Hi,
A friend of mine gave me the web address here and I think its a neat website.
I am a 26 year-old female, married, lives in Chicago. I am seeing a pyschiatrist for therapy and have been since December. He does psychopharmocology as well as psychotherapy. I first started seeing him because some one suggested that I might have ADHD and he says he doesn't think I do but there are a ton of issues. Such as anxiety/depression/emotional/etc. A couple ideas he has are ptsd or a pd or a ed or something like that. Two appointments ago he said he was thinking of trying a SSRI, the last appointment I brought it up at the end and he said we would have to talk about that on the next appointment. The next appointment is on Wednesday, he made the switch to going every week instead of every other week.
I feel a bit sorry for him having to deal with me sometimes. I know I can be difficult and I try not to be but it happens.
Questions:
What should I be asking him if anything?
How do you get past resistance to therapy? or to the dr? I also am really resistant. Like he will ask a question and I will ask three questions and his inital question generally never gets answered because I steered it away from the question. Or I will ignore it or change the topic. Ie, he asked me what were some of my hobbies and I asked him what does he mean by that. He asked me how my husband and I met and I asked him why? He said to get to know you better so, how? The question was never answered.
Why does he seem to change the topic? Like we will be on one topic and then he will say something that only slightly relates to what we are talking about. IE, I was talking about a cat I had when I was in hs, it had to move with my grandparents and they let him out. He asked how I felt about that and without really giving me time to explain how I did he said "Animals are really neat and can help people" or something weird.
I think that's it for now. Thank you for any responses...
SundayGirl
Hi SundayGirl, Welcome to Healing Well forum.
I too have an aversion also therapy but this is only due to the fact that I have worked in the mental health field for years and know what goes on and how it works. Yet I force myself to go as I know I need too in order to get better. I am surprised that your psychiatrist actually provides your counseling sessions. I see a psychiatrist once a month and he prescribes my medication and my visits usually lasts 15-20 minutes. I also see a counselor in the same practice every other week. Anyway, if you are aware that you are diverting the attention or his questions than why do it. What is the purpose of you going to see him if you are not going to be up front and honest with him and help yourself. I can understand if it was a difficult question like regarding childhood trauma or something but the questions you listed dont seem to be unreasonable or that hard to answer. Also, he is most likely thinking that you are trying to be difficult and analyzing it, instead of there being some sort of real problem here. I would suggest the next time you see him to discuss this with him and to make a concerted effort to answer his questions. If there is something that you dont want to talk about just tell him "I dont want to talk about that" instead of answering him with a question. If you are having actual anxiety and you think this is the reason you are diverting the attention away from you than you need to tell him. This is the whole purpose of therapy.
~elisha
Post Edited (els) : 3/12/2006 8:34:22 AM (GMT-7)
Hi!
Thank you for replying!
Yes, he does therapy. I had a psycologist my husband and I were seeing, he's still seeing her but I stopped because I didn't like her and I kind of thought it would be unfair that he saw her and then us seeing her and then me seeing her. Conflict of interests kind of thing. It was getting to the point where in our sessions, the topic generally steered towards what I was doing wrong or not correct or what I needed to change or what I needed to do better, etc.
Yes, I realize that I am being resistant but outside of "just stop", I don't know how to stop. Maybe I am over-thinking this here. It's just I can't bring myself to admit stuff to him. I can tell other stuff its just some I can't. Maybe it is anxiety but its awfully annoying having huge amounts of anxiety over soething that i ssupposed to be helpful. Like he asks "how is my mood?" and only once have I been able to admit that I feel yucky.
Another habit I have gotten into is answering "I don't know" and that is because its a lot eaiser to answer "I dont know" or even somethings answering with questions, then it is to actually answer the question.
Gah! How do you get past this stuff?
I do know the last few sessions I have managed to bring stuff up and that is by forcing myself really hard to. The next session, I want to talk about two different things: SSRIs and expectations. Like what can I expect from him and what he expects from me, etc...
Thank you again,
SundayGirl
Thank you for replying!
Yes, he does therapy. I had a psycologist my husband and I were seeing, he's still seeing her but I stopped because I didn't like her and I kind of thought it would be unfair that he saw her and then us seeing her and then me seeing her. Conflict of interests kind of thing. It was getting to the point where in our sessions, the topic generally steered towards what I was doing wrong or not correct or what I needed to change or what I needed to do better, etc.
Yes, I realize that I am being resistant but outside of "just stop", I don't know how to stop. Maybe I am over-thinking this here. It's just I can't bring myself to admit stuff to him. I can tell other stuff its just some I can't. Maybe it is anxiety but its awfully annoying having huge amounts of anxiety over soething that i ssupposed to be helpful. Like he asks "how is my mood?" and only once have I been able to admit that I feel yucky.
Another habit I have gotten into is answering "I don't know" and that is because its a lot eaiser to answer "I dont know" or even somethings answering with questions, then it is to actually answer the question.
Gah! How do you get past this stuff?
I do know the last few sessions I have managed to bring stuff up and that is by forcing myself really hard to. The next session, I want to talk about two different things: SSRIs and expectations. Like what can I expect from him and what he expects from me, etc...
Thank you again,
SundayGirl
SundayGirl,
That is an excellent idea. Go in an ask what his expectations of you are and tell him what you want to achieve by attending. Therapy is hard to do for a lot of people but it seems that you have a lot of insight into yourself and a true desire to get better or fix a problem.
