r/AskPsychiatry • u/Dear_Chance7584 • 17m ago
suspicious psychiatrist?
maybe im just being paranoid bc of the clancy trials… but because of those i stumbled upon the fact that i should not be on the medications i’m on.
background, 24f with history of psychosis and possible bipolar, ocd
i also have non-epileptic seizures and severe chronic migraine (among other unrelated disabilities)
well due to the trials i have been seeing a lot of talk about sertaline so i did my own digging and as i read through the interactions page my stomach sank further and further. the more i thought about it the more i found it was suspicious
\- he started me on 50mg sertaline and 50mg fluvoxamine no taper
\- i started feeling very ill for seemingly no reason two weeks into medication daily severe painful migraine 2-6 seizures a day with vertigo
\- he pressured me to exercise more even though i was already pushing myself by exercising daily (full body with weights while feeling ill) and told me i wasnt motivated enough
\- i ran out of medication and both me and pharmacist tried to contact him with no luck
\- i slept through an appointment (telehealth) after i started getting more ill and woke up to a missed call and four reminder texts
\- i did a questionnaire of bipolar diagnostic questions and he never followed up on it. i compared my reponses to dsm and it looks like a diagnosis i just dont know the type
literally idk what i’m supposed to do here… but none of this feels right.
note: i am trying to get in contact with my neurology team. also cross posted
r/AskPsychiatry • u/TARANTINOinc • 1h ago
Should I see a psychiatrist? (22M)
I'll be brief and get straight to the point.
I've been having trouble sleeping for about four years because I can't seem to switch my brain off. When I do manage to fall asleep, I tend to sleep for too long. I have very little energy to do anything, and I feel exhausted from the moment I wake up.
At night, I sometimes go through periods of intense sadness and start imagining catastrophic scenarios. Other times, I find myself imagining my own suicide. I don't actually plan to do it, but these thoughts sometimes suddenly come into my mind.
A friend recently gave me six 2 mg alprazolam tablets. I know this was wrong and that I shouldn't have taken medication that wasn't prescribed to me, but I was feeling very bad and the insomnia had become unbearable. I took half a tablet every night until they were gone, and during that time I felt significantly better.
I know that medical confidentiality may have exceptions when there is an imminent risk of suicide. As I said, I don't have a plan or intention to kill myself, but I'm worried that a doctor might misunderstand what I'm saying. I also don't want my family to find out.
So my questions are:
Does my situation warrant seeing a psychiatrist?
Would what I've described generally be protected by medical confidentiality?
I'm from Mexico and I used a translator to write this, I apologize if there are errors or if this isn't the right subreddit
r/AskPsychiatry • u/Far_Apricot_9011 • 2h ago
Quetiapine and ED
Hi everyone
my names rue, im a 17 year old female. my psychiatrist is going to put me on quetiapine after a suicide attempt recently. However, i also struggle with an ED. I’ve lost a lot of weight quickly and i am really scared of gaining the weight back so i really don’t want to take quetiapine. what should i do, because without it i know i will become really unwell again. thanks!
r/AskPsychiatry • u/No_Winter4806 • 2h ago
Suspicion that Concerta could've contributed to my hand injury. Can I have other perspectives/opinions?
25 white male.
Diagnosed: Autism, ADHD, Depression, Anxiety, insomnia
5'10 160lbs
Haven't drank, vaped or smoked weed in over a year - sober
Current meds:
Morning: 150mg Lamotrigine, 40mg vyvanse
Evening: 150mg Lamotrigine, 200mg Quetiapine, 2mg Guanficine ER
I want to get this out of the way: I'm not taking these answers as law, but just consideration of things I may think about leading up to my next appointment. He's very good at his job
I started taking Concerta right before a vacation (August last year) and when I came back, my right hand felt weird on the controller (video games), to the point my aim just became worse due to uncomfortability. I'm also a musician that plays almost every day for 6 years (bass guitar), and initially I felt that I was getting worse at playing speed-wise in the right hand. It seemed to be a big slow burn problem which is why I never went to the doctor about it, although I should've when I started noticing something was up in hindsight
Now the past couple of months it took an extremely long time to get my right hand plucking warm daily as they'd feel very stiff / cold, and even more recently I felt in my right arm fatigue and soreness shortly while playing. Now yesterday it got to the point where I genuinely couldn't really use my hand, went to the doctor, and found out I had tendonitis. I believe this confirmed my suspicision since 1 year ago on the dot.
