Don't know what to do!!

[Gabrielben]

Hi guys,

I'm 19 years old, and just recently started university. About 4 months ago I started getting terribly anxious and depressed, this then turned into panic attacks on a hourly basis! About 3 weeks ago it got so bad that I was about to admit myself into a mental home. I've been doing CBT for 3 months and nothing helped, I could not shake my anxiety off. Anyway I went to see a GP, and I was out on cipralex 10mg, it has helped tremendously and I've been feeling so much better, except for side effects and slight paradoxical anxiety. My mom, being a psychiatrist herself, disagrees with me taking medicine and is wanting me to come off it, of course correctly. I don't know what to do? I'm going to see my a excellent psychiatrist tomorrow, recommended by mother, on hope to get further clarity. My mother disagrees with the use of medication in mental health, unless it is really needed, ie psychosis and major depressive and mood disorders. She approaches it in a more life coaching and self motivation way, which I suppose is correct.

Is there any advice as to what I should do? Continue on the meds and become "dependent" or discontinue their use and try long term talk therapy? Considering I had tried it and it didn't work so well.

Thanks guys, any replies are greatly appreciated

Gabriel

[AlexandriaUK]

I think that you should do what you feel better with, if your psychiatrist not your mum thinks you should manage your illness without medication and you are happy to to that route then that's the way to to, It has to be the best way for you.
It isn't always Mother knows best LOL

[Oosh]

Wow, tricky one, who'll disagree with a psychiatrist mum hehe.

Ok I'm gonna pretend your mums NOT a psychiatrist.

I went on Prozac for four years. I felt something was missing in me. I wasn't feeling like I felt I should.

It was a book that turned me onto them.

When I was on Prozac I raved about it.
After coming off it four years later I have mixed feelings about that period.
Part of me misses aspects of it.
Part of me recognises that they were supposed to help with social anxiety and didn't. It made it worse.
I conclude that it did SOMETHING to me but that something WASNT fix me.
But I'm not sure I totally disliked that something that it did do.

As you can see I am still not sure how I feel about the experience. But after quite a few years now I still never have gone back on them. But I do still think about it.

Despite my mixed feelings about them I would not criticise someone's decision if they felt that even though they were not sure about them they wanted a CHANGE in how they felt.
If you feel rubbish, CHANGE something. Give it a shake up. Because staying like you are only produces the same results. You sometimes have to find some way to shake yourself out of that wrong groove and hopefully land in a better state.

But your mums a psychiatrist. She may KNOW from her experiences with people on them they rarely produce positive, longterm results. You've got to respect her experience. She no doubt sees the day to day reality and has come to the conclusion to not use them unless absolutely necessary.

I think it's therefore a good move talking to a different psychiatrist to see if they have the same negative view.

[MyNameIsTerry]

The SSRI Cipralex isn't habit forming so you won't become dependant on them.

So, you could use therapy alongside them.


I want to add here, no disrespect to your mother, that sometimes it can be difficult to be objective about your family so see what your psychiatrist says. If your mother has made the recommendation though, will it be in favour of no medication per her principles?


So, you could obtain another opinion.


SSRIs can help but they will make you appear more stable than you are so you have to tackle your issues before coming off them or the anxiety can start again.


There is no one right way with these mental health disorders.