|
[25 Nov 2009|09:59am] |
So... I finally went to the hospital during my last suicidal episode, was placed in the psychiatric ward for 3 days, chose to start antidepressants, and sent home. It was a huge, huge step for me and I felt very positive about finally getting real help. Everyone kept referring to "my depression" and at that point I was finally able to accept that my negative, hopeless feelings were not necessarily real, but chemical (i.e. I had no appetite, wasn't sleeping, and so on). And it was good.
But my SSRI spurred some really intense insomnia, and upon a visit to my nurse practicioner, she began questioning me about bipolar II. And I've always separated myself with a ten-foot pole, thinking, "no, I'm not bipolar! I don't go on spending sprees or do anything REALLY risky". No, there's only the time that I dropped out of school, went to become a film composer, failed, witnessed a car accident, decided to become a paramedic, failed at that. Posted way too much in online message boards, taken off more than I can chew, tried to save the world, always fallen on my face. But that was surely the result of my anxiety, and childhood abuse, right? ...right? I'm just depressed, right? Heh heh? Nice and easy... right?
Reading about hypomania, the day after my doctor asked about bipolar II, I'm thinking, oh shit, this is so me. I am an artist and ALWAYS bounding off on crazy thoughts and energy, which everyone loves me for. Sometimes I'm actually good under pressure, and can do amazing things – at other times I feel crippled. Bipolar II, anyone? This is the morning of acceptance. Apparently if I am solely taking an antidepressant, and what I suspect is true, I'm a ticking time bomb for a full-blown manic episode, which would NOT be good. This is why I've "preferred" depression over the last several years; it was more "realistic". Thankfully, I just called my doctor and she's going to get me started on a second drug that is supposed to stabilize my moods and prevent that bipolar backlash. I'm super thankful that I caught this in time, so I'm not left dangling and waiting for the drugs to work. But I think I'm also scared – having to re-analyze everything in my life as potentially the cause of a chemical imbalance. My family was still abusive, I've still experienced some traumatic things... this only complicates matters. Ugh! People always said I was moody but it was like I was watching myself do things, and I could see that I was destroying everything, but couldn't stop myself. Like I knew, but I didn't. Caught between overconfidence and underconfidence.
It has been a wild, wild ride. Two weeks ago I was absolutely insistent on not going on medication. Now I think I need to start acknowledging my bipolar II.
|
|
|
[23 Nov 2009|06:26pm] |
I would just like to recommend reading 'The Power of Now' and 'The New Earth' by Eckhart Tolle.
We really should stop being a slave to our mind...
|
|
|
[18 Nov 2009|12:19pm] |
The Science of Success
Most of us have genes that make us as hardy as dandelions: able to take root and survive almost anywhere. A few of us, however, are more like the orchid: fragile and fickle, but capable of blooming spectacularly if given greenhouse care. So holds a provocative new theory of genetics, which asserts that the very genes that give us the most trouble as a species, causing behaviors that are self-destructive and antisocial, also underlie humankind’s phenomenal adaptability and evolutionary success. With a bad environment and poor parenting, orchid children can end up depressed, drug-addicted, or in jail—but with the right environment and good parenting, they can grow up to be society’s most creative, successful, and happy people.
|
|
| Article: Being sad has its upside |
[09 Nov 2009|11:00am] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
 contemplative |
] |
Bad moods can actually be good for you. An Australian study found that being sad makes people less gullible, improves their ability to judge others and also boosts memory.
The study, authored by psychology professor Joseph Forgas of the University of New South Wales, showed that people in a negative mood were more critical of, and paid more attention to, their surroundings than happier people, who were more likely to believe anything they were told.
"Whereas positive mood seems to promote creativity, flexibility, cooperation and reliance on mental short-cuts, negative moods trigger more attentive, careful thinking, paying greater attention to the external world," Professor Forgas wrote.
( Read more... )
|
|
|
[06 Nov 2009|08:25am] |
Has anyone had a psychotic episode that they could describe?
I'm guessing that I experienced one yesterday. In short, I willfully waded into a great deal of emotional pain without any coping mechanisms – trying to reach my limit and go "beyond" it to find logical truth – and the pain kept getting bigger, and bigger, until it was like I crossed a threshold. Then I felt euphoric and godlike – my thoughts were cycling very quickly. I literally went from crying to laughing within about a minute. It lasted several minutes before I managed to identify my feelings and mental state as delusional and come down, in a way. All the pain had disappeared, but I felt incredibly unsettled and blank.
I do feel very glad that I'm pretty highly mindful of myself. :P
|
|
| Psychiatrist recommendation |
[06 Nov 2009|06:08pm] |
Hello everyone!
