I don’t know how, but I want to meet some lesbians who are my age in real life. This is very hard for me, because I have social anxiety disorder, which makes it hard for me to socialize with anyone. There aren’t any lesbigay youth groups in my city, and I’m currently home schooled… Any idea what I should do?
social anxiety disorder? SHY? Find a chat group and let yourself go and eventually you will hook up with some kids in your hood….relax and be yourself…they are nervous too.
just saw this….Try TransDyke, a Yahoo group. You must be 18 of course.
I’m a psych student doing a research paper in CBT and I want to be sure I’m not omitting anything important. Are there any websites that provide guides or templates?
Please refer to the following site …It has lot of references and may be of Help to You.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_behaviour_therapy
All the Best!
If you know, could you let me know if there is a most ‘common’ anti-depressant? I am currently struggling with anxiety attacks, not regularly, but I want to research as much as I can.
If you are actually taking anti-depressants… or suffering from similar things, maybe you could write your experiences with medication, side effects and any most successful meds/therapies.
I would be very grateful, Thankyou.
The most prescribed antidepressant in The US is Lexapro (escitalopram). Zoloft (sertraline), Prozac (fluoxetine), Effexor (venlafaxine), and Paxil (paroxetine) are among the most used.
But just because one drug is used more than another means very little. When a doctor picks a drug they try to pick the one that will best address your needs. A person with terrible OCD might get Luvox (fluvoxamine) first but people with another problems would almost never be prescribed that. In general Lexapro and Zoloft are the most effective SSRI class antidepressants. Aside from Effexor all the drugs I listed, including Luvox, are SSRI’s. Celexa (citalopram) is the other SSRI but I do not recommend people take it.
Have you been to a doctor (ideally a psychiatrist) for a diagnosis? There are many types of anxiety disorders and knowing which one you have will allow more targeted treatment. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) might respond well to BuSpar (buspirone), a drug similar to antidepressants but it is not approved for treating depression but it can be very good for GAD. Yet panic disorder is not normally treated with BuSpar, certainly not with good success.
By the way panic disorder does not mean having a lot of panic attacks, often people do not understand that. Panic attacks can and typically do occur in all anxiety disorders.
It sounds like you are normally fine and only occasionally have a panic attack, if so them most doctors (and most patients) tend to prefer a benzodiazepine (benzo) like Xanax (alprazolam), Ativan (lorazepam), Klonopin/Rivotril (clonazepam), or Valium (diazepam). These medications work in 20-60 min and are often taken as needed for severe anxiety or for a panic attack. The advantage is that it does not require taking a pill everyday, just if you needed it and you don’t have to wait 4-6 weeks as an antidepressant kicks in. The only risk is that benzo’s can be abused but it is not common and people taking it as needed rarely have any problem. However if you have a history of substance abuse (primarily to alcohol, benzodiazepines, or barbiturates) then they are not really a good option.
I have panic disorder with agoraphobia and major depressive disorder.
I am 23 and in medical school for psychiatry and for the last 10+ years I have battled depression and anxiety. I tried exactly 43 medications, of all classes and subclasses except a MAOI (a rarely used type antidepressant with many very serious food and drug interactions). It was very hard for me because I am one of the few who gets more depressed on antidepressants, and have severe anxiety and I had various other symptoms depending on the drug. I doubt you will be anything like me plusI got worse because of chronic pain and a sleeping disorder.
To figure out the best treatment you need a specific diagnosis.
Generalized anxiety disorder:
People with anxiety and depression typically take an SSRI or SNRI. People with anxiety alone may start with BuSpar or a SSRI. If the anxiety is mild sometimes a drug like hydroxyzine, an antihistamine, is used as needed. Clinical studies typically show hydroxyzine to be no more effective than placebo, at best it might be slightly more effective. After SSRI’s, SNRI’s, and BuSpar the tricyclic antidepressants (TCA’s) are commonly used. Keep in mind that if medications don’t work doctors will do what they feel is best so if SSRI’s fail some doctors instantly do TCA’s.
If all antidepressants fail or only help a little or have severe consequences then atypical antipsychotics like Seroquel (quetiapine) or Geodon (ziprasidone) may be used. The use of these drugs in anxiety disorders is highly controversial because their efficacy is not well known and they can have some very serious side effects. Sometimes doctors use anticonvulsants like Neurontin (gabapentin), which has no real evidence of helping anxiety, or Lyrica (pregabalin), an enhanced version of Neurontin that is approved in Europe for GAD. And then if nothing works often monotherapy with benzodiazepines is used. That is a very basic over view, there are more options and anxiety is normally treated effectively without trying many medications.
Certain types of therapy could help, CBT is good for panic disorder, phobias, and OCD in particular. That really helped my agoraphobia. I also did more simplistic talk therapy which was only moderately helpful. I did support groups, learned meditation which did not help, I become very good at biofeedback but it did not really help, I reduced my school load for a while and that break was nice (this was in high school) and helped me collect myself, and I watched up beat movies. In the end, today, I do take medication for panic disorder with agoraphobia, depression, and a sleeping disorder. I was able to take much less thanks to CBT but I still take 4 mg of Xanax XR, a modest dose (the max is 10 mg/day) but I have been prescribed up to 12 mg/day, a vast dose. And now I have almost no s
This question is for people who believe that there is no such thing as a "personality disorder" and that we all just people with good and bad traits. I think this is true, but WHY do you think this?
