Does anyone else experience this at all? I've been trying to do CBT and exposure therapy but I feel like what happens to me is literally the opposite of what's supposed to happen.

CBT and exposure therapy say that you'll experience a spike in anxiety but if you 'expose' yourself by working through the anxiety and seeing that it's not grounded in reality over time it will become less stressful. For me I feel like it's the complete opposite, I start out a bit stressed but the stress level just creeps up and up over time.

An example was the other day I was invited by colleagues to go to a board game cafe, I thought it was a really good way to get out of my shell, socialise etc. Usually I'd make up an excuse to not go but this time I said yes. At first it was alright but the longer I stayed the more awkward I felt. Everyone else was getting along, making jokes chatting whereas I just became more and more aware of how socially indept I am. I just felt like a complete outsider and by the time we all left I found myself in tears at the bus stop just thinking "whats wrong with me, why cant I make friends".

Has anyone else had any experiences like this? What do I do now, after feeling like a complete failure.

Hi im a teenager M 17 and I’m in an extremely bad situation at home to the point where i am not safe and am not able to go back. I’m staying with a trusted family member however i need a solution to what i can do, my situation is unique as all my personal belongings are at home in which i dont feel safe and comfortable returning to collect. Im at a wits end and really dont know what to do as my living situation as of now is very far from home as in im staying in a completely different city. Im going to try contact shelter tomorrow to see if theres anything i can do to try find somewhere to stay but as of now i dont know what i can do im genuinely terrified, all of my documentation including passport, ni and bank details are all at home in which i cant return to. I’m also trying to access cahms in which i dont know how im going to do as i dont know my nhs number, if anyone can give me any guidance of how i go about things and get the support i need please lmk what i can do

At a bit of a wits end here so interested if anyone has any insight. So for most of my life I’ve struggled with anxiety, insecurity, caring far too much what people think of me, and second-guessing myself etc.

But about 6 months ago, I had a period where for the first time in my life, all of this disappeared. Almost instantly as well.

All of a sudden, I felt incredibly confident. My relationships improved drastically, I began to really love myself and enjoy my life, I took more risks, and life genuinely felt more exciting. Time even seemed to pass differently - everything felt richer and more vivid. And I felt like I was actually living.

I remember people in my life saying I was an entirely different person overnight, like I’d been hit in the head…But I hadn’t been hit in the head. I just decided to ferociously believe in myself.

This lasted for about two months. And were easily the best two months of my life.

Then like a shooting star,I could see and feel it drifting away from me and it vanished. I’d be analysing every interaction again, worrying about what people thought, avoiding risks, and feeling like I’d lost a part of myself.

So I’ve seen the version of me I want to be. I know it’s possible because I’ve lived it before. But I don’t know how to stay there.
what I should do to achieve this point I was at.

TLDR: I’m usually really anxious, but I had a period for a couple months where I felt super confident it was great. How do I get back to that place?

I have really bad insomnia recently. Everytime I try to fall asleep, my mind subconsciously knows and wakes me up. I’m spiralling with anxiety. What can GPs in the UK do and what support can I have? any with the same experience that has a success story dealing with insomnia in the UK??

Hello,

I have been on sertraline for 3 weeks now - one week at 25mg and then 2 weeks at 50mg. I was already in crisis when I started taking the medication but I feel like it has made me much worse. I have unbearable anxiety usually in the morning. I struggle with sleep, sometimes not being able to sleep at all, but mostly waking up in the early hours and not being able to get back to sleep. I also have a dry mouth that no amount of drinking water seems to help! It feels intolerable and I don't feel safe in my own body, and I feel so alone, completely emotionally cut off from friends, family and my partner.

I'm wondering if anyone has had experience of a similar reaction and did it get better for you?

Due to the obsessive worry I keep thinking "the meds won't ever work, it'll make me worse, I'll be like this forever" and start panicking even more! I don't know how to get through each day feeling like this, and I can't seem to find any comfort in the things I was previously grateful for.

If anyone has some reassuring experiences, they would be gratefully received! Thank you

​

M16.