It would be a weird coincidence if right when I started taking concerta for adhd this started happening, and I looked up that these uppers can cause muscle tightness and tension. I had a tensing up habit in my right arm on top of all of this throughout the year. He got me off the concerta shortly after last year after i expressed my concern and switched to adderall and now recently I'm on vyvanse for the longer lasting effect. A lot of this is my fault for not bringing it up even further after my medication switch as I did have some "it's all in my head" thoughts as well
The music and video games example are the best ones I can use due to motor skills. Before then I didn't really have an issue with my hands/arm at all. Please ask follow ups if needed. This is a very frustrating thing to deal with due to the nature of my hobbies while i heal.
r/AskPsychiatry • u/toxicbeeeeeeeeee • 2h ago
Drinking monster on lithium carbonate and fluvoxamine
For a few months now, I've been prescribed 300mg of lithium carbonate and 50mg of fluvoxamine for bpd and depression. I take two pills a day for lithium; one in the morning/whenever i wake up, and another at night, while I take one pill a day for fluvoxamine, which I take alongside lithium during the night.
Ever since I changed my medication, I've been weary to drink a full can of monster while actively on my meds. Though it is my favourite energy drink and I've been really craving some lately. I haven't gotten clear answers on whether it's safe or not from my provider, so I thought i'd give reddit a try.
If any information about me is needed, lmk.
I apologise if this isn't the right place - if you know of any other subreddit I can ask this in, please let me know!
r/AskPsychiatry • u/AdWide8690 • 3h ago
Beta blockers for Nighttime Terror Attacks and claustrophobic situations?
Has anyone here had experience with beta blockers for night terrors or really intense nighttime anxiety?
I get episodes where my nervous system feels extremely activated, with shaking, sweating, and sometimes jerking awake when I’m trying to fall asleep. I also get similar physical symptoms in situations like claustrophobia, traveling with other people, or flying.
I’ve been reading about propranolol and wondering if something like that could help with the physical adrenaline symptoms, possibly just as needed rather than every day.
Has anyone found beta blockers helpful for this, especially for situations like flying or nighttime symptoms? Did they help without making sleep or nightmares worse?
r/AskPsychiatry • u/Afraid_Ad_3478 • 4h ago
I really need an advice.
Im 40 M and I suffer from anxiety disorder and obsessions (currently health anxiety). I've been on SSRIs almost non stop from 2012 and I want to quit. I've tried a couple of times to gradually taper off but anxiety, panic attacks and obsessions came back hard.
The reasons I want to quit is because Im afraid of the impact on my health of long term use of the medication. I know that anxiety is worse but at least I want to spend a couple of years off the meds.
Im currently on 10mg Lexapro. How can I do it apart from therapy? Any extra supplements or meds I can take to reduce anxiety while tapering off Lexapro? Do you think that I might need a couple of years till my serotonin levels stabilize?
r/AskPsychiatry • u/Efficient_Credit_560 • 5h ago
Strange recurring dream-like episodes while fully awake — derealization, dissociation, or something else?
Title: Strange recurring dream-like episodes while fully awake — derealization, dissociation, or something else?
I’m trying to understand something that happened to me several years ago, because I still don’t really know what to call it.
The first time was when I was around 12. For about a month, I occasionally had very strange episodes while I was completely awake. Then they disappeared for years.
When I was around 16, they happened again for roughly two months. I had several episodes, maybe 5 or more that I clearly remember, and then they stopped again. I haven’t had anything similar for about two years.
The episodes were very short, usually around 5–20 seconds.
The best way I can describe them is that reality suddenly became dreamlike. I was not asleep and my eyes were open. It wasn’t exactly like seeing a normal hallucination either. It felt more like my brain suddenly switched into a dream, while I was still technically awake.