I am looking for a new psychiatrist. I was diagnosed in Australia and returned to SG in July- since my return I have seen two psychiatrists and did not find them helpful at all. The first one made me draw pictures (I refuse to pay $200 to draw pie charts for 15 minutes, I can do that for free at home) and the second one was practically shoving medication to me so he could see his next patient. Currently seeing a very nice GP, but he wants me to go for another psychiatric evaluation since I have chronic insomnia to boot. Oh, the joy!
Basically, I am looking for a psychiatrist who actually cares about their patients and talks to them without judgement. Any leads?
|
|
| New resource centre to help recovering mental patients find jobs |
[04 Nov 2009|08:11pm] |
|
SINGAPORE: There is now a new vocational rehabilitation centre that aims to help those with mental illness to select, secure and keep a job. The centre, known as Job Club, is spearheaded by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH).
IMH has been providing job training and placement services to its patients since 1972. But the Job Club aims to provide a more holistic approach – it will equip patients with critical job-seeking skills such as resume-writing and personal grooming.
Jobseekers will also get to learn skills for work through vocational training programmes offered at IMH.
The centre has successfully matched patients to nearly 400 jobs since its soft launch in April last year. These include jobs in the F&B, retail and hospitality sectors.
There are currently 59 employers registered with Job Club.
Lilian Mark Fong Eng, head of Department of Medical Social Work, IMH, said: "We have a multi-disciplinary team who conduct many field visits to both the patients' work environment, as well as home environment, to work with their employers, their caregivers and family members to ensure that they have all the support they need to sustain their efforts in keeping the job."
- CNA/so (http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1015936/1/.html)
|
|
| Antidepressants 'work instantly' |
[31 Oct 2009|06:44pm] |
By Michelle Roberts Health reporter, BBC News
 The drugs appear to promote positive thinking Antidepressants get to work immediately to lift mood, contrary to current belief, UK researchers say. Although patients may not notice the effects until months into the therapy, the team say they work subconsciously. The action is rapid, beginning within hours of taking the drugs, and changes negative thoughts, according to the Oxford University researchers. |
|
| Power Of Letting Go |
[21 Oct 2009|08:06am] |
|
New York Times
October 20, 2009 When Parents Are Too Toxic to Tolerate By RICHARD A. FRIEDMAN, M.D. "Of course, we cannot undo history with therapy. But we can help mend brains and minds by removing or reducing stress. Sometimes, as drastic as it sounds, that means letting go of a toxic parent."
You can divorce an abusive spouse. You can call it quits fi your lover mistreats you. But what can you do if the source of your misery is your own parent?
Granted, no parent is perfect. And whining about parental failure, real or not, is practically an American pastime that keeps the therapeutic community dutifully employed. But just as there are ordinary good-enough parents who mysteriously produce a difficult child, there are some decent people who have the misfortune of having a truly toxic parent. A patient of mine, a lovely woman in her 60s whom I treated for depression, recently asked my advice about how to deal with her aging mother. “She’s always been extremely abusive of me and my siblings,” she said, as I recall. “Once, on my birthday, she left me a message wishing that I get a disease. Can you believe it?” Over the years, she had tried to have a relationship with her mother, but the encounters were always painful and upsetting; her mother remained harshly critical and demeaning. Whether her mother was mentally ill, just plain mean or both was unclear, but there was no question that my patient had decided long ago that the only way to deal with her mother was to avoid her at all costs. Now that her mother was approaching death, she was torn about yet another effort at reconciliation. “I feel I should try,” my patient told me, “but I know she’ll be awful to me.” Should she visit and perhaps forgive her mother, or protect herself and live with a sense of guilt, however unjustified? Tough call, and clearly not mine to make. But it did make me wonder about how therapists deal with adult patients who have toxic parents. The topic gets little, if any, attention in standard textbooks or in the psychiatric literature, perhaps reflecting the common and mistaken notion that adults, unlike children and the elderly, are not vulnerable to such emotional abuse. All too often, I think, therapists have a bias to salvage relationships, even those that might be harmful to a patient. Instead, it is crucial to be open-minded and to consider whether maintaining the relationship is really healthy and desirable. Likewise, the assumption that parents are predisposed to love their children unconditionally and protect them from harm is not universally true. I remember one patient, a man in his mid-20s, who came to me for depression and rock-bottom self-esteem. It didn’t take long to find out why. He had recently come out as gay to his devoutly religious parents, who responded by disowning him. It gets worse: at a subsequent family dinner, his father took him aside and told him it would have been better if he, rather than his younger brother, had died in a car accident several years earlier. Though terribly hurt and angry, this young man still hoped he could