you're in Korea right?

I think there are online groups, though not necessarily in that doc. I need to double check.

-Sci

[Lany Freelove Cassandra]

Saw my doctor this morning and we did discuss ADD presenting as depression and how in women it can often be even further misdiagnosed as bi-polar (which is what we had been discussing when I lost my insurance a few years ago.)

We are going to try Aderall and see it that helps. It should certainly help with my needing gross amounts of caffeine to be functional.

Oh, and I described y'all as a "support group". Love you!

[WillWork4NinjaPowers]

I don't know if this belongs here, but I didn't want to start ANOTHER psych thread. So I think some of you know I am back in school. I have a BGS and and taking the few classes I need to get into the Master's psych program. Here is are discussion posts from a students, replying to other students. I mean, they are citing Bible verses instead of the scientists/psychologists/psychiatrists, who conducted the studies! Am I the only one bothered by this?-

" When my family members were ready to die they simple told God they were ready. Within hours they were gone. My spiritual side won't let me believe that assisted suicide is the best option. For me it's doing God's job."

" God created all things, as I just read from my Bible last night. I have always been someone who felt God in my life, but recently I have really brought God so much closer into my life. And as I believe we all should make decisions for our own lives I do agree with you that God created all…..love, pain, happiness, and suffering. Great incite with your post!"

"I agree with your post because i too feel like it's God who created life and death. We as humans are his work and we shouldn't be able to play a part in something he design for us. I also liked your post because you backed your post with a real life situation you've been through. Sometimes it's best to hear how real it is to be faced with times of hardship in feel like ended your life doesn't sound so bad but the thing is you truly thought it through and God delivered you from that. From reading your post i feel like your a very strong person because you never gave up. I wish more people would seek help or talk with someone about suicide before making their own decision to just end it all. God did in fact put each and every one of us here on earth for a reason in my hopes would be just that he continues to help those who do not believe that. Great post. "

"I believe that all life is created by God and that he takes great joy in us. I believe that when Psalm 139 says, "He knit you together in your mother's womb" and "you are fearfully and wonderfully made" that it is true.

Being a Christian I have based my life on what the Bible says about God and his character. James 1:18 says, "And we, out of all creation, became His prized possession." Every minute detail of his creation was designed by him and for his enjoyment. He is all-knowing and sovereign. Therefore nothing happens on earth that God does not allow. I know this seems like an outlandish statement, but I am saying that God does, in fact, allow all sickness, pain and suffering. He allows us to go through the hardships because through them we are stretched, strengthened and grow. The bible tells us that He allows such things because ultimately, he is glorified more through and after the hard times. This is not saying that God likes it when we are in trial, but he can and will use us to touch the lives of others at any point he deems necessary.

Because God has a bigger picture and purpose for OUR life that HE CREATED it is not our place to decide when we die. I speak from an all too familiar experience. Before I began living my life for God, my life's circumstances seemed too heavy to bear. I was plagued with thoughts of taking my own life and I attempted once. When I was 15 my best friends death devastated me. It also caused me to come face to face with the God of the universe that had never given up on me. My definition of life changed as I built a relationship with him. I have learned over and over that life is precious, God is always in control, and He's got a purpose for each and every one of us."

"I feel assisted suicide is not allowing God to be God. "

"Since i am a believer in Jesus Christ. I do not agree with killing yourself because of a battle with a severe medical illness. I feel like we never had the option to pick when we were to live or be born so why should we have the right to choose when we die? so i support this view on a spiritual bases. God put us on earth for a reason after our job's for God are done he is the only one who knows when it's time for us to die. God is the author of life, thus, the giving and taking of life ought to remain in his hands (Job 1:21) "

"I also believe that God is the one who makes and should be making those decisons for us and our life."

"I am against assisted suicide. I do take more of the religious stand on it stating that only God can decide when it's time for someone to go."

"I believe that only God knows when we will die and that he is the only one that should be able to take a life"

"If it is someone’s wish to die before God is ready for them to then there should definitely be some stipulations. "

edit- these are copy and pasted, word for word.

[TerraPrime]

It depends on what the question is.

If the question is: "What is your view on the role of assisted suicide?" Then it is ok for them to draw on their personal beliefs.

If the question is: "Based on the articles presented in class, offer critiques on the conclusions drawn." then not so much.

