Posted by Racer on April 10, 2008, at 20:11:16
In reply to What is wrong with me?, posted by ian36 on April 10, 2008, at 19:57:05
> I am so tired of this. Maybe this is as good as it gets, maybe it's just attitude and ... the changes needed to make a dysfunctional personality happy are huge and rare. Maybe this is as good as it gets...
Hm... That sounds a little like something familiar to me... What's that called again? Oh, yeah -- DEPRESSION! With a side helping of anxiety, of course...
(I hope you don't mind a little teasing...)
I'm quite familiar with much of what you're describing. My dx includes both depression and anxiety, and the anxiety is much, much harder to treat for me. I don't have the abuse issues with benzos, but I have a paradoxical reaction to them -- I get much more agitated, and they'll often pitch me into a full blown panic. I also have a bit of a phobia of both doctors and medications, which doesn't help matters any. And my depression often leads me into thinking that this is as good as it gets...
It's not as good as it can get. There are a lot of options out there, some behavioral, some chemical, and I know I haven't tried all of them, and doubt you have, either. I don't know what would help you, but I can tell you a little about what's helped me...
First of all, what you're describing sounds like social phobia, and having a name often helps me feel a lot less crazy. So, I'm offering my experience with being impossibly self-conscious, and feeling totally inept in social situations...
The first thing that helped me was forcing myself to interact with people. It was often hard, but it did eventually get easier. Then again, it's still hard at times. I've just asked my doctor about biofeedback as an option. I haven't heard back from him, but I'm hopeful that he'll have some good information about it. Also helpful in the behavioral arena is therapy, including group therapy. I recommend it if you haven't tried it.
As far as meds go, beta blockers can be helpful; I had the best luck with BuSpar, but a lot of people don't do well with it. Some anti-psychotics can be very helpful for people, too. Anti-depressants can help, too.
I'm afraid I have to leave, so can't write anymore. I hope what I had time for was helpful to you.
And welcome to Babble!
poster:Racer
thread:822601
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080330/msgs/822602.html