get his parents to accept his sexuality and asked me to meet with the three of them. The session did not go well. The parents insisted that his “lifestyle” was a grave sin, incompatible with their deeply held religious beliefs. When I tried to explain that the scientific consensus was that he had no more choice about his sexual orientation than the color of his eyes, they were unmoved. They simply could not accept him as he was. I was stunned by their implacable hostility and convinced that they were a psychological menace to my patient. As such, I had to do something I have never contemplated before in treatment. At the next session I suggested that for his psychological well-being he might consider, at least for now, forgoing a relationship with his parents. I felt this was a drastic measure, akin to amputating a gangrenous limb to save a patient’s life. My patient could not escape all the negative feelings and thoughts about himself that he had internalized from his parents. But at least I could protect him from even more psychological harm. Easier said than done. He accepted my suggestion with sad resignation, though he did make a few efforts to contact them over the next year. They never responded. Of course, relationships are rarely all good or bad; even the most abusive parents can sometimes be loving, which is why severing a bond should be a tough, and rare, decision. Dr. Judith Lewis Herman, a trauma expert who is a clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, said she tried to empower patients to take action to protect themselves without giving direct advice. “Sometimes we consider a paradoxical intervention and say to a patient, ‘I really admire your loyalty to your parents — even at the expense of failing to protect yourself in any way from harm,’ ” Dr. Herman told me in an interview. The hope is that patients come to see the psychological cost of a harmful relationship and act to change it. Eventually, my patient made a full recovery from his depression and started dating, though his parents’ absence in his life was never far from his thoughts. No wonder. Research on early attachment, both in humans and in nonhuman primates, shows that we are hard-wired for bonding — even to those who aren’t very nice to us. We also know that although prolonged childhood trauma can be toxic to the brain, adults retain the ability later in life to rewire their brains by new experience, including therapy and psychotropic medication. For example, prolonged stress can kill cells in the hippocampus, a brain area critical for memory. The good news is that adults are able to grow new neurons in this area in the course of normal development. Also, antidepressants encourage the development of new cells in the hippocampus. It is no stretch, then, to say that having a toxic parent may be harmful to a child’s brain, let alone his feelings. But that damage need not be written in stone. Of course, we cannot undo history with therapy. But we can help mend brains and minds by removing or reducing stress. Sometimes, as drastic as it sounds, that means letting go of a toxic parent. |
|
| Hired guns? Not us, say private psychiatrists |
[19 Oct 2009|12:24pm] |
http://www.straitstimes.com/Singapore/Story/STIStory_443815.html
They say conflicting views given in court a natural result of an inexact science
By Kimberly Spykerman
-----------------------
PSYCHIATRISTS in private practice have taken issue with allegations that they are simply 'hired guns' for defence lawyers, as Principal Senior State Counsel Bala Reddy described them at a recent conference.
Mr Reddy said there had been no fewer than 10 instances over the last six months in which the prosecution challenged the findings of private psychiatrists in court hearings. There was none over the same period last year.
He also suggested that defence lawyers turn to psychiatrists from the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) as the hospital was known to be both 'objective and impartial'.
But psychiatrists told The Straits Times that it is inevitable that members of their profession have different opinions as psychiatry is not an exact science.
Those in private practice say they are hardly 'hired guns' and are subject to the same level of scrutiny as those at IMH.
( Read more... )kimspyke@sph.com.sg
|
|
| BPD |
[13 Oct 2009|10:27pm] |
Hi There all,
Been reading the community blogs with interest. Reason I am looking around here is that I am struggeling with my girlfriend for years now.
In the beginning thought it was moodswings or so but after all those years and reading about several personality disorders I get the strong impression that she is suffering from borderline. Its like she is almost a different person for a while and then comes out of it again. Durings her downs she can accuse me of all kinds of things which are complete incorrect. Does not matter how I react, she keeps ratteling till the down period, as I call it, is over again.
She used to work until a few years ago, now she sometimes starts a job but as soon as something happens at work she will get angry, also with me, and simply walk off. Not able to talk about something and solve it anymore.
There is much more I could sum up but with this hopefully somebody can give their opinion on it.
Thanks in advance,
Nic.
|
|
| is mental illness an excuse for disregarding the law? |
[10 Oct 2009|10:01am] |
The following is an excerpt of a report dated 09/10/09.
Former Miss Singapore World Ris Low has clarified comments in media reports where she said stealing credit cards was fun. Speaking to Channel NewsAsia in an exclusive interview, Ms Low said her actions were the result of her bipolar disorder.
