Has anybody had any success for treatment resistant depression/anxiety on Lithium Carbonate?
I suffer from major depression and anxiety too, so I know a lot of what you are going through. When lithium carbonate is used for depression, it is usually used to augment the effects of an antidepressant. For example, one might take celexa plus lithium, but not lithium alone. However, as you probably know, we all react to psych meds differently. The only way to know for sure if lithium will help is to try it. I tried lithium when I was on a bunch of meds, but it made things worse rather than better. So my doctor stopped the lithium in about about 4 to 6 weeks. We are in a similar boat. I am seriously thinking of stopping all my meds, except for Klonopin. First I am addicted to it and, second, I need it to sleep. So I congratulate you on your success with stopping the meds, especially the benzos. I also went through brain scans and they couldn't find anything wrong. However, brain scans are mostly useful for detecting major problems like brain tumors. In the last two years, I have improved a little when I started taking Lamictal (a mood stabilizer) and Abilify (an anti-psychotic). I am not suggesting these exact drugs for you. However, if you decide to go back on drugs, find a shrink who does a lot of research and thinks outside the box. Mood stabilizers and anti-psychotics may help you more than antidepressants. Someone recently suggested EMPowerplus to me, a vitamin supplement allegedly useful for mood disorders. You are supposed to slowly taper of your meds, while increasing the EMPowerplus. You might look into this: http://www.truehope.com/default.aspx. Also check out EMPowerplus on youtube.com. Please note: I have only been trying this product for 3 weeks and have not noticed any difference. So I am not recommending this to you, but it is something you might (or might not) consider. You can email me if you have any comments or questions. EDIT: My most potent antidepressant is exercise. You might consider starting with a little each day and working your way up. Try to join a health club or go to classes. It is very hard to motivate yourself to exercise when you have to do it alone. Have you tried therapy and stuff like that?
I get really obsessed with people. Is this a form of mental disorder?
My mind gets extremely obsessive over people to the point where I can't control my thoughts and emotions. I dated a boy for seven years and went through periods of being completely obsessed where he was in my thoughts every minute of everyday. When we broke up, I went through my fit for 3 months and the emotional pain so horendous I attempted suicide and spent 4 days in psych ward. We got back together and the thoughts went away. Every since I have been so terrified of getting close to anyone and feeling this way again. It's been 2 years, and I fell out of love with the original boy and finally allowed myself to get involved with my good friend of 4 years. (I also should mention I find it EXTREMELY difficult to be attracted to anyone. I have had over a dozen guys find me attractive and wanted to date me and I just have no feelings for them. I ) After getting involved I confessed I liked him and I guess he got scared and hasn't spoken to me since. My mind is out of control. I litterally check my phone almost every minute. (Even during class, I can't pay attention anymore.) I tried leaving my phone in my car during class, and I just keep checking the clock because I want to get to my phone to see if he texted me. I log on facebook 100 times a day to see if he's on and will send me a msg via facebook chat. I don't stalk him, I don't send him messages, The only time I talk to him is if he talks to me first but my mind is going crazy. I feel out of control. I want to sleep all day so I don't have to look at the clock and think if he's going to talk to me. I get horrible anxiety where my chest will actually hurt for days afterward. I cry alot, and I just want to be left alone. The only thing I keep thinking is I have to wait this out and eventually my brain will stop this, and let me go back to my normal life. Is this some type of mental illness I can prevent? I don't want to be afraid to get to know people in the future, but the pain I feel now makes me terrified and so miserable. I am so not oblivious to the fact that this is NOT healthy and is really strange. I feel like I put on a good show to everyone else that I don't care because I don't talk about him, I don't text him first or anything.. but inside I just want it to stop. Anyone else feel like this? What do you do?
