panic and psychiatrist

[june]

I have been seing a psychiatrist at intervals for the last 18 months, he arranged for me to go on an anxiety management course for 8 weeks.
That was a bit of a fiasco but still interesting.
I have just received a letter stating that as they are not treating me because i am not keen on taking medication - i am being referred back to my GP.
Want I would like to know from you - please is
- what did you expect from the psychiatrist?
I expected to find out what caused my panic and how to stop it among other things.
CBT therapist basically told me "well you have had panic attacks before and you did not die then what makes this so different?" I was very polite with my reply to that.
Interested to hear from you
Thanx
june

[freakedout]

Hi June,

Blimey, some people really do have a way with their words don't they? I once said to a CPN that I thought everyone was looking at me to which she replied "What makes you think you are so special that everyone would be looking at you?" I could have shrivelled up and died on the spot, I don't think I am special just well err freaky!! and I draw attention to myself by my nervousness etc..

Anyway back to your question, the psychiatrist. Hmm, I expected a miracle cure and lots of answers but didn't get them. I was given a diagnosis, and a prescription, referred to someone else for 'therapy'. I think you did well to attend the anxiety management course so good on you! I, like you, thought I needed to get to the bottom of what caused my panic but although I know some potential causes I am discouraged from looking to the past and being advised to consider my thoughts about the present and towards the future. I am waffling a bit sorry, I hope my reply is ok. It is all a bit complicated really and I am probably not even answering your question sorry, my head is fuzzy!

All the best,

Freaky

[milly jones]

i think that the psychiatrists job is to help u use meds to dull the anx whilst the psychologists job is to help u find ways of dealing with the anx

the therapy and meds shoudl run hand in hand

i was told that the root of the issues is not always important to find cos it may not have a solution, but its the everyday dealing with the anx that counts

so exercises like cbt controlled exposure, with meds to aid ur anx will help u conquer the fear. the finding out why u suffer does not solve the fear.

hope u can understand my waffle

i guess that there are exception eg ptsd or grief, which have to be dealt with before u can move on

any way just a point of view id been given

milly xx

[june]

Thank you for your replys
loved this bit
I once said to a CPN that I thought everyone was looking at me to which she replied "What makes you think you are so special that everyone would be looking at you?" I could have shrivelled up and died on the spot, I don't think I am special just well err freaky!!

- i had this as well. Talk about adding to our anxiety!!!!!
What I really want to find out is;-
What makes my head buzz? etc like you my head gets FUZZY why????
I think it is in Dianah Bradlys book on hyperventilation, where a lady is told "there is nothing wrong with you....." I know we have all been told that!!!!!
There is something wrong - Other wise I would not be so stressed
Milly you are quite right there are special circumstances and sometime ites best to leave them alone.
On relaxation I told 'them' what relaxtion meant to me>>>>
To let all your muscles go loose. - To let your brain go quiet
à Is to be nothing!
à Is to give up
à Is to be a nobody
à Is to be depressed
à Is to be dead

You have to let your body become nothing; your brain is quiet,
à Therefore not working
à Therefore is useless
à Therefore will not be able to stir the body / brain back into action.
They just said "that was the wrong way of looking at it???????????

Now I am waffling
thanx again.
Any others?
June

[freakedout]

Hi June,

Hmmm, you got me thinking again, I could do with a little less thinking most of the time but here goes, prepare to be bored to death!

What makes my head buzz is a terrible migraine, a hideous hangover, and having listened to very loud music for a while, but from the anxiety perspective I hyperventilate and go dizzy, I get wooshy blood rushing sounds in my head and I sometimes become detached from reality and feel as though I am living a dream/nightmare, I think that is depersonalisation or derealisation. It reminds me fairgrounds for some reason and so I call it the fairground effect, you know when you can hear loads of crazy clown music and hussle and bussle but you don't feel a part of it. It is also a bit like the sensation when you are drifting off to sleep and partially aware of what is going on in the background, the difference is that it is unpleasant and a bit freaky. This can happen very quickly when I panic. If I am an not panicking though but just very anxious I am ultra sensitive to lots of things in my environment, and struggle to concentrate, and do not tolerate bright light and loud noises well, ie screaming kids - but then who does!!