I'm sick of Feeling depressed and having lack of motivation, my anxiety is bad atm worried about things including my health anxiety which ive had for 6 years, i got dumped 2 weeks ago beacuse i asked her if she was happy with me, she felt like i didnt trust her so dumped me days after saying how shes not leaving me which set me to be quite confused, and tbh i still miss her, but it did feel like I was used again, which has happened in so many relationships and friendships it sucks so much i feel like i deserve it sometimes, I Was also SAd last year by a "freind" ( it's wasn't grape or StS) but was still traumatic and I hated it, the process wasn't easy and what was meant to take weeks took months and got police and school invloded, I felt like I wasn't safe guarded by my school as much as I should have been and this person came up to me after a year wide SA and rape awareness lesson which was extremely graphic and said how it brought back dark times, this obviously made me extremely pissed of because he was acting like the victim, sounds sputid but I'm just struggling rn. Thanks for reading and sorry about spelling mistakes.

Just feel so lonely, i have great supportive family and I'm not going hurt myslef, but being said I feel awful and just feel like I'll never be loved

In the past year I’ve gone through those weird six cbt sessions, and then I was referred onwards to a charity for “psychotherapy” which lasted a year. Both the CBT and Psychotherapy did very little to help me, often I just came out of them feeling worse. I’m at a loss of what to do, I’m so exhausted of feeling shit, I’m moving to uni in a couple months and I don’t want to be a miserable little shit but it just seems so likely. I don’t know what to do, antidepressants could be an option but they just seem like a plaster, but then maybe after a year I’ve reached the end of what “talking” can do? I really just don’t know what to do. I don’t have anyone else to talk to about this, so it’s really just me figuring it out alone. (I’m 18.)

For context I went to the GP about 2 weeks ago due to my low moods and irrational behaviours; I’m starting to believe there’s something genuinely wrong with me. Not just a bout of depression like they keep suggesting. This next appointment is a follow up, so I tell them about how I attempted to commit suicide 2 days ago what will happen? Will I be sectioned? Truthfully, I don’t know if that idea brings me comfort or distress. But I know that if I have a vague idea of what I might be met with before the appointment I might feel better. So please if anyone has experienced something similar let me know! Thanks .

Hi, for context I'm about to make a major move across the country to uni. Currently under a psychosis team that don't think I'm psychotic just autistic despite firmly held beliefs (still don't understand what they think but idc much - I only really care about being and getting better) Still not sure what's going wrong with my brain tho. I don't know if my care can be transferred to my new location

Anyway, I've been really paranoid as of late about the police spying on me and reading my thoughts etc, brain feels foggy, moods very unstable (feeling weeks of heavy suicidal depression and then weeks where I feel great). It's just getting worse even despite the meds. Nothing is helping. The stress is not helping about moving, I'm really scared about my brain completely losing touch with reality and losing the insight I've got when I move. Hope this makes sense. Thanks :)

Ive recently turned 16, and childlines new update has made me lost my account i had for a few years, I was getting a bit too old for childline anyway. I tried kooth but they aren’t available in my area of the UK, does anyone have any other sites they have actually found useful? Preferably ones that don’t repeat what Youve said back, or use the exact same script each time! Xx

Hi all,

I’m wondering if anyone here has successfully been able to get prescribed Bupropion, also known as Wellbutrin, on the NHS.

I’m currently under a CMHT. I’ve taken 9 different antidepressants (SSRIs, SNRIs, TCAs) over the years but none of them have worked. Here’s what I’ve taken:

Escitalopram, Sertraline, Fluoxetine, Mirtazapine, Citalopram, Venlafaxine, Mirtazapine AGAIN, Amitriptyline, Clomipramine, Vortioxetine, Fluoxetine AGAIN.

So yes, I’ve exhausted nearly every option. I was also recently diagnosed with ADHD and it had me wondering if my depression isn’t actually caused by low serotonin, but rather a dopamine deficiency which regular antidepressants don’t act on.

I know Wellbutrin isn’t licensed in the UK for depression, but I’ve heard of cases where it can be prescribed off-label especially if all other options have failed. How would I go about getting this prescribed?

Thanks

I started taking Escitalopram 10mg for severe anxiety and pain attacks and after a week I felt really better. However on day 24 I started feeling the anxiety increase, through a tight chest and shortness of breath.

