Hello - I apologize if this is the wrong forum for this. I don’t know where to begin. First of all, I will say that I have a diagnosis of severe depression and PTSD (longstanding). I see a psychiatrist and therapist. The PTSD is from a sexual assault/abusive ex boyfriend (he sexually assaulted me). I have received the news that he died - he forced his mother to watch him shoot himself in the head.

I was doing okay. Medications, etc. I just saw my therapist to process this and even my therapist was speechless. I feel retraumatized almost. I always thought he was some sort of narcissistic man. He moved from “horrible narcissistic, got rid of him years ago, very bad guy, gone forever” to “was he a complete psychopath?”

Although there has been no contact for years… I don’t know. I signed up for a domestic violence group to discuss what happened with other women. I thought this might help. My therapist agreed. At what point should I maybe involve my psychiatrist if I start to backslide? I’m just in total shock mode right now. What kind of person would do this, at least he’s off the planet, his mom was a nice lady and I feel terrible for her, all the feelings swirling….

I had my second meeting with a psychiatrist today. Discussed medication options and my negative self-talk. At the end he said ”It’s just such a shame that an attractive and nice person like you can feel so bad about yourself”. I know he wanted to give me an outsider’s perspective and he also asked if I ever hear things like this from other people, like my boyfriend. I want to interpret it just as encouraging words, but is that really ever ok? He could have used a more neutral word. I don’t want to feel awkward if I ever meet him again.

It is important to establish some things first:

1) he is a male, 25, trains in the gym a lot, and works in his families business

2) loves guns, shotguns and knives

3) tried to apply to the police force but ( seemingly ) failed on the psych test ( that is what we call it here idk how its called in english, like an intelligence/ personality test )

4) was a really close friend of mine for a few years but told everyone we were in a relationship when it wasn't true ( this was really dumb, we live in a tiny town with 2000 people )

5) is really insecure about his looks and personality, needs constant reasurance he is "good"

6)his parents often undermime him for being dumb

Okay so, what made me go and post this is this one story. We were all sitting a table, so 5 girls and him, and all of a sudden he started telling us a story about how his father ( who is a butcher ) made him kill a lamb when he was 14 years old. He said it was really scary and he didn't want to do it but his father forced him to. I guess it was a "right of passage", anyway he said how when he felt the lambs blood on his hands he got this surge of energy and "killing urge" which is really weird.

It is also important to mention he is ( I am speculating) of lower intelligence, as well as always changing his stance on topics depending on who is with him.

When we were friends he was fiercely against violnce against women and now, he told me his friend once tried to rape a girl and he stopped it ( I hope this is a lie because he also has a tendency to lie quite a bit), and now he is going to be his best man at his wedding. Also he laughed a lot while telling that story, I was horrified. Similarly, he was talking about his friend who works as a mortician( male ) and how the mortician said he would like to "engage in intimate activities " with some bodies that arrive, and my friend added " if they are still warm".

He recently lost control of himself at a party he was working at( as a waitor ) and started physically attacking a man who was giving me a hard time. His mother, brother and a policeman held him back but barely since he is very strong, he could have killed that man and I believe he would have. It is important to note though, this man he wanted to beat was a convicted pedophile who was making sexual comments towards me and my female colleges. But I believe he really wanted just to beat somebody up and this guy gave him a chance since he was an a-hole.

He told me a few stories where he lost control and hit men so hard he was worried they were seriously hurt or dead ( once sober, once drunk )

Can you please tell me if he is a psychopath or what would be his diagnosis ? The changing of the personality around different people seems significant since it is so intense, also he loves being the center of attention, and often exaggerates his stories.

( English is my second language, sorry for any mistakes)

Taking people off benzos is part of their new policy, regardless of the condition of the patient. I’ve had new symptoms like dissociating and losing time due to trauma. Panic that can only be stopped with this medication. It has been life saving. And yesterday I was diagnosed with PMDD.

My psychiatrist wants me to go from 3mg to 1.5.
As far as I know a 50% decrease like that is dangerous. I’ve never had a decrease like this before. What should I do? I’m afraid of having seizures and I won’t be able to see someone new for a couple of weeks. I’m afraid that if I taper how he asked, I will be in physical danger.

I’m also going to NYC for a week. So it’s just unavoidable things and then this on top. I definitely don’t want to have a seizure in nyc. I asked for him to be less aggressive with the taper and he refused. What should I do?

Also psychiatrist* sorry. Going through withdrawal

Now it maybe sounds weird, but men who murder women are often with mental health isuess, but almost certainly; anger isuess/ agression / lack of impulse control / emotional regulation isuess and insecurity.