Because medicalization of behavior patterns is dehumanizing. It isn’t irrational to use an analogy to medical ailment when we describe dysfunctional personality traits, but it has a political aspect that makes it very, very dangerous. If we believe that actions are willed and chosen, rather than determined biologically, then it’s hypocrisy to blame a "disorder" for behavior that causes bad functioning – which is "bad" within a certain context, of what functions are being asked of the person (asked by whom?). Either we believe in personal responsibility and freedom to choose to do right or wrong, or we believe that we are like all a bunch of computers that can and should be reprogrammed to work "better." Can’t have it both ways.
The medicalized personality paradigm is useful when it is strictly limited to finding ways or "therapies" to help a person resolve complaints about bad experience. The risk lies in extending it, as if it really were medicine, to screenings and diagnoses of people who have no complaint, but whose behavior is defined by some authority as "bad" or "dysfunctional" (meaning, the person isn’t doing what we want them to do). We’re already screening little kids for ADD and putting them on drugs against their will just because they talk in class or whatever – that’s not okay; it’s dehumanizing and controlling. I believe we should treat humans like humans.
I am currently diagnosed as having bipolar, but think that I may have a very mild form of epilepsy. If you have both, how would you tell one from the other?
Or can bipolar mimic epilepsy. Do they both make you feel like you are "going crazy"?
At the site bipolar.about.com or epilepsy .about .com , say that the symptoms can be similar and bi polar can be difficult to diagnose
My first response , would have been that a trained professional should be able to tell the difference in the major symptoms, yes. But apparently , not always.
I have anxiety disorder. I am constantly clenching my jaw and also my hands are always in fists and never relaxed.
I also panic if I am getting ready to go somewhere I will start sweating and I get sick to my stomach. Like a panic attack.
My mother says to see a doctor about it.
I don’t really understand what the doctor could do for me?
Has anyone had similar problems and gone to the doctor? What was the end result?
Yes, I have had anxiety/panic attacks for many years and you are describing it to a T the clenched fists and jaws, tummy hurts, but in addition to that, I sweat and feel confused. It’s very unpleasant when you go someplace and one of these panic attacks occurs. Right now, I am on prescribed withdrawal from an addictive drug to treat panic/anxiety. I tried to cold turkey it. Wrong thing to do! I felt like a puppet on a string, my arms, legs, and head were involuntarily jerking and I had no control. My hands were like "grasshoppers" in a frying pan. Instead of cold turkey, I should have seen my Dr. about how to quit the addiction. The side effects were really getting to me, the blurry, tremor getting worse in the afternoon. I do understand and sympathize very much about what you are going through. You do need to see a Dr. about your condition. If you do have to take meds, ask about the non addictive kind. The addictive Alprazolam, got me in a whole lot of trouble, physically and mentally.
Very best wishes for feeling better soon.
If it does, can you prevent that by only smoking it once a week or less? And will the worsening of your mental disorder permanent or temporary?
PS: Please, only answer if you are objective and not biased.
yes.. It can make depression worse
i notice alcohol makes me forget my obcsesions and compulsions. is there any explanation for this?
i dont drnk maybe once in a blue moon b everytime i do i feel relief..
I disagree with the people who say alcohol is a depressant. I found it to be a life-enhancer! Im not an alcoholic since I don’t drink often and when I do I know when to stop. everything in moderation is what people cant seem to learn. there are 2 basic types of drunks.
1. Happy Drunk (like me)
2. Angry Drunk
it is the angry drunks of the world that dont know when to stop drinking and become alcoholics and end up getting in fistfights in bars over dumb stuff and are just overall troublemakers. I think these types of people have problems from the start that they dont know how to deal with so after drinking they just lash out to feel better. remember that drinking just impairs your judgement. it doesnt MAKE you a fighter or rapist or arsonist. these things are what they always wanted to do deep down but never tell anyone! (and for good reason) after having a few drinks you arent "thinking" as much as usual and its more about enjoying the "feeling" so that takes away your anxiety for a little while. but yeah you could try weed like the other guy said if you are not sure what kinda person you really are.
Hi there! I’m 20, a college student and have social anxiety disorder and it’s getting worse. I can barely buy a bottle of water without having my heart jumping out of my chest and shaking. I sometimes can’t look at my teacher cause I’m afraid of starting shaking and humiliate myself with a stupid answer etc. I’m gonna go to a psychologist tomorrow for the first time and my real question would be ‘How can this disorder be treatable?’. Can I cure myself or seriously need help? Thanks for answers.
I think it helps to keep in mind that you aren’t alone. A large percentage of the population has a hard time trying to get over social anxiety. That might not be very comforting, but remember people aren’t waiting for you to screw up, only you are. If you have a positive self image, it will become easier to talk to people.
He’s been suspended from school for a year.Police have been called numerous times.I’am at a lose,His behavior is beyond anything I’ve seen.I also have 3 other children that are model behavior any suggestions?
Are you talking about counseling? Have you had him tested for sensory processing disorder?
http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/