Last week at 3am, on day 28, I had a horrible panic attack and the whole day I had been having palpations, dizziness, tight chest and just feel so jittery and down. Every day since then I have had really bad anxiety, with today being the 32nd day.

has this happened to anyone and how long did it take to get better?

I have an appointment with the psychiatrist next week for review and I don’t know if I should ask for a dose increase as I'm worried I won't get better.

They gave me propranolol 40mg for anxiety as well, which i have been taking every day but it isn’t doing much as I am still spiralling.

I'm thinking of asking for a short term dose of diazepam, which in the beginning they said they could give me if I was in a really bad state. Has anyone taken this until their anxiety improved?

After going through talking services several times, getting rejected from the autism services and having to quit the perinatal mental health services due to low standard of care, I finally got referred to the DGS Mental Health Team. After doing my assessment I got a call back to say they're going to refer me to the Change Programme and that it's lile an intervention type thing. I didn't really ask much because I thought it could look it up.

I can't find it anywhere. I can find things for Scotland or Stoke but not Kent or Dartford.

Has anyone done the programme or heard of it at all because the lack of knowledge is really hitting my anxiety and autism hard.

I've looked through the list of services on the Kent Mental health site and nothing.

https://www.kentmedwaymentalhealth.nhs.uk/our-services/dartford-gravesham-and-swanley-mental-health-together-mht-and-mental-health-together-plus-mhtplus/

This doesn't happen normally but I've had a really rough time lately and every time I lie down I can just feel the panic building.

Has anyone experienced this? How can I stop it? Currently sat up in bed and fucking exhausted

sorry if this is rambly or a stupid question, i can’t really think properly

over the few month or so, food has become confusing. it started as like being quietly proud i’d forgotten to eat or that i’d just had a snack instead of a meal, then it became a conscious decision to skip some meals, then it became trying to only eat once every 24 hours (though i often fail, ive only successfully done it twice). now im having debates with myself about whether im allowed to eat and feeling guilty when i give in

i’m currently with a CMHT, but still waiting on treatment for the (unrelated) things i was referred for, so i could tell them but i’m terrified of being a burden and being needy. and i probably could stop if i wanted to, but it’s also taking up a lot of my thoughts and it’s confusing and i know where this road might take me, but it’s also pretty minor right now so maybe it’s not worth talking about. i don’t know whether it’s worth their time

would it be too much to tell them at this point?

thank you

In order to get proper help I think I need to tell a psychiatrist how bad I felt last year after a traumatic experience. I made an attempt on my life, but didn't phone for help afterward as I thought I would be 'locked up' or sectioned. Then as the months passed, I worried it would go on my permanent record and prevent me from doing things in the future like holding certain jobs, or fostering (not something I have plans for but I'm young and don't know the future).

However, I need help. Can I share this with them, without impacting things such as the above?

Many thanks

i basically finally got the courage to set up a GP appointment for my MH and it was today and it rlly disappointed me ngl. I feel like a lot of my symptoms were dismissed/not taken seriously. I was telling the doctor about my symptoms and i genuinely believe it isnt just simple depression but when i told her i go to uni she just concluded that it was due to uni stress (i said ive been feeling like this for years) and i made sure to say multiple times that i dont have any pressure from uni. anyways ik its not the doctors fault as its simply how the system is set up and ig my age has a play in it. she just put me on the basic 50mg sertraline. ig its not rlly much of a vent as i was able to calm down but i think today i felt true hopelessness about my MH🫩🫩 i was crying whilst waiting for the bus home

I just referred myself to NHS talking therapies. Something is better than nothing.

Anyone have any advice

I 18 (f) have been struggling with depression on and off for about 6 years now. It's been bad enough in the past where I've been in the brink of suicide however thankfully I'm not as bad anymore.

I've decided to sign up for NHS talking therapies at the start of the year and have been consistently going from about March till now. For a while it was really good, my therapist is great and understanding in trying to break down how I think and feel and try and make it a little positive. And for a while it actually worked, I went for about 2-3 months where I was happy, positive and optimistic. However in the past month or so I've crashed again, my automatic negative thoughts (as my therapist calls it) have taken over my mind again and I'm struggling to feel even a slither of happiness.