The combination of these characteristics in a man make him much more likely to do harm to others, especially romantic partners and family members so I believe it would be beneficial to put a name-invent a new diagnosis to treat this disorder.

The point of this is to reduce violence in general, reduce abuse, femicide and homocide. If it were seen as a disorder, as opposed to male nature, it would be much easier to treat and encourage men get help for it. I also believe those men would be happier with themselves as well, they would resolve their isuess.

MY QUESTIONS:

Would this be possible and if not why ? Is it unethical ? Does something like this already exist ? If it does, why is it not talked about more since we seem to have a violence problem?

( I am sorry for bad english it is my second language)

Male 26, experiencing psychosis and a manic episode will need to taper onto Risperidone up to 2mg. What is your dosage and how long for the taper?

I’m 21M and my girlfriend is 21F. I’m looking for honest opinions because I genuinely don’t know how I should look at this situation as her boyfriend.
A while ago, my girlfriend had a therapist who helped her a lot with her mental health. She had a good experience with him and felt that he genuinely improved her condition.
At some point, though, he suddenly started ghosting her. He stopped replying, blocked her, and basically cut off contact.
Later, he contacted her and told her something along the lines of: “I feel for you. When I see or talk to you, I recall myself. I cannot continue anymore.” From what I understand, he was saying that he had developed some kind of emotional reaction/attachment and therefore couldn’t continue treating her.
About a year later, my girlfriend went back to the same therapist, and he has now started treating her again.
From what she tells me, he is otherwise professional and hasn’t obviously crossed any major boundaries. However, he sometimes calls her things like “darling,” “girl,” or “babe.” He is around 60, while my girlfriend is 21.
I don’t want to be the jealous boyfriend who assumes something inappropriate is happening just because her therapist is an older man. I also don’t want to ignore something that could potentially be a professional-boundary issue.
So I’m trying to understand how I should look at this:
Is this relatively normal for a therapist with a warm/casual communication style, or are these things concerning considering his previous admission that he “felt for her”?
Would you, as a boyfriend, be concerned? Would you say something to your girlfriend, or would you trust her judgment and leave the therapist-patient relationship alone?
I’m mainly looking for perspectives from people who understand therapy/professional boundaries. I don’t want anyone to automatically assume he’s a predator or that she’s doing anything wrong — I just want to know whether my concern is reasonable or if I’m overthinking it.

Age/Sex: 33M

Primary Diagnoses: Bipolar 2, Anxiety, Hypertension. Recovering addict. Brief stint in rehab end of 2024. 22 months sober.

Current Daily Medications:

• Lamotrigine 150mg (mood stabilizer)
• Atenolol (for physical anxiety/tremor/BP) when necessary
• Coveram (Perindopril/Amlodipine) for hypertension
• Melatonin (nightly)
• Alprazolam (0.5mg nightly for ~1.5 years)

Context & Issue:

I recently relocated to another country that has a less-developed Mental healthcare system. I went and saw a new psychiatrist today to establish care and address ongoing intense day-time anxiety and work-related stress.

I specifically brought up that I wanted to transition off daily Alprazolam, as I have been taking it nightly for 1.5 years and recognize the issues with tolerance and long-term dependency.

The psychiatrist prescribed Trazodone 100mg nightly for sleep/anxiety. However, when I asked how to handle stopping the Alprazolam, she told me to simply stop taking it cold turkey starting today.

My Questions:

1. Given 1.5 years of continuous daily Alprazolam use, is stopping abruptly without a structured taper or cross-taper (e.g., via diazepam or clonazepam) clinically safe regarding rebound anxiety, severe insomnia, or withdrawal risk?
2. Does starting Trazodone 100mg provide any GABAergic coverage to mitigate benzodiazepine withdrawal, or does it strictly address sedation?
3. What is the standard protocol for safely tapering or cross-tapering off Alprazolam in a patient stable on Lamotrigine?

Any clinical perspectives on how to approach this transition safely would be greatly appreciated

Around 4 months ago i had a half tab of acid (around 120um each) for 5 days straight and smoked weed during it and have been smoking over a gram of weed daily since and i get visuals (hexagons over things and mushy colours) when i smoke im 17 right now and want to know if i do have hppd and if i do woild quitting smoking weed allow me to smoke up at a later age and not get the visuals or even be able to take psycedelics again without fucking myself up more?? I know that last one is probably a stupid question but ive been wanting to do it more recently but i can go without however i really wouldnt want to have to quit weed forever but also if i did quit weed would i be able to drink alcohol and be fine? Edit: ive had a look and it seems i probably had my last trip more around 3 months ago

Hello, due to an ongoing anxiety disorder I have been using quite frequently Oxazepam to manage panic & anxiety along side my SSRI jouney.

