Therapy

[Janx]

Hi everyone, I'm a newbie and I just wanted to get a little advice on the kinds of therapy that are available at the moment to social anxiety suffers.

I finally went to the doctors about my depression about two months ago now and after alot of tears on my part my doctor has put on a waiting list for therapy. I was told the NHS waiting list was about 3-4 months. I got a form back from the Hospital asking me to rate my depression which I filled and sent back, and am still currently waiting for an appoitment. But I'm nervous about it all. What can I expect from them? If I get someone I have a bad feeling about, I know I'm going to clam-up. Its so hard for me to talk about this on any level, let alone with a complete stranger.

Can anyone share any experiences with me please?

 

[MotherWolff]

Hello Janx and welcome to SPW(hey, I'm a newbie user too). I can see where your coming from. I am currently undergoing therapy supposedly for numerous things(especially depression). Unfortunately, I do not visit my therapist as often as I should because of the co-pay(which my mother ever so kindly pays for me). I usually visit my therapist once either every month or once every other month. When I do visit my therapist, I also have extreme trouble speaking with her like I should; I lay my face against my right fist, I have my right elbow resting on my right leg, and I make eye contact not with my therapist but with the soulless floor. I almost never say anything to my therapist until she asks me a question I feel that I should answer. I feel twice as embarrassed when my mom is in the therapist's office with me. Because of my clamming-up, I feel that the therapy isn't even working like it should. You can't receive help unless you're willing to allow others to help you. I've been attending these therapy sessions for about 7 months now(keep in mind that I do only see my therapist about once every other month) and I feel absolutely no result from it.

I was on medication like zoloft, seroquel, and abilify for depression, paranoia, social anxiety,bipolar disorder(I don't even think I have that disorder), and maybe mild schizophrenia for about 4 months until one day I got dizziness I never had before(which was very frightening) and excruciating chest pain(which was even scarier). 8O Come to find out, these were the side effects of zoloft. No, I am not trying to discourage you about taking medicine, but you must be aware of the often dangerous side effects. In fact, I'd like to go on new medication soon(my mom's totally against that). If you want to take medicine you have to be certain which ones are going to be right for you and your condition. What sort of therapy are you planning to take? I think there are various kinds for depression. I heard one very good one is called cognitive behavioral therapy. You can read about that here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_behavioral_therapy

There are other kinds of therapy out there you just need to find out which ones are just right for you. Why don't you ask your doctor what types of therapies are used for depression. In fact, when I visit my therapist again, I will ask her about using cognitive behavioral therapy. Maybe you can find videos on youtube about people describing their depression and show those to your therapist since you say you have trouble speaking with strangers. I found one video in particular on youtube titled 'avoidant personality disorder and me' and I plan on showing this to my therapist. Good luck with those future therapy sessions! And like I said earlier, I really know how your feeling.

 

[Janx]

Thanks for sharing your experiences Motherwolff, you're so right when you say, 'You can't receive help unless you're willing to allow others to help you'.

I saw a psychologist years ago now. I only had a few sessions with her, but I found her totally useless; we spent most of our sessions in silence coz she wanted me to do all the talking. But I couldn't coz I just felt embarrassed and stupid, so I would end up coming out feeling worse than when I went in! And she gave me no feedback as to what she was thinking. What I really needed was practical help and advice from her which would enable me to cope better when things got bad. I think the NHS therapy I'm waiting for will be like that; offering practical ways for me to deal with the depression when it gets bad and, hopefully, they can bring me out of myself enough for me to re-join the rest of the world.