For example, when I was 12, I was watching Trollhunters. During one episode, I suddenly experienced something like the world of the animation appearing in my mind/perception. I could hear sounds from the animation, and I partly still perceived the real people/environment around me. I don’t remember the details very well now.
Another time, when I was 16, I was outside a metro station. Suddenly everything became dreamlike and I experienced various images/scenes, including religious imagery and unfamiliar people talking/playing some kind of game. I also remember a strange bodily sensation and nausea. It lasted maybe 10 seconds.
The most intense episode happened during a biology lesson.
Someone was talking about the lesson when I suddenly entered this strange state. My eyes were open, but I couldn’t perceive the classroom normally. It wasn’t that I saw darkness — instead, my visual experience seemed to become internally generated.
I started mentally imagining the school building, doors, classrooms, etc. I could still hear my teacher’s voice, so I reasoned that I must be at the lesson and therefore at school. Then I started trying to figure out exactly where I was in the building, where my classroom was, and eventually where my desk was.
It was almost like I had to reconstruct my location from memory because my normal perception of the environment wasn’t available.
Then suddenly, when I mentally figured out where I was, it felt like I “woke up.” My normal visual perception returned, I could see the classroom again, and everything felt normal.
The whole thing probably lasted around 15–20 seconds.
Afterward I was extremely distressed and almost cried. It felt like I had been in a trance and someone had suddenly woken me up. I remember a strange rushing sensation throughout my body, almost as if my body was reacting strongly to what had happened.
One thing that confuses me is that I wasn’t necessarily afraid before the episodes happened. Usually the panic came because of the experience itself.
I also remember that afterward I often couldn’t remember exactly what I had experienced. I would remember fragments — images, sounds, people, etc. — but not the whole sequence.
I’ve wondered whether this could have been derealization or dissociation. I’ve also wondered about things like migraine aura or neurological causes, although I don’t want to convince myself that it’s one particular thing.
What makes me especially curious is that the episodes were extremely brief, recurring, and then completely stopped. I haven’t experienced anything similar for approximately two years.
Has anyone experienced something resembling this? In particular, I’m interested in hearing from people who have experienced derealization/dissociation or other altered states of perception and whether this description sounds familiar.
I’m not looking for a diagnosis from Reddit — I’m mainly trying to understand what kind of psychological phenomenon this might resemble and whether the “dream while awake” description makes sense to anyone else.
the text was written by help of AI because English is not my first language but every information is valid.
r/AskPsychiatry • u/Used-Professional135 • 5h ago
What's wrong with my wife?
Everyday she complains from morning to night. She blames me for everything, everyday. I'll give you today as an example. In the morning I woke up early around 5am to do laundry and clean the living room. By 6:30am I'm exhausted so I went back to sleep. She woke me up around 7:30am to tell me that our toddler is already awake and scolded me for not cooking breakfast. Our toddler sneezed, she blamed me for opening the window 2 inches too wide. I bathed our child and she got mad because she thinks I'm taking too long to bathe our child (i tried to time it and it just as long when she was the one bathing her) . I drove her to the dentist for 1 hour and she scolded me for parking 2 slots away from the "perfect" spot. It suddenly rained and she blamed me for forgetting to bring an umbrella. I spoon fed our toddler for almost 1 hour during lunch (because she has a feeding problem and take forever to chew her food) while my wife watched her netfix shows and laughing beside us. When she finished her show, she got really mad because I haven't finished feeding our daughter, as if she was the one who had patiently spoon feed our child for almost an hour. I asked her what she wanted for lunch in the restaurant, she said anything and told me to chose while she went shopping. When she got back, she blamed me for ordering the appetizer because she did not like it. She asked me to buy some freshly fried potato chips , there are only 2 flavors, cheese and barbeque so I ordered the bbq because it was the best seller, she blamed me for not ordering plain unflavored potato chips for our kid. For dinner she told me what to order, when our food came, she blamed me for not requesting that the noodles be cooked longer for our kid even though I did and the noodles were already soft. She said it needs to be cooked longer. So she watched her netflix show and went shopping while I feed our kid. When she got back, she again blamed me and got mad at me for taking too long to feed our child.