I have been succesfully treaten with Paroxetine in the past, but the anxiety came back and paroxetine did not do the trick this time. So now I am on Zoloft currently increasing from 100mg to 150mg.

With quite frequent I mean usually 2-4 times a week one tablet of 10mg continiously since october 2025, so 9 months ish.

To what extend could I expect whitdrawal symptoms and or dependency (physical as well mental) from the oxazepam? Is it safe to use it this way for longer?

Also if I'd wish to stop to check if my SSRI is finally working properly, do I need to taper the benzo or something?

Hi all,

After doubting for days, I decided to increase my dosage from 100mg to 150mg daily as I was still struggeling pretty much too often. It did help by taking the edge off, but the anxiety and sadness was still too exhausting to the point of getting no rest and recovery. I always have been succesful on Paroxetine 20mg only, but that didn't help the second time.

The first week I took 125mg in the hope the ride would be smoother. Since last friday I am on the full 150mg (so 5 days in now).

Today I was at first pretty in a good mood, nothing wrong, maybe first sign of relief? Later that day the day became really really really dark. Really high anxiety, agitation, but also really emotional and feeling really really sad and overwhelmed. It lead me to not finish my work day (was working from home) and cough bound ever since. No appetite, just tearing up on the couch.

I took a prescribed benzo (oxazepam 10mg), but that didn't really did the trick, so I took an extra half. Now I am sort of calm, nevertheless very sad.

Is it normal to be this brutal where the days turn really really gray and dark like there us a thunderstorm inside your house?

I never experienced any installment effects on paroxetine (apart from feeling activated), Zoloft much more on 50 and 100, but not this.

Is this normal? Any experiences?

Hi everyone,

I’m posting here to share our family’s long, exhausting journey over the last few months and hopefully connect with anyone who has gone through something similar, or who has experience with a Somatic Pain / Somatic Symptom Disorder diagnosis.

The Context & Timeline:

• Mid-January: It started with weakness and mild pain at bedtime after doing daily household chores. Initial blood tests (CBC, LFT, KFT, urine) were mostly normal aside from a mild UTI. Vitamin D, B12, and uric acid treatments didn't bring any relief.
• Early February: She suffered a severe, widespread pain episode from head to toe (screaming in pain) and was admitted to the hospital for 5 days. Full workup (CRP, ESR, Thyroid, Lipid, Vits, LFT/KFT) all came back completely normal. Discharged on basic pain and digestive meds, but the restlessness, constant pain, and inability to rest at home continued.
• Late February: Switched to a general physician as the pain became dominant in her legs. She had severe discomfort daily where even Ultracet and leg massages gave no relief. Blood tests remained normal.
• March (The Hospital Emergency Phase & NCV Scare): We were visiting the ER on alternate days just for symptomatic pain relief. An LS Spine MRI was done (which was extremely hard for her to endure due to the discomfort of lying still). MRI showed no clear signs of sciatica explaining the bilateral leg/thigh/calf pain. She was admitted to a hospital in another city for 10–12 days where an NCV test suggested "probable demyelinating polyneuropathy with painful quadriparesis." This caused immense trauma and panic for our family, thinking her nerves were permanently damaged.
• April (Second Opinions in Delhi): Hopeless, we took her to a neurologist in Delhi who did a thorough 2-hour examination. He consulted a neurosurgeon to review the LS Spine MRI (confirmed normal/not causing the pain) and concluded her nerves were actually fine, ruling out CIDP. He referred us to a rheumatologist.
• Meerut Consultation & Diagnosis: While waiting on autoimmune panels (ANA, Anti-CCP, HLA-B27—all eventually came back negative/normal), her pain was so severe that a rheumatologist temporarily put her on a short course of steroids (Methylprednisolone 16mg, which has since been tapered off). Recognizing that all physical/radiological tests were normal despite severe physical symptoms, the rheumatologist directed us to a Neuropsychiatrist.

Current Situation & Prescription:

The neuropsychiatrist evaluated her and explained that having completely clean reports is actually a good foundation for treatment. They diagnosed her with Depression / Anxiety / Insomnia / Somatic Symptoms (? Somatic Pain Syndrome) and started her on a targeted medication regimen (including medications for nerve-pain/somatic signaling like Gabapentin/Nortriptyline, SNRIs/SSRIs, Aripiprazole, and sleep/digestive support).

From the rheumatologist, she is currently only keeping HCQS 200 and Telmikind, while her primary treatment is now under the neuropsychiatrist.