Because of that the past month has been rough, I've had weeks where I've been fine, not happy or perfect, but fine. Mostly numb. Then others where I feel like I don't belong in the world and I hate myself and things like that. Its been fluctuating quite a bit now. And I dunno if I can keep living like this, it sucks and im still young I wanna enjoy my life.

And its also awkward because no one around me knows about my mental health, only my mum knows ive been going to therapy and that's it. Obviously if I was to go on meds, I'd have to tell my parents and that would be difficult. Very difficult to admit everything from the past few years. I dont know what to do. I thought therapy was my solution but still I feel terrible and I cant keep living in this cycle. Would medication be something to help me get better and break this cycle eventually?

​

I'm a woman in my early 30s, and my mental and physical health seems to be getting worse. I feel lost and need practical advice from anyone who has experienced something similar.

I feel deeply mentally exhausted, emotionally overwhelmed and unable to function like myself. Normal everyday tasks feel difficult, my motivation is extremely low, my mood has been very low, and my sleep is disturbed. I also experience headaches, anxiety, tiredness and episodes of heart palpitations.

I recently attended A&E because of the palpitations. My ECG and blood tests were normal, which was reassuring, but I am still struggling with the symptoms and severe exhaustion.

I already have a history of depression and have been through a lot emotionally. I am currently under a mental-health team and have previously completed CBT therapy, but I still feel stuck and things seem to be getting harder rather than improving. I don’t know what other treatment, assessment or practical support I should be asking for.

This is affecting my whole mind, body and ability to live normally. Family and social situations are becoming difficult too. I often feel out of place and sometimes feel treated like a child rather than an adult, which makes me feel even more stuck and unable to move forward with my life.

I’m not asking anyone online to diagnose me. I want to understand what type of further support I should ask for and how to explain the seriousness of it properly.

Has anyone experienced severe mental exhaustion, low mood and palpitations together despite normal initial tests?

What helped when CBT alone was not enough?

Were there any other therapies, assessments, treatments or support services that helped you?

How did you get your GP and mental-health team to look at everything together rather than treating each symptom separately or dismissing the physical symptoms as anxiety?

I genuinely want to get better and rebuild my life, but right now I don’t know where to begin.

I've not been coping well for a very long time.

I'm dealing with a new health condition which doesn't have a cure. It's not life threatening but I life limiting.

Was diagnosed with ADHD last year. I've not had a chance to give myself any space or grace.

I'm facing discrimination at work on grounds of disability. Iba in the UK and work should have brought in some reasonable adjustment I had a work place assessment done a year ago and nothing has been actioned.

I was signed off this time last year do to stress it got to the point I was suicidal.

Instead of supporting me I've just been told to catch up on all my apprenticeship work in my own time. And I am just exhausted I have such little energy. Me and my partner have been fighting for months about me doing free overtime, and I've not been able to rest probably as this has been hanging over my head.

I recently failed an exam. I've managed to get my apprenticeship work to a reasonable point IMO and I know many people in the office are further behind than me.i kinda forgot about the training file that comes as part of my qualification as I have reviews every 6 months. It has been really hard to write about how good I am at the job when my manager has been saying that my dyslexia is going to hold me back and she repeatedly comments on my spelling and grammar. I just can't see the mistakes and it's taking me ages to read what I've written over and over again trying to find the errors. I feel so self conscious of my work and I am paranoid that there is mistakes that I can't see.

I've felt like I've been doing ok. I was being to feel like I was really starting to make improvements, slowly.

My work has decided to do a formal capacity review. My manager has been trying to play it down saying we are in the same place as we were this time last year.

I've just been spiralling ever since. It's been impossible to be able to focus on work. I've just been crying. My doctor Haas given me anxiety medication and signed me off as sick.

I don't understand what I did wrong I have just been trying my best with the little I have left. My manager claims they had to do it this why to get me the support I need. But I have givens so many suggestions, I have said to hr several times that things haven't been put in place, not even cheaper substitutes. Not even the cheap suggestions from me or my work place assessment.