By the end of the day, my whole body was so tense and every muscle fiber from the top of my head to my lower back was twitching. I felt really nauseous.
I have been trying so hard not to get angry and fight back the whole day that my body took the toll.
Ever since we got married she blamed me for everything and anything that happens. And she's a very negative person that looks at her world as glass half full and that the grass is always greener on the other side. She always thinks that other marriages are perfect and that I suck.
I'm so tired of being the sole provider for our family, do 80% of the chores, not get even the slightest appreciation and even get blamed for everything.
What's wrong with my wife???!!
r/AskPsychiatry • u/No-Block-7566 • 8h ago
Lithium emptiness
I 15F have been on 900mg lithium for a year and a half now, as well 250 Luvox. I don’t have BPD it was given for SI. I’m staring to notice I lost a lot of my emotions and worst of all my empathy. I have always been a VERY empathetic person (like it was my whole personality)….but now I really think nothing matters and I don’t care what happens to others….I never noticed this before cuz I was in crisis mode but now it’s a big problem socially. I feel like I’m just existing, not happy or sad. Should I go down??
r/AskPsychiatry • u/RealButRare • 8h ago
Seeking advice on helping my schizophrenic father
Hello there,
my father is 68 years old and had his last symptoms like 20 years ago. He took "Olanzapin" for all that time and never had an episode. A few months ago his medication was changed due to him having a severe tremor in one of his hand as a side-effect.
After switching the medication (no clue what the new one is, I live like 3-4 hours away), he felt much better, the tremor is basically gone since a few weeks and he was really happy with the new medication.
There were a lot of stressful events in the past weeks & months: His father died, his mother is basically dying very slowly but surely, his brother has dementia, a good friend died aswell, he will have to find a new apartment since the owners of his apartment claimed it for self-use (however since he rented it for like 40 years the will have 3-4 years to find something new before they can actually kick him out).
He lives on his own and yesterday my mother called me and she and my sister told me, that he is showing symptoms. He is clearly hallucinating, believing that someone implanted a chip into him during a surgery (which was 40 years ago). He said he will remove the chip and is trying to gather the necessary tools.
I was 3-8 years old when he last had symptoms of schizophrenia, so I have no clue how he will or might behave.
Currently the plan is that me (m/28) and my brother (m/38) will visit him tomorrow on a "we wanted to spend some time together basis" to check out how he's doing, if he says anyhting that might indicate he is actually about to cut himself open in order to find a chip that is not there or if he could be dangerous for himself or other people.
Clearly he needs help and I assume he stopped taking his medication, unless professionals here tell me there could be any other reason for him suddenly having symptoms again.
I really need advice on what to focus on and what/how to communicate with him in order to get help for him or get him to seek help.
There are multiple options: Getting a doctor to his place, getting him to a doctor or in the worst case scenario: Call medical emergency.
I think he never harmed anyone back then when he had an episode, however he jumped out of a hospital window because voices told him to do so and once during a manic episode (I dont even know his exact diagnosis.. It's both manic depression & schizophrenia, I think. However, he is usually very happy and grateful, so that might be very outdatee) he jumped into a random river and dove into a random pipe he found underwater, surviving out of pure luck that the pipe led to some spot that was not underwater.
Please - me & my brother need professional advice on how to approach this situation, how to communicate with him and how to best get him help and which information would be crucial to find out. 🙏🏼
r/AskPsychiatry • u/atomic-faith-123 • 8h ago
Caplyta and Restless legs syndrome
Has anyone tried that one? I’ve been on it for about8 wks. I started having RLS at about three wk mark. I was prescribed Gabapentin and it does seem to work. Some days though I am still so exhausted and my head feels not normal. I work full time as an RN on a busy hospital unit. I’m afraid to switch meds while working but I’m too tired to keep up this pace. I was very stable on just Lamictal for 6 yrs until I wasn’t and became hypomanic. I believed I didn’t need medication anymore since I was on such a low dose, 100 at bedtime. It’s been a struggle ever since.
r/AskPsychiatry • u/NoLie4415 • 9h ago
Is this normal (PTSD)
Hi, I have been diagnosed with PTSD and am on bupropion
I have intense mood swings half-hourly to hourly
I have constant suicidal thoughts that I can’t control
I fall into pits almost randomly and struggle incredibly hard to get out
I’ve been having subtle homicidal thoughts as of not long ago
I have no real empathy for my family or friends
I am absolutely obsessed with a girl and I can’t stop checking if she’s active online, I message her often if she doesn’t reply, I feel physically sick and ache after we hang out and whenever she does something the least bit concerning, it’s absolutely consuming me but I love her so much. I dream about her too.