Questions for the Community:

1. For those who recovered from somatic pain via neuropsychiatric treatment, how long did you remain on full medication after your symptoms normalized?
2. At what point do doctors typically start tapering off these medications, and how gradual is the process?
3. Did anyone experience a return of physical symptoms while tapering down, and how did you manage it?

My boyfriend (24M) and I (26F) have been using an online psychiatry provider to receive mental health care for the past two months. While I’ve had a good experience with my provider so far, my boyfriend has had some struggles with the medication he was prescribed as well as communication with his provider. The purpose of my post here is to get some opinions on his situation and advice on next steps for him.

My boyfriend was prescribed 35.5mg of venlafaxine and 7.5mg of mirtazapine for depression, with the plan to increase his dose to 75mg of venlafaxine after he adjusted to the initial side effects. I’m not exactly sure what happened, but the pharmacy wound up filling his 75mg venlafaxine prescription first (before the 35.5mg). I don’t think he really realized what had happened, so he started taking the 75mg of venlafaxine and 7.5mg of mirtazapine in mid July. He had a really difficult time adjusting to these meds — severe fatigue and nausea — for the first week or so. As these side effects passed over the following weeks, he began experiencing some relief from his depression, but increasing emotional volatility and a lack of control over his anger. In early August, he gets a notification that his 35.5mg venlafaxine prescription was filled, and he realizes that their order was swapped. He messages his psychiatrist on the online platform, and the psychiatrist tells him to finish the 75mg bottle, then take 35.5mg daily until he finishes that bottle as well. He followed these instructions, despite the side effects and the withdraw symptoms he was now experiencing from the smaller dose. He then receives a refill for the 75mg venlafaxine as well as the 7.5mg mirtazapine. He resumes taking the higher dose for a while but is still struggling with heightened anger, irrationally, and a lack of control over his emotions. At this point, it’s been about 6 weeks and he has decided that he does not like the way the venlafaxine feels, and would rather try an SSRI. He reaches out to his psychiatrist with his concerns, and asks if it’s possible to meet earlier than his first follow-up appointment, or if he would be willing to write a prescription for the 35.5mg dose so he can begin to wean off of it safely. The psychiatrist says no and that he cannot meet until their scheduled appointment. So my boyfriend continues to take the 75mg as to not risk withdrawal. Today, he had his first follow up appointment in about 7 weeks of taking these meds. He expresses his experience on the med so far and explains why it hasn’t been a good fit. The psychiatrist tells him that it’s premature to quit the med, gives him another refill on the 75mg venlafaxine, and prescribes an additional medication to reduce his blood pressure when he is upset or angry.

As someone who sees him struggling with heightened anger every day, I’m concerned that the psychiatrist isn’t really hearing him out. He’s given this med a full 7-8 weeks now and he is not comfortable with the lack of control he feels over his emotional state. The improvements in his depression symptoms are minimal and not enough to justify the cost to him emotionally. He wants to try Zoloft or Lexapro, especially because this is his first experience with psych meds and SSRIs are the standard first-line treatment.

I’ve only been on my med (20mg prozac) since early August and I’ve already seen a huge stabilization in my mood and anxiety. My Psych NP has been more collaborative with me in designing my treatment plan and we’ve met twice in the past 4 weeks. She told me to reach out about “any side effects that I am uncomfortable with” and we would re-evaluate — I feel like that’s what my boyfriend is trying to do with his psychiatrist, and he’s not really being heard. I know that our situations are different and I can’t make a direct comparison, but based on my experience, it just seems like he is receiving a different standard of care. But I would really like to hear the thoughts of anyone who could provide some more insight into how “normal” his experience has been, as I have nothing to compare it to except my own. Does any of this raise any red flags, or is this standard psychiatric care?

He is currently planning to switch to a different provider for a second opinion — at the very least, he wants to wean off of the venlafaxine because he gave it a fair shot but it has done more harm than good. Any insight into his experience or further advice would be much appreciated. Thank you for reading!

Does anyone have experience of Lofepramine tapering? I would be on the lowest dose of 70 mg so not sure how I would taper from there as there’s no lower dosage tablet. Has anyone tapered this med and found it to be ok?

Sorry in advance for the length

Previously, I've seen family practitioners, psychiatric residents, nurse practitioners, psychiatrists and other similar providers. For the most part they have all been pretty similar, with small differences in their treatment style and how the facility works. This new provider was recommended due to their experience in eating disorders, ocd/anxiety, and education/speciality of the medication itself.

I know I don't have to like my psychiatrist personally or even super vibe with their style of treatment. I just need someone who knows the meds and can help me find the best ones. This morning felt.....uncomfortable. To say the least.

