It's true , if you have a issue like depression .

What you will most likey end up with is a script and no talk that helps you figure out what the hell is going wrong in your mind .

I have been to quite an few shrinks due to anxiety and panic attacks , perhaps 6 , and due to the insurance always changing venders I have had one that actually talked to me for the 50 minutes , plus you get 10 visits per year and you pay the full amount . I was lucky at the time , the shrink said he would see me for the same $10 co pay but then suddenly I had a different policy and he was not on the list .

This is a huge problem , meds will never pull me back and I know this , they just allow you to function , hopefully and I find I lose parts of myself I would choose to hold onto mentally .

Today I am really scared for various reasons

but :hug: :hug: :hug:

And it can be the loneliest feeling in the world. If you need someone to talk to or just to vent, PM me, OK? I've been there.

Hopping back and forth between doctors; especially when you find one that's in sync with your needs.

I pulled out with two glasses of milk, a calcium/magnesium tablet, and multi-B vitamins yesterday.

The mental healthcare system in this country is exactly as you describe and isn't getting better anytime soon.

I've struggled with anxiety myself. It's often a matter of distorted thinking ("I'll never get all this work done!") bringing on the stress hormones, which make you think even more distorted ("I'm gonna get fired for this!"), which brings on more stress hormones, etcetera. So while it's true that there is a chemical component, there are often distorted and overly pessimistic ways of thinking that both trigger and perpetuate the stress hormones.

My current medical problems have me on Lexapro now. My first day taking it was one of the more unpleasant experiences with medicine that I've had. It caused me a great deal of confusion and short term memory loss that I've never had. I'm on it for another week and the bad side effects are becomeing manageable but I think I'm going to ask to be taken off it. they're making the shit stronger and faster acting these days IMO. When I was on prozac you had to take it for a full two weeks before it kicked in and you were monitored weekly by a psychiatrist. I was just handed lexapro by a GP who then went on vacation for two weeks.

know that I'm always here for you. Us fucked up people have to stick together no? :pals:

people and their families have to take some responsibility for their own health care.

First rule: Doctors are pretty much idiots. They don't understand the experience. You have to push them to deal with YOUR symptoms.

I have learned this from dealing with people with serious mental illnesses.

It comes on out of nowhere , I have been in the store and the rows of products begin to get blurred and move and the floor seems slanted , I have left carts at the check out and run out of the store many times . Just walking will suddenly render me breathless and panic riddled where death seems minutes away .

I have no idea why this started in 1986 , I had no reason to be tense , never was before , while walking it came on sudden and left me in a hell . I have been on meds since just to get through the day without an attack . Anyone who has experienced this will know the feeling well , you cannot describe it in words alone , never .

I used to get panic attacks and it helped me quite a bit. I get them every now and then but they don't faze me.

A lot of the info from the book is online:

http://www.anxieties.com/panic.php

I know exactly what you're saying, all too well. Two of my biggest issues in choosing a candidate to support next year is health care in general and mental health specifically.

Take care of yourself!! I offer any help I can give, although given my situation, I don't always know how much that can be.

:hug:

Depression-Free, Naturally by Joan Mathews Larson

A friend got it for me and by simply eliminating refined carbohydrates from my diet and adding omega-3 fatty acids it helped me tremendously. That obviously won't be the thing that helps everyone because we are all unique, but the book explains many common problems/symptoms and possible nutritional causes. Eliminating allergens, a change in your diet, and/or vitamin supplements all can have a dramatic impact on depression and/or anxiety.

- Make7