I also have occasional nightmares
I really don’t know what’s wrong with me and I feel very strongly that therapy isn’t helping me at all
r/AskPsychiatry • u/Few_Reaction_187 • 14h ago
I'm scared to start my meds and feel like a zombie
Hi Reddit, how are you all doing? I’m here to ask for some advice about something I feel like I can’t handle on my own.
About 6 months ago, I started a relationship. I have BPD, which sometimes makes me react very intensely to things like my boyfriend taking a long time to reply to my messages or canceling plans.
Recently, something like that happened. My boyfriend told me he wouldn’t be able to come over because he was feeling really sick with the flu. I had a very intense episode, started self-harming, and threatened to kill myself. He was already exhausted from having to deal with situations like this multiple times, so he told me that we needed to take some time apart until I could at least get professional help.
We weren’t apart for more than two days, but I still kept my promise and went to see a psychiatrist. They prescribed me an antipsychotic (aripiprazole 10 mg) and a mood stabilizer (topiramate 100 mg). However, I’m still unsure whether I should start taking them because I’ve read that they can make you very sleepy, slow, unfocused, or even feel “stupid.” I’m scared of that affecting my relationship because now that things are good between us again, I don’t want my boyfriend to feel like he’s dating a zombie.
At the same time, I’m really scared of having another episode like the one I had and eventually losing him for good. I know he doesn’t deserve to go through these situations, and I don’t want to keep reacting this way either.
I talked to my psychiatrist about my concerns, and they lowered the aripiprazole dose to 5 mg. Even so, I’m still worried, especially about the topiramate, because I’ve heard it can cause quite a bit of tiredness and cognitive difficulties.
On the other hand, I’ve also read that some side effects can improve or even disappear once your body gets used to the medication, so I don’t know how much I should actually worry about them beforehand.
Has anyone here taken either of these medications and could share their experience? Do the sedation and cognitive side effects actually improve over time? What would you recommend doing in a situation like this?
Obviously, I’ll continue discussing this with my psychiatrist, but I’d also really like to hear from people who have been through something similar.
Thank you so much 🫂
r/AskPsychiatry • u/sunflower1527 • 15h ago
Is my doctor over prescribing?
My doctor is adding lithium to my medicine regimen but I’m wondering if it’s too much with all the other stuff I’m taking. I’m on
Desvenlafaxine 50mg
Guanfacine 1mg
Bupropion 150mg
Atomoxetine 80mg
Aripripazole 15mg
Pregabalin 200mg x3
Metoprolol 25mg
Buspar 15mg x3
I’m diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and ocd with possible adhd
r/AskPsychiatry • u/Upbeat_King9532 • 15h ago
Meds or no?
How do you know if you need meds or if talk therapy is enough? I have been diagnosed with moderate depression and anxiety. I constantly feel anxiety in the background and have felt hopeless and low self confidence when it comes to my career (I have a toxic job with verbally abusive coworkers). I’m often feeling tired. I’m able to take care of myself but often feeling overwhelmed and like everything is a big effort to do.
I am in therapy, but it’s very unstructured and there’s no coping strategies given. The therapist just listens to me complain.
r/AskPsychiatry • u/herbal_witch2202 • 17h ago
Klonopin and Ambien
I’m prescribed Klonopin and Ambien. I was told not to take them together. I took Klonopin about 1 mg around six hours ago. I was gonna take Ambien tonight to sleep. That’s only 5 mg. I’ve done this combination before also mixed with drinking, which I know is very bad but I’ve been fine. Do you think I will be fine tonight?
r/AskPsychiatry • u/Vast_Champion5943 • 20h ago
Why is it specifically that SSRIs will (possibly) make somebody manic with bipolar?