The beauty queen gave up her crown last month after it was revealed that she was convicted of credit card fraud. She said she has learnt a lot from the saga and that despite the bad publicity, she remains positive in life.
She said: "I don't mean that stealing credit cards was fun. But the thrill that I felt - the feeling that I got from stealing credit cards was there. That was what I was trying to explain. But it's not that I am encouraging young people to steal credit cards or anything like this.
"When you have bipolar, you're always out to seek adventure, to seek something new, something fun and something that's out of the world that nobody can do. Something that is totally out the world and you have such a hot passion for."
|
These questions are often on my mind, and are unrelated to Miss Low or moral debates. -->
Is mental illness an excuse for disregarding the law?
What do you feel about mental illness being grounds for mitigation?
|
|
| 'Psychiatrists, don't become hired guns' (extracted from The Straits Time) |
[10 Oct 2009|10:27am] |
Beware of being taken for a ride by offenders, prosecutor advises
By Kimberly Spykerman
FORENSIC psychiatrists run the risk of being seen as 'hired guns' of defence lawyers if they are not objective and truthful in court, Principal Senior State Counsel Bala Reddy said yesterday.
Speaking on the second day of the first Forensics Conference here organised by the Singapore Academy of Law, the former district judge said defence lawyers are increasingly relying on forensic psychiatry to support claims that their clients offended because of mental illness.
Soon after Justice of Appeal V.K. Rajah set a sentencing precedent in 2007 when he granted a serial shoplifter suffering from kleptomania probation instead of jail, Mr Reddy said there was a 'significant spike' in the number of people accused of theft claiming a similar illness.
He noted that in just the past six months, there have been 10 Newton hearings, where private psychiatry reports were challenged by the prosecution after the accused had pleaded guilty.
( Read more... )
|
|
|
[05 Oct 2009|07:37am] |
Before you were mindful enough to know what you needed, what did you need, emotionally? When you have nowhere to go, where do you go? When you are convinced that all of your friends are going to leave you, what do you want in a friend?
I have been talking to a few teenage girls who are reaching out a great deal, but their self-esteem is so low that they do not believe they deserve any help, or even respect, from me. Because they are in such great (but mysterious and tangled) need, I find myself stuck between giving them a safe place to talk no matter what, but also asking tough questions and challenging many obviously toxic and negative, spiraling thoughts. I wonder if I'm doing a good job at either. Really, the end goal is to encourage them to seek counseling – because the issues in their lives (self-harm, suicide, abuse, etc.) practically demand it – but I worry about the role I am playing at this midway point, while they are resistant (or unable to pursue) to the idea. Sometimes I would like to skip out altogether, because the risk of intense social damage is so high, and it is quite draining to be the sole emotional support for these girls... especially while working through my own difficult issues. But I also want to do the right thing, as best as I am able. I remember being in a similar spot at 17... but I'm not sure how to be the best catalyst for change. Seems that I had to just continue to fail and suffer for years before getting help.
Any insight would be most helpful.
|
|
| Mood swings |
[18 Sep 2009|06:44am] |
 Sep 16, 2009 Wednesday Mood swings |
|  | --ST ILLUSTRATION: ADAM LEE |
Mariam stepped into my consultation room in a low-cut dress, filling the space with her strong perfume scent. Married and in her mid-30s, she was a high-flying executive in the creative industry. She has always been sociable and loquacious. But, from the moment she walked in, she was talking fast, gesticulating extensively and was openly flirtatious. Beaming, she announced that she had recently signed up for several spa packages, joined a fitness gym and bought two branded bags. Then, in a conspiratorial voice, she told me she had had an extra-marital affair. Mariam has manic-depressive disorder. ( Read more... ) |
|
| Support site |
[12 Sep 2009|04:16pm] |
I have a support site that you guys can use. I am a psych major in college and want to help as many people as i can. I really like helping people cause i have dealt with a lot of shit in my life and know how much it hurts.
http://selfhelp.yuku.com
|
|
| So... |
[12 Sep 2009|07:07pm] |
I'm making a move from Perth to Singapore after being in Australia for almost half my life. I have an excellent care team and i dread having to go to Singapore for work. Needless to say, i will need a new Psychiatrist and Psychologist. Was wondering if anybody could recommend a good one to me? I would prefer a private practitioner though cos' i don't really want to disclose my illness to my employer. There goes my medical benefits cos' i don't think they cover private medical care or do they?
What is the working life in Singapore like? Is it going to be really stressful? My employer told me that the pace is twice that of what i'm being used to here in Perth. So, i'm really worried and scared that i may not be able to cope. Also, what's it like to live in Singapore since i've not been there for a long time and don't really remember what's it like.
