Therapy alone

[Shaymus]

Welp i am pretty sure i have the effexor gone from my system now. Its been about 4 weeks and im feeling way better. I still bounce up and down BUT the downs last about 24 hours instead of up to two weeks. Its a whole lot easier not to react to a suicidal impulse knowing by the next day it will be better. I was put on lexapro to start and then they changed it to effexor. Some other mixed meds in there but those are the main two. They really made me MUCH worse and my head was out of control. I didnt realize just how bad they were for me until i got clean from them.

Anyway i have an appointment with a psychologist on april 21st as i fired the last one and the psychiatrist i was seeing. 6 months and no progress? In fact, way worse i needed something to change to keep up that slight hope that ya get in the back of your head. Ive had it with the psych meds tho. I dont want to try anymore. For me they stunt my mood swings and put them in slow motion. They dont effect the extremes in fact without the meds i might get more extreme but the knowledge that they wont last is better. Ive actually been way better since i fired them and been on my own. That seems backwards to me. Ive had some anxiety about the upcoming appointment and my psychologist pushing me into meds again. They just dont work for me, i dont want them. Plus it just leaves me more options if i do decide to do something rash. Do you think if i explain this to her she will back off pushing them? Do you think its possible for someone with mental illness to get better without the use of meds? Just some info i was DX'ed with major recurrent depression, dysthymic disorder, gad and social anxiety from the other psychologist.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Is it possible to recover from any one of those disorders with psychotherapy but no meds? Depending on the severity of the symptoms, yes -- but it is generally much easier and faster with psychotherapy plus meds.

Is it possible to recover from ALL of those disorders concomitantly with psychotherapy but no meds? Anything is possible -- I wouldn't call it very likely though.

To be blunt, I think you've given yourself bad advice and I suspect you would have been better off working within the advised paramters given you by your previous therapists.

 

[Shaymus]

Heh i had to look up what concomitantly meant

6 months of therapy tho, id assume there would be some at least minor progress made somewhere. There wasnt at all, in fact toward the end i could tell he was getting frustrated with me. I dont blame him for that as im a frustrating person quite often. He should have known me well enough by then to realize i wouldnt react well to his "kick in the pants" that i needed. Plus i wasnt sure about his qualifications as he would ask me questions that he should have known the answer to. "Is the effexor supposed to help with your anxiety too?". I want someone who knows the psych stuff more than me. Two weeks of fighting strong compulsions to die right that second is about as fun as a kick to the face. The big neon sign tho was that the last four appointments he was pushing more and more and then when it came to make another appointment it was a month away. You cant make me feel like dirt then let me dangle for a whole month on my own. He even knew it was bad because he asked if id still be alive by then. Obviously i had frustrated him to a point where he needed time away from me or his schedule was way too busy. Either way tho whats best for me was to find someone new and so i did.

Thats not what i wanted to hear about the meds thing. I seriously believe messing with my brain chemicals is dangerous for me. Im gonna try to keep it as a slight possibility in my head now tho, cause i trust your opinions. Maybe if she brings it up ill make an appointment with their drug doctor and duke it out with him/her on what i should be on if anything. Even the process of getting drugs tho annoys me. I feel like just another cow in the slaughter line.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

I'm not faulting your decision to change psychologists. The number one ingredient for successful psychotherapy is that you trust, have faith in, and can totally confide in your therapist. If that isn't there, you definitely should find someone else who will meet those criteria.

 

[ThatLady]

I think it's also important not to put time limits on things, Shaymus. Each of us is different, and different people require different amounts of time to overcome various problems. When you're trying to work with several problems at once, that only complicates the issue and increases the time frame in which noticeable change can be expected.

With regard to the medications, in my experience it can take awhile to find the right medication, or combination of medications, that will work for you. Like you, one thing I had to learn before anything was going to work for me...medications or therapy...was patience. I had to realize that I didn't get into the mess I was in overnight (or, in six months, for that matter), and I wasn't going to get out of it that quickly, either.

Hang in there, hon, and keep your mind open. Find a therapist you like and trust, then go for the gold. It's out there. Honest, it is.

 

[Shaymus]

So i met with my new therapist for the first time yesterday. I agreed id see there drug pusher but i maintained i wouldnt under any circumstances go back on lexapro or effexor. She said that was fine so its all good i think. I think the break in therapy and getting clean from the psych meds did me some good tho. Im feeling much more open and able to say the things id like instead of just beating myself up for not bringing this or that up. Overall im quite pleased anyway with the whole thing so far, heres hoping it stays like that.

 

[ThatLady]

It's good to hear you sounding more upbeat, hon. Hopefully, this new therapist and your ability to talk about the things you feel you need to get out on the table will get things on a positive track for you.

I'm glad you're feeling better. )

 

[Shaymus]

Just had to post more good news. I met with their psychiatrist just now and he didnt push drugs. He said i had some good insight on my feelings and i seemed to be doing a lot better. He figures if things change and the depression gets to be too much again then we can add some in but at this time since things are going well with my psychologist and im doing better and the past negative history with them we can hold off and see. I really didnt expect that so im very happy and incredibly shocked. In a good way Talk about leaving a good taste in my mouth tho, i will have no problems ever going back to him and it will be so much easier to trust him when or if he does think i should be on a med. If i wasnt a self consious person i think i woulda skipped out of the place heh.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

)

It's good to hear that you're doing well, Shaymus.

 

[ThatLady]

Good news, Shaymus! I can't tell you how happy I am for you! )