What is cognitive behavioral therapy? How does it work?
like most things in life... it depends. I'll assume you know what CBT is...CBT was initially made for research purposes, so there's more evidence for its effectiveness, as it's easier to research than other modalities (for ex. psychoanalysis/dynamic therapy is more difficult to research). That being said, it's found to be highly effective in anxiety disorders in general (social phobias, specific phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorders, panic attacks, along with post-traumatic stress disorder) as well as depressive disorders. I'd have to disagree with Lauren (sorry!) but it's one of the first line treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Trauma-focused CBT (TF-CBT) is one of the most efficacious (researched) modalities for trauma that we have. There are others, like Prolonged Exposure (Edna Foa's work) and even DBT, which is a variant of CBT, which are shown to be helpful.That being said, the field of psychotherapy isn't yet advanced enough where we can state what therapies will be effective for whom. Just bc someone has an anxiety disorder doesn't mean that CBT will work - there are other etiological factors at play, to guide the choice of therapy for treatment.Treatment should be individualized.Disclaimer: I have not personally evaluated anyone involved, am not in a physician-patient relationship, and am not responsible for the questioner, answerers, or readers. I am not answering from a medical or psychiatric standpoint, but rather one as a general layperson
Why do I feel stressed with no reason behind?
My apologies for the delay.For starters, feeling stressed for no apparent reason is generally considered anxiety. Stress usually has identifiable things that set you off.Some considerations:Are you safe? Are you in a healthy, supportive environment most of the time? Sometimes we think nothing is specifically triggering our stress but don’t realize that our lifestyles and relationships are toxic or otherwise draining.Are you physically healthy? Eating well, sleeping well? Exercising? Poor health can create or exacerbate stress.Have you had your blood work done recently? Hormonal and neurochemical imbalances, nutrient deficiencies, and environmental or food allergies, sensitivities, or toxicities can cause anxiety.What is your schedule like? Are you maxed or beyond? Do you get and take down-time? What can you do to switch up your schedule?Some of us are just more anxious than others. You may fit in here. If it has become life-interfering, you may be describing an anxiety disorder. The most common mental health disorders that can create anxiety without an obvious or immediate causal agent include obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD), and acute or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but the one that might best fit your brief description is called generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD).From the generalized anxiety article above: People with the disorder, which is also referred to as GAD, experience excessive anxiety and worry, often expecting the worst even when there is no apparent reason for concern. They anticipate disaster and may be overly concerned about money, health, family, work, or other issues.Here is an overview on (conventional) treatments for anxiety disorders: https://www.adaa.org/sites/defau...I hope this is helpful. Feel free to write back if you have more questions, or you might find help in some of my other answers. :)8/3/17 edited for clarity
Does anyone know of any herbal/alternative treatments for ADHD in children???
There is quite a lot of information about the use of pure, unadulterated essential oils in working with children with ADHD. My friend's grandson uses a number of essential oils and has gone from a "resource" class at school to being integrated into a 'regular' classroom with success re his behaviors and learning abilities. Her grandson uses pure, unadulterated essential oils and blends (not cheap oils that have been solvent distilled and might contain solvents that you don't want near your child's brain) like Vetiver and Brain Power. You can find these at my site at http://tinyurl.com/ykxyuk The following is found on-line: "CASE STUDY DR. TERRY FRIEDMAN, M.D. This case study was conducted for two years, from 1999-2001. Using Children between the ages of 6 to 12 years. Twenty subjects not diagnosed with ADD/ADHD were used as the control group. Twenty subjects with a confirmed diagnoses of ADD/ADHD were used as the study group. Each group was pre-tested using a baseline evaluation with real time EEG and The T.O.V.A. Scale. The essential oils chosen for the case study were Lavender, Vetiver, Cedarwood and Brain Power (a blend of Frankincense, Sandalwood, Melissa, Cedarwood, blue Cypress, Lavender and Helichrysum.) The oils were administered in this fashion: one of the oils were administered by inhalation 3 times a day for 30 days. An inhalation device was also used at night to administer a continuous inhalation of oil. The subject then inhaled when needed, about 3 times during the day when they began to feel "scattered". The inhalation of the oils proved to settle the brainwaves back into normal patterns and improved their scholastic performance and behavioral patterns. Each subject was tested on each oil for 30 days and then reevaluated by testing. Then another oil was used for 30 days and reevaluated, until each of the oils had been tested. Lastly, oil combinations were used, each for a 30 day period. (Brain Power with Lavender, with Cedarwood, and Vetiver.) The final results were: Lavender increased performance by 53%, Cedarwood increased performance by 83% and Vetiver increased performance by 100%. " Hope this is helpful. HealthiaCynthia Certified Comprehensive Coach Moderator for My Monday Miracles http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/My_Monday_Miracles/