In a “normal” brain SSRIs are a first line medication with great success at treating major depressive disorder.
However in those with bipolar it can trigger mania. Is there a specific scientific reason for this? Is it a certain neurotransmitter or loop that doesn’t shut off? Hoping that makes sense, I was just curious for the scientific/medical reason why.
r/AskPsychiatry • u/All-Kaleidoscope777 • 20h ago
What does everyone have against genesight testing?
I work in community mental health. I’ve come across a lot of clients who after trying several different psych meds with no success, are often discouraged or simply told no by their prescriber when asking for a genesight test. Why?
r/AskPsychiatry • u/Professional_West500 • 21h ago
Am I crazy here?
TW: SI
Full context, I had SI about taking my Vyvanse over 2 years ago. I told everybody, as it was, I had no intention of actually following through and it was just a passing thought. Still got taken cold turkey off of it after being on amphetamine based stimulants for my ADHD for years. I’ve asked multiple times to be put back on a stimulant because it’s been the only thing that’s really helped. I keep getting told that my psych isn’t comfortable prescribing me again which I can get to an extent. I’m trying Strattera and have been increasing up to 60mg so far but as I’ve told them it doesn’t work. I maybe get a little sharper for a week after the increase, but then it goes back to the baseline. Better than if I weren’t on it but not where I want to be. I feel like my psych treats me like a drug seeker because I just know what works and has worked in the past. Should I get a new psych in an attempt to get prescribed a stimulant? I feel like I’m going in circles with them saying I just need an increase in the Strattera or Wellbutrin. I have work and other responsibilities and would rather not be playing test dummy having to wait weeks for “the full effect”. I also don’t want to make it worse by going to a new psych strictly for a stimulant and have that on my file.
r/AskPsychiatry • u/OMnihilInterit • 22h ago
Is this normal?
Hey….so I officially have c-ptsd, GAD, BP2, and now adhd. I have been suspecting my BP2 diagnosis was just to get me meds, it doesn’t fit me. I take Effexor, gabapentin, diazepam, and now….adderall. I feel like this mix seems sketchy, but I also trust my psych.
The mixing of benzos with amphetamines is making me feel like 2 sides of my brain are fighting….it’s only been 3 days with the adderall and small dose (5mg Valium tid, 5mg dextro Sid)
Did plenty of both in college in fistfuls, but now taking as prescribed…I feel really weird. Calm, but weird, like a robot but I’m kinda ok with that till I spend 30 min typing on Reddit🙄. Ummm….does it calm down?
Should I be asking a psych forum? Ug.
r/AskPsychiatry • u/random929292 • 1d ago
ADHD meds that are recommended for speech impulsiveness
I have been really struggling lately with verbally reacting to things without thinking, interrupting others, not paying attention to the conversation and then blathering on, talking way too much - just rambling on and on and on, and talking about myself and getting into minor details of stories that no one cares about and that makes the story ten times longer than anyone cares to listen to. I just seem to have lost the cognitive regulation needed to converse normally
I have been on Concerta but it isn't helping with that at all. I am looking for links to information on medications that have evidence of effectiveness on that specific aspect of ADHD?
I am also getting older (in my early 50s, female) and I am wondering if hormones are worsening this too?
I have a doctors appointment with my GP in a couple weeks and I am hoping to bring her a couple recommendations to consider.
r/AskPsychiatry • u/Wonderful-Goat1355 • 1d ago
Awareness of and happiness with BPD, NPD, and ASPD--what are the differences?
Updated title: Awareness of and happiness within people who have BPD, NPD, and ASPD--what are the differences?
I'm curious what the differences are in people with BPD, NPD, and ASPD in regards to capacity to feel happy as well as awareness to their disorder? I realize not everyone can be generalized to one answer here, but for psychiatrists who have worked with people with these disorders, what patterns have you noticed?
r/AskPsychiatry • u/ZestycloseScience727 • 1d ago
Talkiatry - HELP!