As for relaxation, well I think I kind of understand what you are saying, but I am not the most positive person and may not give the best perspective on relaxation. For me, relaxation is being asleep, not dreaming and not being aware, so yes the next best thing to being dead I suppose. Having said that, there are times when I am relaxed and it is usually when I am not anxious - but do I feel normal, carefree and happy? Do I heckers like.

Keep waffling June

and take care,

Freaky

[happyone]

What did I expect from my psychiatrist? I don’t know. I was in crises and just wanted to get better. I wanted a reason for the way I was feeling and behaving. When he gave me a reason, I wanted another one, one that suited me a bit better. I have a lovely psychiatrist. He told me in the very beginning “I work for you. If you need me, you call me” I have done so, even as little as half an hour after my consultation.

I expect him to listen to me…which he does but we don’t always agree. I expect him to co operate when I want to be included and informed about my care…which I am. If he wants to try a new med, he knows I have to research it first and tell him what I think. I told him a while back I wanted to come off my meds. He didn’t agree that it was a good idea, but agreed to support me through it…unfortunately I did it without his support and got ill!

I have always known that psychiatrists are prescribers. I never expected anything other than that from him.


I once said to a CPN that I thought everyone was looking at me to which she replied "What makes you think you are so special that everyone would be looking at you?"
I had similar from my pdoc. I told him I thought he was spying on me! He asked me "what makes you think you are so important?" I didn't think it was a bad question at all. I think it was about bringing back to reality. It is a question that you could ask yourself if using CBT techniques. Because really, it is true. We are not so special that people would be looking/spying on us. Maybe hard fact, embarrassing maybe, but true and very grounding question.

I can't share your ideas on relaxation. To me relaxation can be quiet, or can have volume. Everyone relaxes in their way. To me it is a time of not worrying. I can do this by listening to a guided meditation, reading, painting, cooking....depends on what mood I am in at the time.

Happyone
x

[june]

To freakedout and happyone - I am so pleased with your replies.:yesyes:
We all have varying shades of panic etc so I suppose it must be hard for the medics to please us all.
Having said that -happyone your doc worked nicely with you by the sound of it mine asked me a question and while I was explaining it :ohmy: he was doing his 'neck' exercises!!!!!!
I asked if i was boring him "no I just have a stiff neck" he said and started writing on his note pad.

Mirry talked about grief - the psych medics keep trying to blame my panic on the fact that I found My younger and only brother dead on the floor of his living room. (Stange to say my family were so amazed that I DID NOT panic over this.)
it was a fact of life and had a meaning although i miss him like mad his death has its own place in my heart and nothing whatever to do with the panic I have suffered for over 30 years.
Sleep, freaky is great as long as you do not dream (sometimes wake in panic about 5 am) I have asked for help with hyperventilation - it is very hard to do breathing excersises on your own -How do you know if you are doing it right???????:blush:

but do I feel normal, carefree and happy? Do I heckers like. nice comment

I am always looking for answers maybe one day i will get some clue and break the spell on panic.
Loved reading the posts
have made some notes (anything that matches my fears helps to calm me)
thanx everyone
June

[Yvonne]

Hallo June

As a couple of the others have said psychiatrists really are the specialists on the meds. When I first had to see a shrink I had visions of a man with pince-nez looking down his nose and me lying on a bed with him analysisng me. Nope! It aint like that at all is it. No the shrinks just monitor the meds and how you are getting on with them. Mine does talk to me and is a very very nice man - he reassures me about stuff and does try to explain about anxiety and depression but really leaves the talking therapy to my cbt therapist. It's usually t he psychologist who does the talking stuff with the patient.

When the therapist asked you "what makes you think you're so special" it very much depends on how she said it. If she said it tongue in cheek with a little smile I think that would be fine. When I told my therapist I thought people were noticing when I was panicky she said something like "No one is noticing you! - people are too interested in what they are doing". It's a similar thing to what your therapist said and in fact all they are doing is trying to reassure us that we are not being looked at in an effort to alleviate our "fear" of people looking at us. It does very much depend on how the therapist says it but your therapist didn't mean it in an offensive way I'm sure of that.

Finding your brother dead is very very traumatic even if you don't feel it is the reason for your panics. The trauma will be in the sub-conscious and who knows what havoc it is causing.