I know that sometimes I feel that I sabotage my own treatment due to not being as honest as I can be or forthcoming in therapy. Once again this is due to my career field and worrying about being "caught up in the mental health system". I really have to work very hard not to do this. As I know this thought process is irrational and nonproductive for me, but sometimes....
Maybe you can make a list of things you do want to talk to him about and stick to it. If it is an anxiety issue there are breathing exercises you can do that help and medication for anxiety if indeed this is the problem. Your Psychiatrist is going to want you to be as descriptive as you can be about how you feel and what is going on in your life that can effect your mood and or possible reasons for depression.
Also, the thing with the pet he was probably saying or referring to the fact that statics show that animals have a healing and uplifting effect on people. Our psychiatrists recommend to patients who dont have animals to get a cat or small dog to help with their mood or depression. I know my cat Normandy helps greatly with mine.
Anyway, I dont feel that I have helped much here and I am sorry for that maybe someone else with a much more brilliant mind will come along and post some ideas. I hope that you do continue to post here, we are happy to have you and your input. Take care.... and let us know how your appointment goes (if it was any better) 
~elisha
~elisha
Hi,
Yippee! I am glad I came up with a good idea. Or an idea that not only I think is a good idea but someone else does too! Now I really will go in and will bring it up. The expectations thing. Thank you!!! Very much!!!! I mean it.
Some of my problems in therapy are not knowing what is the norms are and such. Other problems are my tendancy to over-think and over-analyze stuff. And yet a third area is me not wanting to mention something unless I know for sure what that thing is and all the whys about it. Such as how I feel about something and why I feel that way and so on.
I do have two cats and five ferrets, he finds the fact I own ferrets amsuing I think cause he mentions them a bit.
Can I ask what you did in the mental health field?
In any case, I do want to thank you very much for your input and I will reply here again after my next appointment.
SundayGirl
Yippee! I am glad I came up with a good idea. Or an idea that not only I think is a good idea but someone else does too! Now I really will go in and will bring it up. The expectations thing. Thank you!!! Very much!!!! I mean it.
Some of my problems in therapy are not knowing what is the norms are and such. Other problems are my tendancy to over-think and over-analyze stuff. And yet a third area is me not wanting to mention something unless I know for sure what that thing is and all the whys about it. Such as how I feel about something and why I feel that way and so on.
I do have two cats and five ferrets, he finds the fact I own ferrets amsuing I think cause he mentions them a bit.
Can I ask what you did in the mental health field?
In any case, I do want to thank you very much for your input and I will reply here again after my next appointment.
SundayGirl
Hi SundayGirl,
It is easy to over analyze when your attending therapy but just remember their there to help you so relax and take a deep breath, there isn't much of anything you can say that would not be okay.
I managed two private psychiatric residential care facilities. I have a Bachelor's degree in psychology and am working on my Master's now. So there really isn't to much I haven't seen.
Wow, two cats and five ferrets. That is quite a household full. My dad used to have a ferret years ago but he died. He was fun to watch climbing on everything. You would also go to his house and open a cabinet and there the ferret would be hiding. I never understood how he got in there.
~elisha
Hi,
The day after the appointment.
The appointment went well. I managed to bring up one of the two topics, the SSRI and not too much was said. My mind was racing and the topic was changing too much. He thinks that I have difficulties in expressing how I feel and stuff and its true. I dunno. He is worried about putting me on meds. We are going to talk again next week on the subject. It didn't help that I brought up and obsessed about the Ides of March yesterday and that killed a lot of time. Silly me. And I brought up something else that had been bugging me. My aunt said that she was worried that I was wasting time and such. We talked about that a bit also. Then the med thing was brought up. Ooops. And he felt that I didn't want the meds even though I do but I have this tendency to not react to things and not rbing them up so to him and most people it looks like non-interest. I know a bad thing.
I am really tired this morning because I didn't get much sleep last night. Yesterday I was in a super, super hyper mood all day and obsessed with the fact it was "The Ides of March".
My tendancy to over-analyze happens even when I am not doing therapy. That is a normal thought pattern for me.
My ferrets are funny. They get into all kinds of stuff including cabinets and drawers and stuff. Ferrets are natural diggers and to some extent climbers.
SundayGirl
The day after the appointment.
The appointment went well. I managed to bring up one of the two topics, the SSRI and not too much was said. My mind was racing and the topic was changing too much. He thinks that I have difficulties in expressing how I feel and stuff and its true. I dunno. He is worried about putting me on meds. We are going to talk again next week on the subject. It didn't help that I brought up and obsessed about the Ides of March yesterday and that killed a lot of time. Silly me. And I brought up something else that had been bugging me. My aunt said that she was worried that I was wasting time and such. We talked about that a bit also. Then the med thing was brought up. Ooops. And he felt that I didn't want the meds even though I do but I have this tendency to not react to things and not rbing them up so to him and most people it looks like non-interest. I know a bad thing.
I am really tired this morning because I didn't get much sleep last night. Yesterday I was in a super, super hyper mood all day and obsessed with the fact it was "The Ides of March".
My tendancy to over-analyze happens even when I am not doing therapy. That is a normal thought pattern for me.
My ferrets are funny. They get into all kinds of stuff including cabinets and drawers and stuff. Ferrets are natural diggers and to some extent climbers.
SundayGirl
Hi SundayGirl, You sound to be pretty satisfied with this last session. Other than his resistance of not putting you on an antidepressant this time. Keep working with him and trying to stay on track and you should get what you need out of therapy.
Your ferrets sound cute. My cat Normandy spends his mornings sitting at the back door watching the birds in the bird feeder. He actually chirps at them hoping they will come to him. Funny...
~elisha
~elisha