Embarrassed to go to the doctor

[clobetasol]

medication for mood swings is never the answer.

[kuronosan]

I know of a couple of people early in medical school, and no, you should not value the medical advice of a med student or someone "in the medical field" over the advice of your actual doctor.

I would hope that any physicians here would know better than to give any advice other than "Go see your doctor and do what he says."

I'm sorry, I thought what we were talking about was advice. Not a prognosis or recommendation of treatment. I wasn't speaking of valuing the advice of people here over your own doctor, I was saying that you shouldn't discount the advice of people just because they're on a forum. Your own doctor may know you best, but if you don't have one, what's the harm in asking friends or people who may know for help? That's like telling someone to take their car to their local mechanic instead of asking a mechanic here for advice on a problem.

My sig usually tells you how I feel about asking for medical advice. This is not medical advice. This is practical psychological advice. He's not seeing a doctor yet. The advice given is pretty damn clear - don't go see a doctor who just wants to prescribe meds. Talk to a counselor first, see if that remedies the problem. If it doesn't, then you may have a chemical imbalance requiring medication. Simple as that.

[Weiing]

just wanted to clarify: seeking help does not mean you will be put on medication in every scenario. Pay attention to what the therapist's title is: MD, PsyD, PhD, LCSW, MFT, etc

[Unreal]

Welcome to winter!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasona...ctive_disorder

Your just a beutiful flower who wants the sun to bloom!

[Thuronn]

Do you want us to give you a step by step on what you should do?

It sounds like you have more social anxiety problems if you're having to ask us for help for you to then get help.

"Help me get help. HALLLP"

[Nightbreed]

Scotch, a Cigar, comfortable chair and a book.

Hope everything works out man, many people go through problems like this.

[shiarua]

Get some exercise. 3-4 times a week for 45 min. You will feel 100 times better.

[Elesirdur]

Recognizing that you have a problem in your life and resolving to do something about it, especially when it requires outside help, is a big step - good on you first off the bat.

I would suggest going to a registered counsellor for a first meeting. They can talk with you about what's going on and let you know if you need to be referred to another professional (like a psychiatrist in the case of needing a medical opinion) or other support services.

It's hard to admit that you have problems that you can't just solve yourself. Even if all the counsellor says is to find a new hobby, exercise, and tell yourself that you have a lot in your life to be thankful for (cognitive behavioural therapy really does work), what matters is that you go seek some outside help. Hell yes it's scary to call for that appointment, but you will feel orders of magnitude better for having done it.

Good luck and good for you on taking the first step to improving your mental health.

[Mertron]

May I suggest you start a journal? There you could pour out your woes upon the tears-stained pages of "Dear Diary."

Spoiler: show

http://forums.venturefans.org/images...-sovereign.jpg

[Kimiko]

Don't ever be embarrassed to talk to someone bout how you feel. If anything check with your employer and see if they have some sort of assistance program (which in most all circumstances is free and confidential). I went through much the same thing about a year or so ago after I had lost my father, letting my overwhelming emotions wreck nearly every aspect of my life. Thankfully my previous workplace hooked me up with their assistance program and got me the help I needed. Took me over a month off of work to finally come around and get back to being myself again. Frankly if I hadn't done so, I would have likely gone beyond the point of no return or worse.

[Nekio]

<- Family doc; treat depression nearly daily. I know it's easier said than done, but there's no need to feel embarrassed about talking to a doctor, even if they're a stranger. We have heard it all a million times before and want to help. Just let the receptionist know you'd like to talk to your doc about "low energy and mood" and he'll/she'll know exactly what you're there for, while keeping it ambiguous for the front office staff.

Depression is never "just feeling down" if it's affecting your work life. By DSM-IV criteria (which defines mental illness) depression has to have a negative impact on your work, school, relationships, etc for it to even be called depression. Counseling helps for mild depression, and so do medications. For moderate to severe depression, the two in combo work best.

The trick is, there's no way to know how depressed you are unless you see a doctor or therapist. The second catch is that only one type of therapy helps with depression, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

You could either call a bunch of therapists directly and ask if they are trained in CBT (you don't need a referral) or you could go to your doctor, get evaluated, and they can prescribe exactly the right type/timing of therapy for you. I recommend the latter because there are many organic (non-psychiatric) causes of depressive-like symptoms that should be ruled out before proceeding., such as thyroid problems, anemia, etc.

Finally, if you feel that you would like to try something on your own, there are lots of things you can try to help with your mood. Exercise, improving sleep habits, hobbies, weight loss if you're overweight, and cutting back on substances such as tobacco, alcohol and marijuana have been proven to help some.

P.S. If you ever feel unsafe with yourself, or think others are unsafe around you, the time for dicking around is over, and you need to call 911.

[clobetasol]

mary jane has nothing to do with this, leave her out of this

[Ddz]

Skimmed over the OP and first page. Don't see a fucking doctor. Don't take any fucking pills either. Start exercising - you will feel better, trust me.

[notorious bum]

I second that, works wonders when the winter tries to sink its teeth into you and keep you from wanting to do anything but sleep all day.

[SamanosukeShiva]

seriously, fuck winter. was 19F in north FL yesterday... talking about the hardest time getting out of bed.

[shiarua]

Get some exercise. 3-4 times a week for 45 min. You will feel 100 times better.

Skimmed over the OP and first page. Don't see a fucking doctor. Don't take any fucking pills either. Start exercising - you will feel better, trust me.

yeah buddy

[notorious bum]

never underestimate the power of exercise and meditation..

Tai Qi has basically restored order to my personal physical and mental well-being ever since stopped being so big-headed and tried it a year ago. Its amazing how we hold western medicine as the one-and-only truth above all other alternatives.

The Pharmaceutical practice has only been around for about 40yrs? Meanwhile the Chinese have been practicing medicine for centuries, yet their methods are considered fake, superstitious, and etc.

edit:according to wiki pharma started in the 50's, but the point stands

[Kerberoz]

Tai Qi has basically restored order to my personal physical and mental well-being ever since stopped being so big-headed and tried it a year ago. Its amazing how we hold western medicine as the one-and-only truth above all other alternatives.

The Pharmaceutical practice has only been around for about 40yrs? Meanwhile the Chinese have been practicing medicine for centuries, yet their methods are considered fake, superstitious, and etc.

You fail logic forever.

[notorious bum]

Care to elaborate? Just because you don't understand or disagree doesn't mean my reasoning is invalid.

[Ksandra]

Care to elaborate? Just because you don't understand or disagree doesn't mean my reasoning is invalid.

to be more exact:

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...ealToTradition


It's considered a flaw in logic to assume something is better because it is older or has been used "longer".


(oddly enough, I just recently learned this shit because I had to help to HS students deconstruct a manifesto by pointing out faulty logic like that)