So the provider was pretty late, like got me from the lobby 11-13 minutes late, and the appointment started fifteen minutes late. They didn't acknowledge it or apologize (not saying I Need an apology but it would've been nice to just acknowledge like yeah your appointment was supposed to be fifteen minutes ago) even when I said I was worried I got my appointment time wrong.

Throughout the appointment (keep in mind this is a first intake appointment), we had to go through every single question I filled out on the previous forms because they didn't load to the computer?? Until we were like ten minutes from ending, then I guess they started popping up? At least three times, they made a comment about needing to go through the questions quick because we were running out of time. They also mentioned it was a forty five minute appointment, which my intakes have always been 90.

Obviously, because it was so rushed I didn't get to explain my history/experiences with other medications fully. They brought up one medication and mentioned previous side effects of earlier generations, but that those weren't a concern anymore. No discussion of potential side effects, how long it takes to work, what to look out for, what dosage I'm starting at, if I was tapering or not. Like they said so little I was so confused when they stood up and walked to the door, I literally said, "wait am I going on this medication?"

They also made a comment about how "you can work the details out in therapy", I had mentioned I had a great therapist I had been working with for over eight years. It's also very obvious that I have been through several intake appointments and know all of/am not surprised by any of the questions. It just felt really rude when I know I wasn't going into crazy detail.

I just keep thinking like if I had never gone to a psychiatrist before I would've had a full blown meltdown or panic attack because of the lack of communication and clarity. Also, if someone has never done an intake appointment before how tf are you gonna get all of that done in 45 min???

So I just feel like I was super rushed because the provider was late and their computer system didn't correctly transfer or upload everything? And I was being told we need to go through the questions faster because we were running out of time? Also, I filled these forms out electronically more than a few days ago.

Even if their normal intake appointments are 45 min how do they have time to get all of the info and explain everything? And I feel like I should not have walked out of the office not knowing what the treatment plan was. Like I still don't know the dose I'm being put on or if I'm tapering at all.

Sorry for the massive wall of text. I guess I just want a sounding board of like, is this stuff "valid" enough to keep looking for a new provider? Or should I just write it off as a fluke, running late and docs not uploading etc. ? I just feel like they didn't ask about my experiences or side effects of any of the meds that I've been on, so how can they make a good recommendation?

Hi Everyone, Sometime ago I had this condition and had consulted Neuropsychiatrist and was prescribed with strong psychotic medicines like D-Veniz, Betacap, Etilaam, Qutan and Rivotriln an d few other medical procedures related medicines.
I feel like because of various life situations I have a constant loop of negative thoughts running in my head, lack of focus, memorising issues and concentration problems while working. I also feel like naturally I perceive situations with avoidance angle, so that I don't have to deal with realities.
Requesting for suggestions and perspectives on this issues (especially practical steps like diet, exercise, supplements etc. that can be taken to improve this condition), because only verbal counselling does not seem to have much effect and changes.

my mental health has been getting really bad and i don’t know what’s happening to me
i’ve been struggling with my mental health for a while but it’s gotten a lot worse recently and i’m honestly getting scared of some of the things i experience

i have really severe paranoia sometimes and i’ll become convinced that something bad is going to happen or that people are trying to hurt me even when i don’t really have evidence for it. i also hear voices sometimes that other people don’t seem to hear. they can be really aggressive and make me panic, and sometimes i have a hard time knowing what’s real and what isn’t

i also experience a lot of dissociation/derealization and feel detached from myself or my surroundings. sometimes my thoughts feel really strange or my mind feels completely empty

i already have a history of depression and anxiety, but i’m worried that this could be something more and i really want to get properly evaluated instead of trying to diagnose myself

the biggest problem is that my parents refuse to take me to a psychiatrist because they’re scared of me being put on medication or being hospitalized. my mom has some trauma surrounding this because something similar happened with her uncle, so i understand why she’s scared, but it’s also making it really difficult for me to get evaluated

i haven’t been diagnosed with schizophrenia or anything like that, which is why i’m trying to get an actual professional opinion

also i’ve been having really bad memory problems and brain fog and it’s starting to scare me. i’m forgetting things really easily and recently i’ve even been struggling to recognize people’s faces or remember who certain people are. i usually KNOW that i know the person, but it’s like my brain can’t actually process their face or connect it to who they are

i also struggle to understand really simple things sometimes because i genuinely feel like i can’t think. my brain just feels completely blank and it takes me way longer than it should to understand things or form thoughts. it’s really frustrating because i know i’m not stupid i just genuinely feel like my brain isn’t working properly anymore

i’m mainly wondering how i can convince my parents to let me get evaluated because i don’t want medication or hospitalization to be the assumption. i just want someone qualified to actually listen to me and figure out what’s happening

i’m not asking reddit to diagnose me i just want to know if anyone has gone through something similar and how you got evaluated

Am I in danger and need medical attention or can I wait until I can call my psychiatrist tomorrow? I’m panicking so bad - please help.