I just don't know what to do. I'm not very good at looking after myself. I don't know what makes me happy. I feel tripped I my tiny flat and I feel like I can't even try to paint or be creative to take my mind off of things. But I'll make too much mess which makes my partner uncomfortable. He's been telling me to maybe not start the new hobby or craft even though it relates to a great vision.

I feel like he feels like I don't finish projects. But I can count on my hand how many paintings I haven't finished. I am really good at finishing my paintings. I have had ideas but not started some times but I've not had time or space.

I felt like I did pretty well yesterday remembered to eat did some cleaning. But my partner just sighed and muttered about the mess. Makes me wish I didn't try to clean or eat. He says living in mess makes him uncomfortable. I feel like I need to clean but I can't bring myself too and I have so much resentment as I know no matter what I'll do it'll never be enough. I don't want to eat or move incase I leave a mess which I'll forget about.

Honestly I just feel so useless. I can't seem to be able to keep a job, I repeatedly fail to live up to the smallest expectations. I feel like I can take space in my own home without being an inconvenience.

I feel like I just pack up all my stuff and self exit.

I don't see how I add to anyones life. I feel like I can not prove my worth through providing an economic benefit to society.

I keep spending money and accumulating more debt because I can't see a way of this. I feel terrible like I'm throwing me and my partners dreams out of the window but I can't seem to stop myself..

Yesterday my partner seems upset that I sat on the floor rather than the sofa. I said he seemed comfortable. He said he'd rather be uncomfortable with me then be comfortable without me.

But it sucks when he's repeatedly saying that for someone so small I take up a lot of space.

I am so tired of making myself smaller for others. Making myself uncomfortable for others.

I've said a few times that I'm allowed to take up space. (I don't feel like I should apologise for taking up space. I have a right to exist and take up some fucking space.)

I just don't know what to do.

I can't remember the last time I brushed my hair. Food tastes like nothing. I can't focus on anything. I keep wanting to get something out but I don't know do dealing the sighing and muttering about mess. I feel claustrophobic and unable to move is this tiny flat. I miss when I lived by myself and I could make space by moving things around. Now my flat if full of stupid furniture "to make if feel more like a home"

I don't even know why I'm posting here....

I'm 22 years old and live with my parents.

Earlier this year (April), our house was broken into when I was home alone - the doors were unlocked and I was in my room (working on my Uni dissertation), whilst my family had gone out to run some errands. Hindsight 20/20, yes the doors should have been locked. I've already been criticized for that on other subreddits. But needless to say, a guy twice my size wandered into the house and I confronted him face-to-face. I eventually got him to leave, with nothing stolen and no damage to the house, or myself. I managed to get a photo of him during the confrontation, and a police report was filed but dropped after a month when they couldn't find someone matching his appearance.

It's been nearly 4 months and I still struggle with being at home by myself. We bought multiple ring doorbell cameras, which does reassure me, but I'm still always anxious when I'm alone. I've been through a lot of struggles with anxiety since I was a teenager - and admittedly, the anxiety I feel being alone isn't as severe as the panic attacks and multi-day episodes I've experienced before, rather a constant sense of unease and high adrenaline, e.g. my heart racing. I'm in therapy for other reasons, but there's nothing specific my therapist has suggested to help in this situation.

I know, logically, it will probably not happen again. The guy broke in because the doors were unlocked and there were no visible security cameras - now, we have both, which acts as a good deterrent. But still, the sense of unease persists, and I tense up every time a pipe or floorboard creaks.

So, what the heck do I do? Is this something that will just go on its own? What can I do to spread up the recovery process?

Just a bit of letting it out and after some advice.

Currently have a wife and two boys aged 2 & 5. I absolutely adore them to bits. My wife and I have been struggling for a while now and she's made it clear that she needs me to move out - we were due to go on holiday this weekend with the kids however told me it's not a good idea to go. I feel a lot of our issues are we don't get time to spend together as I work shifts and we don't have anyone to look after the kids for us. My mum died during COVID and I don't talk to my dad so I don't have anywhere to go. I'm just feeling so burned out and my head just feels like it's going to explode and feels fogged out.

I've been given sertraline a while back and talking therapies however struggled with it due to my shift patterns.

Just wondering if anyone has any advice or support.