Posted by hyperfocus on January 27, 2013, at 21:34:27
In reply to disheartening psychiatrist appt., posted by g_g_g_unit on January 24, 2013, at 20:21:08
The co-morbid ADHD inattention with anhedonia and amotivation can be devastating. It makes it so much harder to do the things that can help the depression, like working at something you like or exercising or reading or just napping.
If you feel like you're in danger of harming yourself then you need to protect yourself, certainly. But apart from this case if you did go inpatient what do you expect will happen? The doctors there won't be any more caring -- they'll be worse. The probable outcome is that you'd be medicated to the ears with anti-psychotics and spend half-the-day sleeping and the other half zombiefied and walk out of there no better than when you went in.
I honestly don't know why the Xanax wouldn't at least manage the anxiety to let you function a bit-- it's the first time I've read of a reaction like yours. I suppose you could try other benzos but I think this guy feels more meds are a dead-end. You could just try the therapy and see what happens. Different types of therapy can get you the same place meds can without the over-reaching constant dread of poopout.
I think we all idealize treatment and recovery. The meds that can help the ADHD are probably going to worsen the depression and anxiety and OCD. There may not be any lucky combination cocktail for you, at least not right now. Med-wise you should just pick the thing that you want to improve that you value the most and can improve your general day-to-day life. For me personally I can live with constant depression and social anxiety but the thing I HAD to have was the ability to concentrate and get some fulfillment from reading and working and exercise. I hope that eventually I'll be able to make the other stuff less noticeable.
I think therapy works within a long-term framework. Part of that framework means changing the expectations you have for yourself healing from your illness. It may take years and it's quite likely you're not going to be the person you were 7 years ago. A lot of stuff is going to be different -- it might be impossible to recover a lot of things from your previous life. But that doesn't have to be a bad thing. If after a year you find yourself able to work 3-4 hours a day from home and sleep a lot and be a recluse, then that might be a good medium-term target. It doesn't mean you're gonna stay there but it's better than fruitlessly trying to find meds to make you 'normal'. Normal doesn't mean anything.
C-PTSD: social phobia, major depression, dissociation. 20 yrs duration.
Asperger's Syndrome.
Currently: 150mg amitriptyline single dose at night. 75mg Lyrica occasionally.
Significantly improving.
poster:hyperfocus
thread:1036417
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20130124/msgs/1036622.html