depression

the rushed feeling makes me anxious. sigh. I hate that feeling

I saw the psychologist today which really helped. She seemed to understand what I was saying and is going to speak to the psychiatrist. I think some of the problem is that psychiatrist are thinking medically and while I think the meds help I know the main problem is with how I think and interpret things. I would almost prefer to be discharged from the doctor and just seem my GP and the psychologist. I think I still need to see him for a bit longer though as I want some plan to reduce the meds when I'm ready so that I can think about babies.
One last moan (honest). I request copies of the 2 letters he's written to my GP and he's put that I didn't understand the rationale behind the change in meds and that he hopes we can discuss it at my next appointment! Thats at the end of July. In the meantime I'm going frantic calling and not getting any answers. I actually said to the psychologist that if I was dying would he write for an ambulance!

doctors, sometimes I wish they could understand us better

Hi I'm new here, and as I'm studying psychology it somehow got me to this thread first... I'm actually not going to be a psychotherapist (at least not at the moment... for I know many therapists (my mom and my girlfriend both suffer from depression, with suicide-attempts and anxiety) and among these there's just a single likable one, my boss... )
So what I wanted to say is: In my studies I have a focus on Neuropsychology (about how brain and behavior collaborate or sth like this in short )
There is a method to support psychotherapy: it's called Neurofeedback. It's used for different things like treating ADHD, depression and anxiety.
The idea behind it is: If someone suffers from depression (or anxiety or whatever), you can find differences in the brain activity. For depression normally Regions which are involved in producing positive Emotions are slowed down (hypoactive), and regions involved in negative Emotions are hyperactive (fast waves in measurable brainactivity).
The principle is: you put an electrode at the right place (serious therapists figure it out individually...) measure the activity and you give a feedback of this activity via a game or sth. Like this you can train your brain activity directly up or down and learn to control your emotions.
As I said, its very biological, like medication it should not be used without psychotherapy, though it would work without it, but you have a faster success in using both at the same time. You can slowly reduce the medication and then cease. It's a great alternative. But you have to train 1-2 a week... In switzerland (where I live... ) the health-insurance pays it, when you use it additionally to psychotherapy, which has to be prescribed by a physician.
But when I look at my mum or girlfriend, it's worth it, 'cause the medication is really tough stuff.
I hope I'm not promoting it too much here... But I really like the method, I'm working with it for more than a year to get some practice besides university...

Oh and I just read a short book, the bestseller by Servan-Schreiber: The Instinct to Heal: Curing Depression, Anxiety and Stress Without Drugs and Without Talk Therapy - funny to read and with good tips! Sports and a light-alarm-clock for depression...

So, that's enough. Can give you more information if you want...

hi Irma, I really am interested in Neuropsycholy, and I a planning to get a degree in neuroscience

Wow! thats great! What are you goin to do?
Have you allready heard from neurofeedback then?

I am waiting for my native status to come in and then I will apply

I did neuroscience on my degree but I don't remember anything about neurofeedback. It sounds interesting though. I'm trying CBT at the moment and I'm seeing a really nice psychologist. I'm still really pissed off at the psychiatrist though as he never got back to me about my meds. I'm gradually finding the CBT helpful but its such hard work. I'm having to work on the core beliefs at the moment which are basically that I'm worthless Not good.

hug KK.

I am feeling down now due to a personal issue. I was pregnate(only a few weeks- I didn't know that I was) but I misscarried. I found out when I went to my doctor.

I saw this on another post you made. I am so sorry. Its such an emotional time, especially when its so early on and you don't know. You're not only trying to get your head around the fact that you were pregnant and have lost it but your hormones are also all over the place which really messes with your mood too. I think the way I got through it was to just go with it, when I wanted to cry I just cried and got lots of hugs. I found my female friends really good, especially those who had been through it too. I don't know if your like me but I tend to worry when something like this really knocks me I worry if its the depression rearing its head. What I find helps is just to remind myself that when shit things happen its normal to get really low and depressed (without it being the 'depression') and just express what you feel as best as you can and be kind to yourself.I found that my emotions levelled out a bit once I had had my first period afterwards but this is hard too. So I suppose what I'm saying is that my heart really goes out to you. If there's anything I can do just say. Big hugs x

O my god, that's hard. I feel really sorry for you. Fortunately I never experienced something like that. But KK is right: at least you have lot of reasons to feel down, it's perfectly normal and important too.
A year ago I had a heart surgery, actually just a small intervention with a catheter starting at a leg artery, but there were complications and they had to make a big-real-chest-opening heart surgery out of it... I didn't really realise what was happening though there were several days between the interventions. I never cried. I didn't even worry, my brain was shut down or something. I needed months to "learn" to let go and cry. Just let yourself the time you need (thats not self-evident, it was really important to me to understand what this means...), look to free yourself from other pressures and stress around you, and though it maybe huts: focus on your feelings, try to find out what you need to feel better just at the very moment and do yourself something good every day!!!!

Irma, omg! I think I am too in touch with my feelings. I cry when I am sad...or worried

Thats what came after this time... And I still cry a lot... I didn't meen that you should cry or sth (I don't know how you're doing at the moment except feeling bad... ...) by "focus on your feelings" I meant that it was important to me to find out what makes me feel better, just small things to cheer me up, and try to do this in small steps. Like "analyze" your feelings in a positive way... or sth like that. Sorry, that was unclearly verbalized. The other thing was just my experience. I just tried to say: Its better to feel down and cry for some time than to be in a strange dizzy condition for a long time... You have good prospects to get over it fast and that's at least one good point about all that exhausting "feeling down".
You know what I mean? Sorry, I'm really gonna be a bad bad psychologist. I just can't express myself!

Irma, in time you will get your communication down pat! I believe in you

I was expressing myself, on how weepy I can get. Take no offence, but I agree with you. getting in touch with how you feel does help.

oh and that part about no offense, I ment I didn't mean to offend you