I am enquiring about medication induced akathisia, and then Akathisia as a side effect of a new med I’ve been on for 4 weeks, fluvoxamine.

I’m scared for my health. Akathisia is the most horrible feeling in the whole world and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. It feels incredibly different than anxiety and so much more severe. I’ve experienced medically induced Akathisia twice before - first in 2018 when receiving IV stemetil in hospital when I had a severe reaction evoking tardive dyskinesia and Akathisia, extremely traumatising. Second time was last year, also in hospital, after receiving IV droperidol where I suffered from Akathisia alone.

I hate that I can’t find the words to describe the pure horror and excruciating feeling. It’s so different to being anxious. I feel like I’m barely in my body, like I need to start running and never stop. I get agitated, constantly looking at the clock every 2 minutes and being SO frustrated that time isn’t moving fast enough. I feel like absolutely nothing can entertain my mind, I can’t pay attention to anything on the tv or videos on my phone. I’m completely disconnected from my environment and I feel like nothing will ever be okay ever again.

Do other people feel like this? Does anyone have any ways to describe the feeling to my loved ones and care team to capture what it’s like? Is Akathisia dangerous to your health or just freaking awful to go through?

Additionally I want to ask about anyone’s experiences with the medication fluvoxamine and Akathisia. I’m very well versed with antidepressants and the process of the beginning phase, I’ve trialled many over the years. I’m also incredibly familiar with what anxiety feels like in many forms, including as a side effect of a new med - but I’ve just started week 4 of fluvoxamine 25mg and this does not feel like anxiety I’ve experienced with starting other meds. This feels like when I took stemetil and droperidol but just less severe.

Has anyone else experienced this on fluvoxamine??

And is Akathisia your body’s way of telling you that you need to stop this medication? Or is it similar to anxiety in that it doesn’t hurt you or mean anything bad is actually happening to your body system?

Hello, F16. On my father’s side, there is a history of alcoholism, substance abuse, and schizophrenia. It is assumed that my father started developing his in 2019-2020, auditory hallucinations. He assumed the voices in his head were god, he believed he was a reincarnation of a prophet. Along with rampant narcissism, porn addiction, physical and emotional abuse on me, my mother and my little brother. Things were not great back then.

My mother packed us up and we escaped to a town for 3 days in July 2020. That was the last time I have ever seen him. We moved. I met a neighbor who taught me about porn, and how to masturbate. I was only in 5th-6th grade, she was the same age. We developed a very co-dependent relationship, after we stopped being friends it almost felt like withdrawal.

I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety somewhere around 2021-2022, I was also assumed to have adhd and autism. I was diagnosed by a neurodivergent specialist. At the end of the first semester of 6th grade I started falling asleep in class, I couldn’t sleep well at night, I fell deeper and deeper into depression.

Extreme thoughts about my body soon followed. Around that time is where I started to hate every part of myself. I would cry myself to sleep because I wanted to be pretty so badly. What was weird is that part of me believed that I was secretly pretty, skinny, and gorgeous and that I just couldn’t see it. That’s also when the (I assume to be) maladaptive daydreaming started.

I made up stories about being a different person, prettier, wanted, flawless. I would do it constantly. It got to the point that I would rather be in my head then go to school. My depression, exhaustion and anxiety got so bad my mother pulled me out of school. She put me in a private school that I just couldn’t handle from my sheer exhaustion and outlook on life, so I was “homeschooled” for the last 3 months of that year.

That summer was excruciatingly lonely. I started writing songs as a personal diary. All I would do is sit there with my thoughts.

Fast forward 9 schools, every single one having been dropped from exhaustion and depression. My maladaptive thoughts still run rampant. My exhaustion has gotten worse, so has my depression and anxiety. After I witnessed my cat be mauled to death by my stepdads dog, my binge eating has turned into a minor version of anorexia.

After back pain in 2024 started, I was finally diagnosed with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Since May I have lost 25 pounds, (which I am completely okay with, which scares me)

I apologize if all of that information seems irrelevant. My mental state is absolutely shattered. I do very little during the week. I interact with very little people. I feel like a rat in a cage. I’m lonely, depressed, anxiety ridden, and I live in my head so much I’m scared to talk to actual people.

I’m scared I’ll get things wrong. I’ve lost a lot of my social skills so things are much worse. My mind and body are in such disarray, I have no desire to work. I think about the world, the concept of death, and life so much it stresses me out to my core. It eats me up inside.