Also, This

"I feel assisted suicide is not allowing God to be God. "

is hella funny.

Oh noes! The almighty being of the universe is foiled by a puny human's decision to commit suicide!

[WillWork4NinjaPowers]

It depends on what the question is.

If the question is: "What is your view on the role of assisted suicide?" Then it is ok for them to draw on their personal beliefs.

If the question is: "Based on the articles presented in class, offer critiques on the conclusions drawn." then not so much.

Also, This

is hella funny.

Oh noes! The almighty being of the universe is foiled by a puny human's decision to commit suicide!

It was to discuss assisted suicide in regards to the text and the legalities of it.

And yeah, one of my favorite quotes. I see her answering it in a "uh, like, duh..." way.

[Guest Raidne]

Lany - Regular Adderall or XR?

I'd suggest starting on the regular type as it will wear off in a few hours if it's not for you. And not more than 10mg. If you have a script for 15mg (if it's not the XR) break it in half and try 7.5mg.

I think starting high and scaling down ruins your chances of getting the "right" dose.

And people can tell me I'm not a psychiatrist or whatever, but this IS something I know. ADD medication absolutely works, but the "let's try and see what happens" thing psychiatrists do is still bullshit.

[Guest Raidne]

Ninja - what classes DOES a person need to get into a master's psych program?

[WillWork4NinjaPowers]

Ninja - what classes DOES a person need to get into a master's psych program?

It depends what your bachelor's is in. I have a BGS, and I'm taking the 30 hours I need to complete my BS in psych. The hours you need are going to depend what you've already taken. If you contact a guidance counselor, they can look at your transcripts and tell you what you will need. It may also depend on what field/type of psych degree you plan on going into, as well. I just started emailing the head of the program, and she and my guidance counselor told me what to take in order to start the program. I go to a small school, though. People are pretty easily reached and helpful with that stuff. One of my best friends has her Masters in oriental medicine, and has decided she wants to now go to vet school. She has take an associate's degree worth of classes in order to meet the prereq's to even apply.

[Lany Freelove Cassandra]

Lany - Regular Adderall or XR?

I'd suggest starting on the regular type as it will wear off in a few hours if it's not for you. And not more than 10mg. If you have a script for 15mg (if it's not the XR) break it in half and try 7.5mg.

15mg XR. She didn't think 10mg would be enough and thought it would be better to have the XR so it would last the day. If necessary, she says we can increase the dose.

[Guest Raidne]

15mg XR. She didn't think 10mg would be enough and thought it would be better to have the XR so it would last the day. If necessary, she says we can increase the dose.

Got it. 15 mg XR would be less than 10mg at a time of the regular Adderall, so that's a totally reasonable dose, IMO. You'd end up taking the other 2-3X per day for a total of 20-30mg/day, so 15mg is a nice conservative starting dose.

Not sure what your prescription coverage is, but the non-XR version is about 1/4 of the cost of the XR, FYI. It's only $40 without any coverage whatsoever, whereas the XR is more like $200. If you have coinsurance or different coverage for generics might be worth it to just take a couple doses a day vs. the XR.

The other issue is eating. On an extended-release formula, I cannot eat in the middle of the day. This may sound like a good thing, but it's not. You'll probably end up losing a bunch of weight anyway. So I liked taking one pill in the morning, eating lunch, and then taking another right after.

OTOH, it made my day less...smooth.

The other issue concerns "right-hand" vs. "left-hand" amphetamine. They are different and have different effects. Adderall is a 25%/75% mix. You get a mental stimulation effect, but also a physical stimulation effect. I ultimately felt like a robot on Adderall. OTOH, I was smarter. Like, scary smart. OTOH, I could not write as well.

Now I take Vyvase. It is a pro-drug, which means it has to be metabolized and processed by an enzyme before it becomes amphetamine. But an advantage is that the strength of the dose doesn't depend on whether I take it on an empty stomach or not - this does matter with Adderall. And my moods still fluctuate in a pleasant way. It is 100% dextroamphetamine (the "right-handed" kind), and the effect is only mental. It does not leave you feeling quite as artificially driven, but I'm not sure it increases performance as well either, and it leaves my conversational ability somewhat impaired.

(OTOH, to the extent that I recently realized that I may have discalculia, I believe Adderall effectively treats this. Vyvase does not.)

