Thinking about seeing a psychologist

[rotis]

I got a win win for you. Look around town for a big church with happy looking people. Don't concern yourself with whether they are really happy or not.

Start going and find out about their young adults group. They will have their own meetings with a band before meetings. These groups are always looking for musicians. You instantly have a group of happy friends and a steady gig.

I am seriously not joking. This will change your life.

[michael_atw]

Do you get the correct amount of sleep? I know too many teenagers and 20-somethings who should go to sleep at dusk and instead stay up until 2-4 am doing nothing. Early risers are happier; correct sleep makes you feel better, I saw someone mention exercise - that helps.

Remove yourself from social media as much as possible as well - if you are into it.

If you listen to music or dabble in arts, use it as a positive conduit. Avoid things that charge you in an emotionally negative way.

When I was 15-16, I was depressed. I could have went to the pros and had them inject me with every pill on their pocket. Glad I didn't.

[sandmangeck]

All this talk of religion? Shouldn't this be in the lobby?

[oniman7]

Originally Posted by sandmangeck

All this talk of religion? Shouldn't this be in the lobby?

I'm trying to avoid the religious talk by saying I'm not interested, and would rather have that cleaned up than move to the lobby, particularly since I'm not a supporting member and this would do me no good there.

[nutdog]

Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way.

[oniman7]

Originally Posted by nutdog

Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way.

Love that song

[Catanova]

My observations: You have reached out for help here. You are unsure about your perceptions of your feelings and thoughts. You have limitless possibilities in your life from now on, as we all do, as every day IS a NEW day. You are living life. If you seek an opinion about your mental well-being on the internet, you will find a thousand different versions. Look for a professional to talk to. Human behavior is complicated There are people who will work hard to help you figure yourself out. Plan on visiting several to find someone you feel right about. IMHO try not to over-analyze yourself, rather keep busy doing things that matter to you and give you satisfaction, quit kicking yourself, man...

[Steve]

Originally Posted by oniman7

Also, can I ask what you mean by tortured soul? I didn't catch that part

It seems to me by my own experience and what I've learned from others that creative type people, musicians, artists, writers, actors... whatever tend to have, if not emotional problems, emotional sensitivities that most non-creative types don't have.

They are more aware, more feeling, more in touch with that stuff and it takes it's toll. Having creative talent can be a real "monkeys paw" gift.

[chadds]

We have health.
Sometimes we get sick.
Sometimes we are born with a predisposition to ail in say our stomachs or get colds.
We have emotional and mental health and it is affected by our physical aspect.
Our emotional and mental health need attention just like our physical health.
The thing is in life is we don't know what we don't know.
Getting a take from a professional is healthy.

[TOOL460002]

I've been seeing a psychiatrist for years (5+ at my current and a dozen before), so I know I need help and get it that way. However, people kept telling me to see a psychologist and I didn't want to, so I didn't.

If you don't want the help, then don't waste your time and money. Don't go. What are you gonna talk about? How much you don't want to be there, or how much other people think you should be there? It'd be a waste.

But once you go on your own, you will benefit from it. I finally went on my own and I love it. I have gotten a lot out of the process. I see her every other week, and more if I need it, and I can call her on weekends if I need even more help.

I think it has done a lot for me, but only because I wanted it. It's like going to AA if you still want to get drunk. You may go through the motions, but you will only get the benefits when you are ready to receive them.

[MarkMgibson]

First things first: see a doctor - do you have a GP? (primary care psychian). I don't know the laws in the States, but over here, a 17 year old has a right to confidentiality with any doctor (unless the doctor thinks you plan to harm yourself, or someone else). I'm getting a bit annoyed at all this anti-doctor crap - it's childish and naive. It is possible you have some organic problem (a thyroid condition, hormonal imbalance, etc) that's causing this. That would be the first thing a doctor would check. If they don't find anything, they might recommend you see a psychiatrist or a psychologist, but it's your choice whether or not you go. You also have a family history of mental illness, so this isn't something you should be stuffing around with.

My sister is a doctor, and I can assure you that they're not all monsters who just want to shove you on medication. Just see a doctor, listen to what they have to say, and decide for yourself how, and if, you want to proceed.

[ZeroSymbolic]

I hold a bachelors in Psych, and my amature's guess would be Generalized Anxiety Disorder co morbid with depression. Look into them.