My question is, how do I start taking the first steps towards cleaning all of the bad out? When deep down, I don’t desire to work or go to school. I want to clean my mental state so badly but I have no clue where to start.

I have a therapist (hired after my cat passed) and I’m currently taking amphetam (that’s what it says on the bottle idk) duloxotine, quentiapine, and naltrexone.

Thank you.

I've always had a tough time waking up in the morning. I have been tested for sleep apnea (negative) but really I've been like this since I was a young child.

Unfortunately, I've been having some sleep problems because of a trauma that happened a few years ago. I want to ask my psychiatrist for a sleeping pill but I don't want to make my wake-ups impossible.

Am I asking for a unicorn, or are there options out there?

I'm turning here because I'm genuinely in panic and also starting to experience withdrawal from this medicine, and I really don't know what I should do.

I'm a 38 year old male, 6'2", caucasian, 250lbs.

Long story short, about 12 years ago, I basically got hit by what was diagnosed as GAD and major depressive disorder basically overnight. The initial diagnoses was by my GP, who started me on klonipin+an SSRI, then passed me off to a psychiatrist. I had poor luck with SSRIs, eventually landed on Wellbutrin, and while figuring all of this out the klonipin was essentially the only thing that helped me feel human again(I wasn't eating, wasn't sleeping, was essentially unable to function at work).

I know that this sort of thing is a common story, and I should have been tapered off the benzo years ago. With that said, I've basically been stable for several years now at 450mg Wellbutrin XR daily, now 10mg/day Dexidrine(I was diagnosed with ADHD as a child, avoided stimulants for a long time, but finally a few years ago realized I needed at least a low dose of them and this is where I landed with my psychiatrist), and am prescribed 3mg/day klonipin. Most days I take 2, but have days where 1mg or even none gets me by, and other days were 3mg is what I need to function.

Aside from an occasional ibuprofen and daily Zyrtec, these are the only medicines I take. I do not drink alcohol at all(ever), do not smoke, and do not use any drugs recreationally or illicitly.

My longtime psychiatrist retired, and I just had my first appointment with a psychiatric NP that's part of a group that took over my old psychiatrists office.

Essentially, she told me she doesn't prescribe benzos and wouldn't be writing me a refill for it. I understand the reasons why many are reluctant to prescribe them now, that people in my exact situation are a lot of the reason, etc.

With that said, though, I talked about a lot of my concerns about stopping abruptly. I have tried on a few occasions to taper off, and have never been successful. I had one trip out of town where I forgot my medicine and by the end of the trip, after 5 days of no klonipin, I was in full blown withdrawal from them. She told me that it was clear I had a "problem" and either I could let her fix it or she wouldn't see me as a patient.

I brought up the Ashton manual, said I was open to tapering with her guidance(even mentioned switching to Diazepam, etc), and she said absolutely not, cold turkey or find another provider. I asked if she'd be willing to provide me with a refill until I could find another provider. At that point, she basically said I needed to leave as I was drug-seeking. I stopped at the front desk to ask about seeing a different provider in the practice, and the NP followed me out and told the office manager(who has been at this office as long as I've been going there and knows me well) not to give me an appointment with anyone. I asked again for an appointment with a physician in the practice, as is law in my state, and the NP told me to leave or she'd have me trespassed(the office manager was trying to help me through this).

So basically I'm now without a drug I'm physically dependent on through 12 years of use as prescribed, and without a doctor to turn to. I've been trying desperately to find someone, but offices around me either aren't taking patients or have a 1yr+ wait. After being "fired" as a patient, the NP refused to fill any prescriptions, so I'm going to have to manage tapering off the Wellbutrin also on my own(I was denied any guidance for that also).

I did have one refill of 90 pills of klonipin that I had filled before this appointment, as well as 30 days of Wellbutrin(I get 30x 150mg and 30x 300mg, so have already taken that back to just taking the 300mg daily to try and stretch it further). I've been taking 1mg of Klonipin every other day, and a week later I'm honestly in pure hell. I've slept about 3 hours total this weekend. I'm at work now, but am considering leaving for the day because I'm having trouble even concentrating(and I'm concerned about even safely driving home).

Can anyone give me any advice as to how to navigate this? I feel stuck, and I know things are only going to get worse. I have two young children I have a lot of responsibility of caring for(my wife is a nurse and I'm taking them to/picking them up from school/daycare most days) plus even if I take off work, my paid time off is already running thin. I feel like my life is about to collapse from what I see already happening...

22M, severe depression + DPDR, multiple medication trials. Amisulpride helped a lot initially but stopped working. What diagnosis and next medication would you consider?