I am unmedicated right now, and my moods fluctuate like I have some kind of a hourly-cycling bipolar disorder. It's maddening to deal with again after all this time, but I'm getting the hang of it. With Vyvanse I have normal "moods." With Adderall, I'm always in exactly the same mood. This is unnerving, IMO.

Ritalin is supposedly the best option by far, but I've never been able to get my hands on it since it's always sold out everywhere.

[Lany Freelove Cassandra]

I remember taking a diet drug with effederine once and it was pretty evil (gave me the shakes and something else, don't really remember, it was a long time ago). I am hoping the Adderall won't be as bad, especially since it is the XR

I am still "obese" so I am not overly worried about any weight loss side effect (I do workout several times a week, plus 4 hours of karate a week---but I have gained muscles without losing the fat)

I can't thank you enough for sharing your personal experiences. It has certainly helped me to open up the conversations with my doctor. :grouphug:

[Guest Raidne]

Did you mention that to your doctor? Some people are sensitive. It's possible you shouldn't be taking anything "left-hand" amphetamine at all. I could tell when I took Sudafed like that and turned out to be very sensitive to Adderall.

Nevertheless, having said that, 15mg XR is, IMO, a very reasonable, mild trial dose.

ETA: And no problem! I hope you don't feel like I'm telling you what to do - it's just easiest for me to explain myself clearly when I write it out in the style that I have here.

[Tears of Lys]

Raids, I noticed waaaay upthread you mentioned how good you felt after eating tuna. I have the exact same reaction to it. If there's a test coming up or a particularly difficult job, I always try to eat some tuna prior to. It makes a LOT of difference in my mental abilities.

Come to think of it, I should have it piped into me 24/7.

[Guest Raidne]

Apparently that kind of noticeable mental reaction to a shot of omega-3 is not typical, or at least that is what my psychiatrist says. Not sure what that says about you, but I guess I'd think about taking a fish oil supplement?

I've decided to sign up for a two hour session of neuro-psych testing while I'm off meds to get a clearer picture of what I'm actually dealing with in terms of specific impairments, etc. Whenever that happens, I'll report back and let you all know how worthwhile that was - or not.

[deleted01]

I'm going to make an appointment with my doctor on Monday, because I need to sort my shit out.

Long story short, I've been struggling recently. I got my shit together a few years ago, and attempted to deal with some serious issues I have stemming from my childhood (have shared on here before, just don't want a TMI situation). I never really dealt with the problems, just shut them away and learnt to live with them. My doctor at the time said I have anxiety problems, and gave me counselling. I begged them for pills, anything to help me sleep (I don't think I slept properly for a year) and stop the headaches, but because it was "due to bereavement", I just got counselling. I was in no way ready to open up, and only went to one session. This was probably a bad thing to do, in hindsight.

Since starting my 3rd year at uni, I've been feeling the same way I did back then - helpless. I struggle to go to lectures, I quit my job, I'm having trouble sleeping again, loss of appetite, I can't deal with any kind of confrontation or stress, and I panic about any event coming up (graduation is in 2 weeks, for example). I'm not interested in much, I feel like crying quite often, and I have stayed in bed most of the time since I came back to uni. I panic when I think about going places and actually seeing people. I feel alone, anxious all the time, and completely helpless. I don't like to talk to people about any of this, but this thread is here and I'm worried this will just keep getting worse. Another thing to worry about.

Tbh I'm not sure of the best way to treat this. Using the scale my doctor gave me a few years ago, right now my anxiety levels are way high, which was unsurprising. Is medication the way to go? I don't want to rely on it, but I'm also scared of seeing a counsellor. I don't want to relive everything - it's buried for a reason.

Sorry if overshare. I should probably have taken this to PM, but there's no one person I want to burden with this. At least in a thread people can choose to ignore my posts.

[Sci-2]

Sorry to hear this, but no worries on burdening the thread.

Sophelia actually mentioned these resources to me, your post helped me recall them.

There are other resources in my sig. I recall specific UK one, let me know if you can't find it.

[Guest Raidne]

I have the same symptoms. Onset intermittent - BAD recently. My case has been diagnosed as complex PTSD. Treatment options for PTSD are not great. Anything I'd advise there would be controversial. I can help you figure out if that is a potential diagnosis for you. Are there stressful events in your past you feel this may be related to?