June, I really do think with panic or "our" fears (whatever they may be) - are not down to just one incident - I personally think that it's lots of little traumas that have happened in our lives or little things in our lives that we are unhappy with but can't do anything about. Why worry about what has caused this demon of an illness? Even if we did know, what could we do about it? We couldn't undo the past could we? I would try not to worry yourself about what caused it - just concentrate on how to get better.

June, with the breathing - and hyperventilation is horrible horrible! I know. Thing is, you will know when you are doing it right because it will feel right.Do the exercise where you put something heavyish on your stomach, lie down and make sure the stomach rises and not your chest. Having a little weight on the stomach you can see the stomach going up and down better.

Take care and good luck.

Yvonne

[june]

Thanks Yvonne, you have given me plenty of things to think about.
I think you are right it is all the 'small' irritations in life that 'gang up' on you and then you freak.
The most annoying thing the medics do is when i ask them things like this:-

(quote from freaky) From the anxiety perspective I hyperventilate and go dizzy, I get wooshy blood rushing sounds in my head and I sometimes become detached from reality and feel as though I am living a dream/nightmare. (end quote) I need to know why my head goes funny

They will just say "it is anxiety" or " it is stress" symptoms like above come out of the blue
I do not feel stressed till i get the symptom then i stress
- I also get lots of rashes (Urticaria) could be pinhead size spots could be the size of 50p. Why? it is stress.
Sorry perhaps i am talking rubbish
June

[Yvonne]

June

No, course you're not talking rubbish - I see where you're coming from now. You want someone to explain to you the physiology (dunno if it's right word) you want to know what's happening in the body to cause such symptoms. In fact you have every right to get an answer from the shrink to this question.

What you should say to him is that you want to know what is happening in the body to create these sensations.

Right, this is what happens to the best of my knowledge. First thing; thought, you may not even recognise that you are having a negative or anxiety provoking thought. Thoughts running through the head constantly and what happens with us is that we react to the offending thought in an instant with anxiety symptoms. As soon as that thought is registered the adreneline kicks off and starts the symptoms.........could be like this.....

lurch in the stomach or a gripping feeling
You think oh no!!!!!! because we know this is the pre cursar to further anxiety symptoms......
then
can't get a full breath ...
you think oh no it's coming on.....
= more adreneline being released because we are getting distressed
next
heart starts racing........ more distress to the sufferer causing more and more adreneline to be released

June, it's the adreneline as far as I know that creates all the nasty symptoms and it just feeds on itself by our thoughts producing more adreneline.

I would lay money on it that the rash is stress related - you could see your gp to check. I used to get red blotches all over my face when I was younger and I know now it was anxiety.

Your shrink should have given you an explanation in my opinion.

Take care.

[june]

:hugs: Yvonne you are a star:hugs:
Talk to you later
June

[Yvonne]

Awww shucks - I reckon others could have explained it so much better than I did June xxxxx

[june]

:ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy: I was so surprised to receive a phone call this morning to tell me that the letter i had last week discharging me from psychatric care WAS A MISTAKE:yesyes: :yesyes: I now wait for a letter with a knew appointment and a "group" session is being arranged.
I am so glad i did not post the letter i had typed up :blush: .
With comments from yourselves and notes i have made over the year i had got together a good letter of complaint:blush:

Now i have to wait and see what happens next.
I have to say that the comments i have from you, i feel more sure on how to deal with my next appointment. ( usually i feel rather intimidated - they know best or i am stupid not to take meds) i have tried several meds over the years and not got on well.
Still thanks for all your help.
I will let you know how i get on:flowers:
June

[freakedout]

Hi June,

Gosh you have had a bit of a roller coaster of a week I am sure, one minute they are discharging you, next minute they are not, this can't be good for your nerves can it?!?!

Well I am pleased they are not leaving you to fend for yourself, thank goodness you never sent the letter off, but at the same time good for you for writing it and fighting for support you deserve.

I hope your next appointment goes well, and that you are as well as possible in the mean time.

Freaky

[june]

Thanks Freaky, yes rather a roller coaster of emotions.
I / we have never made a fuss of anniversaries etc but somehow this one really knocked my confidence. WHY does something usually so ordinary suddenly become of major importance, leaving me very very depressed?
How can I suddenly be overwhelmed to realise i have been married for 49 years this week? life has rolled along (bit bumpy with my panic) nicely and now hit me like a ton of bricks.
Must get a grip.
Once again thankyou for your support
June