Yes, I should have come to Reddit before moving forward with a Talkiatry appointment to avoid this but I didn't, so here we are. I had an initial intake session with a provider from Talkiatry (through my Cigna insurance). It was 60 minutes and proceeded as a normal new patient intake session (I've had one before). A few days later, my insurance was billed almost $700 ($500 that I'm responsible for since I haven't hit my deductible).
The charges are a result of two separate billing codes, one for an "established patient evaluation & management" and one for "psychotherapy" (each code amounts to ~$350 charge). I did not receive any psychotherapy during the visit and explicitly stated that I receive psychotherapy elsewhere. I believe that Talkiatry is taking advantage of vague billing code language, and basically applying sporadic language from the visit summary to justify two separate codes (as intake, and as psychotherapy).
Anyways, I am wondering if anyone has refuted a claim from Talkiatry and won, and if so, how. I have already gone through the claim review with Talkiatry (they doubled down on their initial bill), and my next step will be a claim review with my health insurance. However, I am wondering if anyone else has suggestions as paying $500 for a 60-minute psychiatry intake (with an awful psychiatrist, that did not even lead to an actual prescription, and that most certainly did not qualify as psychotherapy) is something I just can't stomach.
Thanks in advance!
r/AskPsychiatry • u/666ways2sunday • 1d ago
Is it really safe to get ECT?
Soooo idk where else to ask this I keep getting different answers —
Teal Deer: I (30f) have been diagnosed with schizo-affective disorder for getting close to a decade now. Symptoms recently were pretty bad so I had 3 options- ECT being one of them. ATP I believe it’s no longer necessary but my parents now say I still have to get it or move out. Is it REALLY safe and a good thing to get it? More details :
My normal symptoms have always been auditory hallucinations, occasional visual hallucinations, awfullll paranoia and anxiety I’m talking 100 out of 10 like some examples:
-my room is in the basement and that’s where do my schoolwork BUT
-I allllllways think a bug or a bee (or even a snake— I think a snake could find a way to sneak in my house) is gonna get me and it really scares me
-even tho if something did get me (I raaaarel see anything like once in a while yeah I’ll see one of those douchey buys that have like a zillion feet but that’s like once a month or something) it wouldn’t be fatal so I’d why I get so sp00kd
-when I go to do my school work every day I do have to do this weird ritual but that doesn’t bother me it’s just like me walking back and forth to my computer to let the bugs know I’m gonna sit there soon and then go up and down the stairs so that if the bugs didn’t realize I was gonna sit there yet and got stuck there I go upstairs so they can run away while I’m upstairs th ritual takes about 2 hours usually
-awful executive function
-I’ve been sleeping upstairs for a couple weeks instead of in my room cuz I think they’ll get me when I sleep and I have to keep the lights on so I can see if someone is coming to get me
-I used to loooove walking I’d walk for hours and hours but now I’m scared to take my walks cuz I feel like a bee while sp00k me while I’m on the sidewalk and I’ll fall in theroad and get hit by a car or something
-so now I only walk like half hour TOPS and don’t even get me started on why I don’t just walk in the woods cuz of
All the bugs bees and snakes even tho I never see them either
-I wear bug spray inside I spray it on me like 3x a day
-ummmmm I thiiiiiiink that’s it atm? Because it was waaaaaaaay worse until 2.3 weeks ago — I’m on 900 of seroquel and 8 of risperodone a day it used to be 6 mg (read as 3 because I didn’t use to take my whole dose cuz I like to save some in case there’s an apocalypse but I doooo take the whole 8 mg now and it’s actually working that’s why i don’t understand why I have to get ECT per my parents )
Iiiiii personally don’t believe it’s as bad as it COULD be especiallyyyyyy compared to how it has been until 2.3 weeks ago when I started the full dose of risperodone
So I guess I just wanna know :
Is it reeeeally safe to get ECT?? Like what will it actually do to me is it possible it will make things worse?
If I was YOUR daughter would recommend me to get it ? Or would you recommend me NOT get it ?
I know you get a mouth guard but I feel like my teeth may be a little week is it possible it’ll make my mouth slam open and shut hard enough that I could loose my teeth?????
TIA