help?

[Rphltoxx]

hey all
just wondered if getting perfesional helped or made you feel worse?

[Paul]

Yes seeing a psychologist has helped me enormously. It takes time, but I would say in the first time in ages I***8217;m happy.

But the path to find out about SA and the frustrations of the NHS really did have a bad effect. Not all the people were helpful.

I***8217;d definitely like to explain what all the different people do and how to get treatment. It can be really confusing and frustrating if you don't know how. An why would you?

[GregariousOne]

Hi,
In my opinion professional help (if that's what you meant) probably can help a lot of people,although for me it seems to be a bit of a hit and miss thing.Been to see many therapists over the years (before i knew that SA was my problem) and they didn't really help...CBT is supposed to be one of the best therapies available for anxiety issues and is the one that i have had the most success with.
I'm in my 30's now and wish i had have known all the information that is available now and had access to CBT when i was younger...
If you're still young get started now!
If you leave it as long as i have...all those extra years,all that extra stuff to sort out.

[IRIS]

I have been seeing a psychologist - it certainly hasn't helped me , I think it has actually made me feel worse about things. She is always going back to my childhood and trying to make out that I had a terrible upbringing that made me like I am , I don't see the use in raking up the past. She talks to me like I'm a silly school girl, when I finally tell her how i feel she talks to me like I'm stupid for thinking that way, and admits she gets frustrated with my ways of thinking. She also said she wants to shake me sometimes when she is not getting much response from me, I have explained that I get nervous and I clam up and find it difficult to put thoughts into words, but when my anxiety takes over and I can't talk to her properly she gets mad. I leave feeling awful.
I have applied to go for some cbt, hopefully this approach will help me more, but the psychologist has just upset me beyond beleif and has made me feel worse about myself and my communication problems.

[Margham]

I'm having enough trouble getting registered with a local GP Tried four today, all No's. They gave me a number for my local PCT and that's only open during office hours. Can't phone it at work so ... meh.

I'm going to try and get help, because, although I'm quite a strong willed person I think I've got as far as I can by myself and I really can't face being myself any more. Yes, I know, they can't make me a different person (pity), but maybe they can intervene before I completely lose it.

Wish me luck.



Oh, and I would be interested in people's experiences, if they have anything to share that might help. Thanks.

[argetni]

I reckon seeking professional help has certainly helped me.
Found an excellent GP a few months back who knew her stuff about anxiety and who's been very supportive. It was a big relief at a time when I was seriously cracking up.
She put me in touch with a psychotherapist who I've been seeing weekly for about 3 months now. It's not quite CBT, but does have elements of it, or at least it did for a while. It was very good for the first month or two, but at this stage I don't think I'm getting as much benefit from it. Like Iris is experiencing, these days the therapist consistently wants to talk about my childhood etc - I can see the benefit of this up to a point, but it's beginning to feel like I spend most of the time pissing and moaning about my parents almost just to please the guy. Could be time for a change.

All in all though, things have improved a hell of a lot since getting professional help.

[Andist]

I have a few psychiatsrists I can see, but no Psycologist although I don't know the difference. All my shrinks think that they can't help me much 'cos I usually outwit them, unless they just say that to raise my self-esteem.

[ßazzaOld]

Well im about to start doing some sessions to help with stuff.. someone to talk to, active tasks etc. When first went doc he was totally utterly a plonker.. same next.. and next.. and next. THEN a decent doc who lsned. Referred me onto a mental place where I had to talk about my life and how I felt etc, they passed me on to these other birds who looked into things deeper to see how they thought I needed help best. They all very nice and patronizing its true but im used to this being dyslexic so I just shrug it off with pride. Soon they realised I wasnt some ordinary fool or mucking around and seemed to want to help.. All nice enough so far I guess..

[fairyfingers]

I have a few psychiatsrists I can see, but no Psycologist although I don't know the difference.

Glad i am not the only one, and i have little clue what psychotherapy is too, if it helps since i am supposed to need it long term (according to my councillor) ?

I am thinking of just doing my own as i cant really talk to them, feel being judged to much as they do tend to sit in almost open mouth amazement at times.

Only had a psych assessment which was a nightmare got told i had 15 mins, YET he went on to sit for an hour asking all kinds of questions looking gobsmacked at some points . The psych i was allocated spent first half of the hour wanting to know why i requested a female psych ( i just had not wanted the pych who assessed me he creeped me out by the end of it) then the following appointments she was stuck for words so i felt like a was talking to myself and gave up.

First time i saw the in house councillor at the docs thought she was cool but she switched tactics the second time , then cancelled the remaining appointments after i got flu giving me a lecture and jumping to assumptions about why i missed the appointments 'how can i help you if you will not commit to this and talk to me speach',which was really upsetting as i didnt think could be more committed.

So now feel to give up on them and work on it myself.

[Andist]

I am thinking of just doing my own as i cant really talk to them,

so now feel to give up on them and work on it myself.[/QUOTE]

I agree, I only have to se my current one a few times a year, when he tries to persuade me to reduce the tranquilisers he prescribes.

If I do need to discuss something with him, I always think of the best solution to the problem myself, on the tube ride to Victoria, which is where his practice is.

[hardy]

Simple analogy but true I think .good therapy is like good car repair! some are experts , have great intuition and skills and do a great fixing job; and others pratt about , know nothing , charge you a fortune and send the vehicle out almost as bad as it came in!
Therapists are human so unfortunately sometimes you need to take time to find a good one but there are a lot of brilliant ones who can definitely make a vast improvement.

[munch]

I started CBT a little over a month ago. I've only had 5 appointments so far but i've managed to accomplish a couple of things already which is really positive and has given me more confidence. I didn't really like the forst two sessions, i found that he was making me analize things far more than i already do, questioning how i feel and why i feel like that etc. I felt like he was trying to get into my head and so i'd become really defensive and shut down. I was quite crappy to my fella when i got home, luckily he's a really understanding guy. I had a session though were i was particulalry low and cried through most of it. The therapist was really supportive and it built up my trust in him. I have my next session tomorrow and i'm looking forward to telling him what i've been up to this week. It's nice to have someone to talk to without worrying that they'll think you're crazy.

Everybody's different though, i think it probably works for people more than others and i also see that i'm lucky to have a good therapist. Some of the stories i've read have shocked me. It's disgusting that trained proffesionals can behave that way to someone in need.