Part of me is excited about the change in scenery and the job prospects i am promised but i really don't want to relapse whilst i'm there - i am doing so well now, getting out and doing things and i have not had a suicidal or self -harm thought for a few months now. Also, i've been out of hospital for almost 3 years and would really like to keep improving.
So if anybody can recommend me a good doctor or psychologist and give me some tips on living successfully in Singapore, that would be fantastic. Thanks.
|
|
| Paxil.... |
[30 Aug 2009|12:05am] |
I am just curious if anyone knows anything about Paxil. I just was put on it and I hear that it is the hardest SSRI to get off of and also has the worst sexual side effects. I also hear it is the fastest acting and will help me the quickest. Anyone actually know??? I really need to talk to a psychiatrist but my family doctor put me on Paxil and I told her I was previously prescribed trazadone that I still take for sleep on occasion. I knew it might not be a good combo. and she didn't tell me it was bad. But then when I talked to the pharmacist about it, she told me it could be bad. So I don't trust my doctors opinion at all that I should be on Paxil. Is it that much different than any other SSRI??
Also I got pretty sick an hr and a half after my first dose today.... and still feel like shit and kind of out of it.
I don't know what to do. I also read that Paxil has a higher suicide rate than other SSRI's. I think I could be a risk for suicide just for the fact that I have struggled with that since a teenager and I'm now 22. Any legitimate advice will be helpfull.... I know I really need to talk to a psychiatrist.
Right now I'm just trying to get through school... I just started up out of the blue and was no where near ready to start. I can't focus and have intense anxiety and depression (have had it since I was 13) and told my doctor I just need whatever help I can get. She therefore prescribed me Paxil. I'm also on 300 mg Wellbutron XL daily that my doctor switched to 150 SR twice daily to save money. I guess what I'm asking is this: are all SSRI's the same when it comes to side effects and withdrawl???
Uhg... I feel so cloudy... sorry if this makes little sense.
Thanks.
|
|
| Upcoming Events (Silver Ribbon Singapore) |
[23 Aug 2009|08:00am] |
 (http://www.silverribbonsingapore.com/events.php)
Samaritans of Singapore - Suicide Awareness Week 2009
Suicide Postvention Workshop
10 Sep 2009
9am - 5pm
For more info, pls refer to the flyer attached
Samaritans of Singapore - Suicide Awareness Week 2009
Suicide Intervention Workshop
7 - 8 Sept 2009
9am - 5pm
For more info, pls refer to the flyer attached
|
|
| (For Caregiver) Suicide Awareness Talk |
[21 Aug 2009|10:06am] |
The below talk is organised by SAMH's Caregiver Support Group. If you think it might be helpful to your caregiver, do encourage them to join me. ~ Kevin
Dear members of the Caregiver Support Group,
We are pleased to invite you to attend our upcoming Caregiver Support Group session for the month of August 2009. The details are as follow:
Topic: Suicide Awareness Talk
Speaker: Mr Leow Yong Fatt, Social Worker, Samaritans of Singapore
About the Talk:
People with mental illnesses are vulnerable to having suicidal thoughts and have an increased risk of suicide compared to the general population. Often, caregivers are uncertain about how they should communicate with their loved ones when they suspect that he/she is suicidal. Hence, this talk aims to enhance caregivers’ understanding and awareness about:
1. Definition of suicide.
2. Singapore’s suicide situation.
3. Do’s and Don’ts when talking to a person who may be at risk of suicide.
The trainer, Mr Leow Yong Fatt is a trained social worker who has experience attending to suicidal clients and suicide survivors. He has also conducted numerous talks and workshops on suicide awareness, prevention and intervention for school students, teachers and school counsellors, as well as professional staff from various government and voluntary welfare organisations.
Date: 27/08/2009 (Thursday)
Time: 7.00pm to 9.00pm
Venue: Toa Payoh Central Community Club
[Opposite Toa Payoh Library]
No 93 Toa Payoh Central Seminar Room #05-05
[Nearest MRT: Toa Payoh Station]
For administrative purposes, kindly reply to this email if you're keen to attend the talk. If you have any queries, please contact us via email or phone us at Tel: 6283 1576.
Looking forward to seeing you.
Best Regards,
Voon Yen Sing (Ms)
Facilitator, CSG
Singapore Assn for Mental Health
|
|
| navigation |
| [ |
viewing |
| |
most recent entries |
] |
| [ |
go |
| |
earlier |
] |
|
|
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small}
sg_mentalhealth