Hi, I’m 22M and I’m posting here because I’d really appreciate an opinion from psychiatrists who have experience with difficult or treatment resistant cases.

I’ve been struggling with depression, anxiety and pretty severe depersonalization/derealization for quite a while.

The depression is probably the biggest problem for me. There are periods where I become extremely depressed, emotionally numb, completely unmotivated and exhausted. I lose interest in almost everything and it becomes very difficult to concentrate or even think properly. Sometimes I feel completely empty and disconnected from myself and other people.

The DPDR is also pretty strong. I often feel detached from myself and my surroundings, like I’m there physically but not really experiencing things normally. It can make everything feel unreal and distant.

My mood also seems to fluctuate quite a bit. I can have periods of around 5 to 10 days where the depression becomes extremely intense, and then I can suddenly start feeling significantly better. Sometimes these better periods last several days or even a few weeks before things deteriorate again.

I’m not sure what to make of this pattern and whether it points toward a particular diagnosis or whether it can still happen with major depression.

I’ve tried quite a few medications:

Escitalopram

Amisulpride

Aripiprazole

Bupropion

Lithium carbonate

Vortioxetine

Lamotrigine, for around 6 to 8 months

Sertraline

Desvenlafaxine

Clonazepam, short term

The medication that has stood out the most for me has been amisulpride.

When I first started taking it, I felt dramatically better. I was taking around 20 to 50 mg and the improvement was honestly much more noticeable than anything I had experienced with the other medications.

Unfortunately, after around two months, the effect seemed to fade.

I’m still taking it because I feel that it helps me more than most of the other medications I’ve tried, but it definitely doesn’t feel anything like it did initially.

I’ve also actually done CBT with a psychologist for several weeks. It wasn’t just a couple of sessions either. There was quite a lot of therapy and work involved.

She specifically told me that I have Cluster B traits. I’m not completely sure what she meant by that though. I don’t know whether she meant that I have traits associated with a specific Cluster B personality disorder or whether she thought I had some traits without meeting the full criteria for a personality disorder.

I’m mentioning this because I’m wondering if it could be relevant to the overall picture.

I don’t currently have suicidal thoughts or a plan, but during the really bad periods the depression can become extremely intense.

At this point I’m honestly confused about what my actual diagnosis is.

Would this history be considered treatment resistant depression?

Does the pattern of my mood changes suggest that something other than straightforward unipolar depression should be considered?

Could the DPDR and the Cluster B traits be part of a larger underlying picture rather than separate problems?

And most importantly, if you were seeing a patient with this history, what would you consider doing next?

Are there particular diagnoses you would want to rule out first?

And after so many medication trials, what medication or treatment strategy would you personally consider discussing with the patient next?

I’m not asking for someone to prescribe something to me over Reddit or for me to change anything without my psychiatrist. I’m mainly trying to get a professional perspective on what diagnosis might fit this pattern and what reasonable next steps I should discuss with my psychiatrist.

I’d really appreciate an honest psychiatric opinion, even if the answer is that my current understanding of what’s going on is completely wrong.

Thanks for reading.

Hi, I've been offered ECT or ketamin therapy(I will know in a few days) I have titanium in my ear and I wonder if that can affect something if I was to undergo ECT?

Seeking support from all the ladies with more life experience than me. Something is wrong, but I don't know what it is. I keep doing stupid (okay, emotionally charged and impulsive) things that are not what I want to do.

Case in point: during covid my mum was terminally ill and truly immunocompromised. My best friend at the time became a staunch antivaxer and born again Christian. She was coming to my town from interstate and I asked her to get a covid test (not the vaccine, just the test), so that I could see her without risking my Mum's life. She refused on the basis that she didn't want to get a sinus infection. I was devastated.

Here is my first mistake: I didn't communicate that to her. I just stopped texting her. At the same time I had some traumatic experiences that I still can't forget. I went to hospital and was diagnosed with cptsd. I contacted my friend from there and explained how hurt I'd been. She messaged back, not acknowledging that I might have been hurt, she just reiterated that she hadn't wanted to get a sinus infection.

I sent her back a message basically saying "Thanks, all the best." My.point is that I didn't realize how much my actions had hurt her, and it bothers me that for whatever reason I'm not able to feel empathy in the way that I used to. I would appreciate an unbiased view of this whole scenario because I think my behavior has been erratic and worries me.

Thanks ladies.

I know its kids who died but, I got Seraline (DK if its spelt right) and other medication from the VA, and over time felt like it would be normal to kill my whole family GODS TRUTH ✋🏿

This was almost 15 years ago, i can't believe it's still out there 😳

The medication is TOTALLY responsible for her actions