Mental Illness

[KoPilot]

I haven't posted in a while, I have started CBT, which has had me breaking down at regular times. It is becoming apparent I have issues with anxiety which in turn cause the depression to worsen. We are trying to tackle what I call my boulders. These are the things that get in the way of me doing things. Great big invisible insurmountable boulders. I wouldn't say that I am agoraphobic, but there is a big part of me that doesn't want to go out, and I need to plan my time to make sure I do the things that I need to.
It sucks.

The meds are not causing so many side effects. Still jaw clenching and shaky, but the worst of the nausea has gone.

I hear CBT works some veritable wonders?

At any rate, good luck and I hope it does exactly what you need it to do.

-

I can't tell if a placebo effect from my medication is wearing off after 6 weeks of use, or if I'm just finding myself in a stressful patch and that's making me tired and distracted again...

 

[Sweetdaisymae]

I hear CBT works some veritable wonders?

At any rate, good luck and I hope it does exactly what you need it to do.

-

I can't tell if a placebo effect from my medication is wearing off after 6 weeks of use, or if I'm just finding myself in a stressful patch and that's making me tired and distracted again...

Thanks! It is making me think a lot about how I deal with stuff. I retreat, ditch excess things I can't handle, including things I like and enjoy. In the end I exist in the corner, not joining in, on a constant low ebb. I need to break the cycle that is keeping me here.

Have a med review, now you have been on a while, the dosage may need tweaking a bit.

 

[KoPilot]

Thanks! It is making me think a lot about how I deal with stuff. I retreat, ditch excess things I can't handle, including things I like and enjoy. In the end I exist in the corner, not joining in, on a constant low ebb. I need to break the cycle that is keeping me here.

Please post more if you're up for it. I've never known anyone to do CBT, and I have a hard time understanding just how it's different from "good" talk therapy. I've thought about doing it for myself, but I dunno..

Have a med review, now you have been on a while, the dosage may need tweaking a bit.

I'm due in next month... maybe the higher dosage will be better.

 

[FurryFury]

My daugther did some CBT. She typically approaches things (therapeutic ideas, curriculum, robots) with the idea that this will do everything and anything she wants it to. Once begun she slowly gets disillusioned until she decides it's doing nothing for her and quits. I'm honestly not sure if it helped her but if it didn't that could be her fault and not the fault of the therapy itself. Even if it did, her brain is different now and the results wouldn't necessarily remain.

Let me ask you a question and see if this rings any bells with anyone? My girl has strange and false memories. For instance about two years ago she gravely told me how she cried for three days straight when her bio dad died. And stopped talking for a year. That never happened. I was puzzled why she would be so certain of these falsehoods and why she would pick them in particular.

A few years ago when we were at the beach, she got her finger stuck in the sliding glass door locking mechanism. My son and I were there asking her what was wrong as she grimaced and grunted. She later threw a fit saying she had told us over and over again that her finger was stuck but we did nothing. In fact, she had not said a word. We had to figure it out ourselves and help release her.

Recently while putting out the x'mas decorations we got out some reindeer that used to belong to my husband's grandmother and so is very precious to us. Some of the antlers on the red ones are broken a bit. My girl confessed that when she was younger she had broken some of the legs off of them, she didn't know why she would do such a thing. No legs are actually broken.

So my question is, do these issues have to do with a mental illness anyone knows about? None of her therapists have yet figured it out or told me if they did. So frustrating. The above are just three examples.

 

[KatherineAlex]

My husband is an MFT who specializes in CBT...

He explains it as CBT being more present focused rather than the past. It's not so much wanting to understand why/where something comes from in the past. It's more about altering the way you react to things and situations in the present moment. Less analysis in general.

That's one perspective anyway...

 

[FurryFury]

I think CBT is a great area of therapy for many.

 

[DeepGreenEyes]

A clever, helpful animated metaphor:

"I had a black dog named Depression."

 

[DeepGreenEyes]

Thank you.

You're welcome. I like how the personification makes it "other."

 

[FurryFury]

My girl's depression has gotten pretty high as she begins to understand her academic limitations a year and a half after the event. Strangely, her anxiety is pretty low.

 

[Sweetdaisymae]

At the moment we are identifying my core beliefs that I have internalised, and how those beliefs have developed and become cemented. E.g. I am worthless, I can't trust people, I am not worth spending time with etc.

Boy do these run deep!

Then we identify what, in my current circumstances are triggering and reinforcing these beliefs.

Then I need to do some work at being nice to myself and learn how to value me, through my own eyes.

Then I have to look at the things I have issues with doing, my boulders.

This is going to take time, there are decades of hurt in there that have reinforced my negative beliefs.

I will get there.

 

[Scattered_Ice]

I think CBT is a great area of therapy for many.

have you ever tried it?

 

[FurryFury]

Great work to be doing. I know it's hard but the eventual rewards will be worth it. *HUGS* Those core beliefs are rooted in there deep.

At the moment we are identifying my core beliefs that I have internalised, and how those beliefs have developed and become cemented. E.g. I am worthless, I can't trust people, I am not worth spending time with etc.

Boy do these run deep!

Then we identify what, in my current circumstances are triggering and reinforcing these beliefs.

Then I need to do some work at being nice to myself and learn how to value me, through my own eyes.

Then I have to look at the things I have issues with doing, my boulders.

This is going to take time, there are decades of hurt in there that have reinforced my negative beliefs.

I will get there.

 

[FurryFury]

Not formally but a bit on my own. Have you?

have you ever tried it?

 

[FurryFury]

Happy holidays. Just keep me from killing my girl though. LOL

She's all, "Can I go to Japan?" and "Can I get a puppy?"