[HaMMerHeD]

Originally Posted by rotis

I got a win win for you. Look around town for a big church with happy looking people. Don't concern yourself with whether they are really happy or not.

Start going and find out about their young adults group. They will have their own meetings with a band before meetings. These groups are always looking for musicians. You instantly have a group of happy friends and a steady gig.

I am seriously not joking. This will change your life.

The last sentence aside...




To the OP, I would suggest first going to see your physician to get a physical, and get a blood lab done. Some of this stuff can be the result of a simple thyroxine deficiency.

If there is nothing out of the ordinary, then go see a headshrinker. Chances are your physician can recommend one.

[slobake]

Yup, get professional help. Most of us are well meaning here but the best advice we can give is to seek professional help. Don't fool yourself by thinking you are doing something about your problem by posting here.

[NWB]

Originally Posted by MarkMgibson

First things first: see a doctor - do you have a GP? (primary care psychian). I don't know the laws in the States, but over here, a 17 year old has a right to confidentiality with any doctor (unless the doctor thinks you plan to harm yourself, or someone else). I'm getting a bit annoyed at all this anti-doctor crap - it's childish and naive. It is possible you have some organic problem (a thyroid condition, hormonal imbalance, etc) that's causing this. That would be the first thing a doctor would check. If they don't find anything, they might recommend you see a psychiatrist or a psychologist, but it's your choice whether or not you go. You also have a family history of mental illness, so this isn't something you should be stuffing around with.

My sister is a doctor, and I can assure you that they're not all monsters who just want to shove you on medication. Just see a doctor, listen to what they have to say, and decide for yourself how, and if, you want to proceed.

Now there's a very important point about the family history.

I agree completely with Mark on his advice.

[oniman7]

Update: talked to my mom yesterday. I have some physical symptoms of hormonal issues such as cold hands, weight loss, crashes similar to those of diabetics, etc.
She has PCOS and has an endocrinologist so she will schedule a meeting for me with her doctor to do a blood test. I will pursue further options when I get those results. Thank you everybody

[SR505bassman]

That sounds like a good way to go. Hope you get some useful information and some direction in what to do next. When making decisions it's often helpful if it's an informed one :-). Take care.

[oniman7]

Hey guys,
Thanks for your multitude of opinions offering support.

I went to an endocrinologist and had over a dozen blood tests and a 24 hour urine lab. Usually suspects (cortisol, testosterone, etc.) showing either perfect or outside the boundaries but acceptable considering my age and weight. The only outlier was Vitamin D which can come from the sun (or milk) and is linked to depression and lethargy. She said she could tell I wasn't a milk drinker (it hurts my stomach bad) and to start taking a multi vitamin. I've done this in addition to taking more active trips out to the sunlight. I had a unit level (whatever the unit is) of 15 where the minimum healthy is 25.

I brought up the mental issues I've described here and she referred me to a psychologist that specializes in adolescents. She referred to her as a "behavioral scientist". My mom asked what her advice would be to me and the doctor said that she has kids at home my age and if they were feeling the symptoms I were she would make an appointment as soon as possible because it could take months to get in.

I also feel as if the seasons affect me. Now that the weather's back up around 80 degrees and sunny for many more hours I feel better than I did when I posted this and it got dark every day around 6. I hate it. I wonder if it could be linked to the lack of Vitamin D somehow and if exposing myself to more of it could help for next year.

But, I wanted to come back and give an update for all the people who gave me support and a place to talk about it before I got into the doctor.

[eyeballkid]

glad youre feeling better man.

[blastoff99]

Wow. You have a D level of 15 whatevers and you live in Florida? Don't you ever go outside?

The generally accepted "normal" is between 30 and 100 whatevers. A multi-vitamin probably isn't going to cut it. Your mileage will vary, but I take 5000IU of D a day and my level has gone from 12 to 50. In a year and a half. Check with your doc to make sure there's no compelling reason not to do it, but you should probably be taking a whole bunch of D. It's possible that doctors in your area aren't real used to dealing with D deficiency, since you have sun. I live in a very dark and damp part of the country... docs up here see this all the time and have lots of experience with it.

Sounds like you're heading in the right direction with these recent steps, and that your mom is being supportive. Glad to hear it!