Hello from Germany

[Kaos]

Hey everyone,

I've found this forum via StumbleUpon and it seems to be just the kind of board I'm looking for.

Okay, to say a few things about me... As the title says, I'm from Germany so my English might be a bit weird at times, but one of the reasons why I'm here is to learn better English.

I'm currently not in professional treatment but looking at new options right now.
I've been having reocurring episodes of depression and suicidal thoughts (which are almost gone now) for 14 years. Other than that, I suffer from an eating disorder (not diagnosed by a professional but very obvious to myself), self injury and I suspect I'm somewhere on the autistic spectrum, but at this point it's only a suspicion.

Other then that, I'm 22 years old, currently unemployed/unable to work and my day is spent with my girlfriend of almost 7 years and I'm proud daddy to 1 cat and 4 guniea pigs.

 

[Andy]

Welcome to Psychlinks Kaos! :2thumbs:

 

[Retired]

Hello Kaos, and welcome to Psychlinks. Feel free to start new discussions to gain insights into your situation, or join in any of the ongoing Forum discussions. You can feel perfectly comfortable expressing yourself in English as you know it, and we'll try to help or ask for clarification if necessary. We are here to help in whatever way we can.

With regards to your depressed feelings and thoughts of suicide, have you ever discussed these with your doctor, or received any kind of treatment or counseling for depression or suicidal thoughts?

Looking forward to your participation in Psychlinks.

Tcheuss!

 

[Banned]

Welcome to the forum, Kaos!

 

[Kaos]

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome.

@Steve: I've been in treatment for both before and am looking to get treatment again, the only reason I'm not in treatment atm is that I have some trouble convincing my insurance that treatment is necessary.

 

[Retired]

I have some trouble convincing my insurance that treatment is necessary

I don't know how it works in your Country, and each situation is different, but we would expect that your personal physician who has referred you to s apecialist or even the specialist would be advocating with the insurance company on your behalf.

Do you need pre-approval by the insurance company before you can even be seen to be evaluated for treatment? If so, how would you be expected to provide the correct diagnostic information to justify coverage?

If you have been diagnosed, and evaluated for a treatment plan, can you get the help of your doctor(s) to communicate with your insurance company on your behalf?

In the meantime, Kaos, how is your mood these days and are you having thoughts of suicide at this time?

May I ask have you ever tried to carry out a suicide plan in the past?

 

[David Baxter PhD]

I'm from Germany so my English might be a bit weird at times, but one of the reasons why I'm here is to learn better English.

Welcome to Psychlinks, Kaos. Don't worry: We have quite a few American members and their English is a bit weird at times too.

 

[Daniel E.]

:welcome:

 

[Kaos]

Thanks for being so welcoming.

@Steve: The problem with the insurance is that I've been in treatment before and in their eyes (and by official word of my last therapist) I'm healthy again. So I have to have some sort of meeting with a therapist of their choosing. It's... a weird situation to say the least.
My mood... well, I'm depressed, feeling a bit hopeless at times. But not suicidal. And I always keep the phone numbers of a few trusted people I can call around.

No, it's never quite gone that far... But as I said, I have support offline, too.

@David... Dr Baxter... not sure what I'm supposed to call you xD : Yeah, I noticed that Americans sometimes have a very... special understanding of English. XD

 

[Retired]

So I have to have some sort of meeting with a therapist of their choosing.

This is not that uncommon and is usually required by most insurance companies insuring a disability claim. I would urge you to go ahead and schedule that appointment at the earliest convenience, and take time to prepare yourself.

By way of preparation, it is worth taking a few days in advance to make some written notes about how you feel under various conditions, the types of things that make you feel depressed, the situations in which you have thoughts of suicide.

I suggest writing these things down because sometimes the idea of being interviewed causes some anxiety in some of us, and by having notes written over a period of time allows us to remember the important points to tell the doctor.

When seeing the insurance company's consultant, you need to tell the entire story without holding anything back. Your goal is to help this doctor understand the nature and the gravity of your illness during that interview.

Keep those contacts of trusted friends handy, because if thoughts of suicide return, you need to reach out to get help. When thoughts of suicide occur, our thinking becomes distorted and we need support from someone who will listen, take us seriously and help keep us safe.

How do you feel about arranging an appointment with the insurance company's consultant in order to qualify for treatment?