No. Not until you can take care of yourself and afford a bigger place in the case of the puppy. Ugh.

 

[ecstaticsub]

FurryFury

Yep, me too. My daughter comes home from college latter this week. It's going to be strange having her home again. I'm looking forward to it, but I am also nervous. I am hoping for a peaceful winter break.

 

[FurryFury]

I feel you. At least your girl can do college right now. Mine can't.

FurryFury

Yep, me too. My daughter comes home from college latter this week. It's going to be strange having her home again. I'm looking forward to it, but I am also nervous. I am hoping for a peaceful winter break.

 

[ecstaticsub]

My daugther did some CBT. She typically approaches things (therapeutic ideas, curriculum, robots) with the idea that this will do everything and anything she wants it to. Once begun she slowly gets disillusioned until she decides it's doing nothing for her and quits. I'm honestly not sure if it helped her but if it didn't that could be her fault and not the fault of the therapy itself. Even if it did, her brain is different now and the results wouldn't necessarily remain.

Let me ask you a question and see if this rings any bells with anyone? My girl has strange and false memories. For instance about two years ago she gravely told me how she cried for three days straight when her bio dad died. And stopped talking for a year. That never happened. I was puzzled why she would be so certain of these falsehoods and why she would pick them in particular.

A few years ago when we were at the beach, she got her finger stuck in the sliding glass door locking mechanism. My son and I were there asking her what was wrong as she grimaced and grunted. She later threw a fit saying she had told us over and over again that her finger was stuck but we did nothing. In fact, she had not said a word. We had to figure it out ourselves and help release her.

Recently while putting out the x'mas decorations we got out some reindeer that used to belong to my husband's grandmother and so is very precious to us. Some of the antlers on the red ones are broken a bit. My girl confessed that when she was younger she had broken some of the legs off of them, she didn't know why she would do such a thing. No legs are actually broken.

So my question is, do these issues have to do with a mental illness anyone knows about? None of her therapists have yet figured it out or told me if they did. So frustrating. The above are just three examples.

I don't know if has anything to do with mental illness or not. Both kids and I were talking about a situation that occurred when there were in 2 and 4th grades. I was amazed how all 3 of us remembered it occurring in a different way. It was very frustrating because it had become a traumatic event for one of them but the way they remembered it I don't think happened that way.

My girl's depression has gotten pretty high as she begins to understand her academic limitations a year and a half after the event. Strangely, her anxiety is pretty low.

I feel you. At least your girl can do college right now. Mine can't.

So sorry to hear that. Will she try to do something else until she is ready to go back to school?

~hugs~

 

[FurryFury]

My daugther didn't believe me. I had to get her brother and father's take before she began to accept that the crying for three days, not talking for a week thing never happened.

She is undergoing testing and a complete neurological work up. When that's done maybe she will be able to make new plans.

In the meantime she is continuing to look for work without any success.

I don't know if has anything to do with mental illness or not. Both kids and I were talking about a situation that occurred when there were in 2 and 4th grades. I was amazed how all 3 of us remembered it occurring in a different way. It was very frustrating because it had become a traumatic event for one of them but the way they remembered it I don't think happened that way.





So sorry to hear that. Will she try to do something else until she is ready to go back to school?

~hugs~

 

[FurryFury]

So when you have a brain injury from heat stroke and you crave fat and sugar because of the brain injury should those that love you be okay that you are getting obese? Or encourage you to fight those impulses and eat healthier?

Or in other words does the brain NEED fat and sugar to heal?

Anyone know?

 

[sweepthefloor]

Every morning and every night I start singing when I open my mouth: pills pills pills to the Motley Crue music girls girls girls.

 

[sweepthefloor]

So when you have a brain injury from heat stroke and you crave fat and sugar because of the brain injury should those that love you be okay that you are getting obese? Or encourage you to fight those impulses and eat healthier?

Or in other words does the brain NEED fat and sugar to heal?

Anyone know?

I am not exactly sure about heat stroke, but I did my time in neurology nursing. What I know about the acute care there was tight glucose control and lipid reduction. The best thing to do with any injury to the brain was to keep the blood pressure in a range that provides adequate perfusion but not so high that it caused pressure in the head.

 

[FurryFury]

Good to know.

I am not exactly sure about heat stroke, but I did my time in neurology nursing. What I know about the acute care there was tight glucose control and lipid reduction. The best thing to do with any injury to the brain was to keep the blood pressure in a range that provides adequate perfusion but not so high that it caused pressure in the head.

 

[FurryFury]

Sounds like fun.

Every morning and every night I start singing when I open my mouth: pills pills pills to the Motley Crue music girls girls girls.

 

[gypsy*seer]

Every morning and every night I start singing when I open my mouth: pills pills pills to the Motley Crue music girls girls girls.

Sounds like my mom....she's up to seven.

Thanks for the helpful info!

 

[DeepGreenEyes]

It occurs to be that both ways may pour fuel on the fire for different people, as the video mentions that externalizing his issues and blaming the depression instead of himself helped (if I remember right I haven't re-watched it)

which ever way feeds your depression; try the other.

Yeah, depends on the person and the mood. I once read a book where the author referred to anxiety as her "dragon," in a personal way. "My dragon demanded I curtail my activities, and promised me relief if I did. My dragon demanded I stay home if I wanted to feel better. He demanded more and more, until I became an invalid." Like that. You could see the psychology, and how people can become completely cut off from the world and everything that brings them joy. She began to externalize it, and become aware, and that helped her to realize it was not "her," if that makes sense. I found it captivating.