The question was submitted
06/21/2008
Subject: Tell me what to do - Concrete things to do
Hello,
I figure you are the expert and you can help.
How do I start?
I have been wondering whether I am truly depress / I just have a weak personality / I have a sleeping disorder, therefore limiting my energy-affecting my mood / Its just the way I function in my mind-chaos (overthinking at times, not meticulous at other times)
My head keeps forming irrelevant links that I have to cut off. Is it the way I think or I got a mental problem?
Because I know its definitely not the series of bad luck I have / obstacles / problems in my life that I am facing (because they are always coming on).
How do I start?
I feel the need to hide in sleep all the time (and I do not have problems sleeping) - sleeping 9-10 hours everyday.
I feel like my brain been suck dry. Or my heart is clinched all / most of the time. And I feel tired.
People around me says I look moody / negative. But really, its because I have all these negative thoughts in my head.
The negative thoughts are - why am I here at this place, what am I incompetent to do a good job, why do my boss not like me, should I leave this place
I have been told its because of a personality issue - that I overthink, think too much, and always think about the negative things.
Because I think about the negative things, negative things happens to me. (i.e. I keep making a lot of mistakes in my work, and I feel very upset about every mistake I make as a signal of my incompetence)
And so much negativity stuck in my head, it alters my brain chemical. Is it?
If I can recall, it might have started when I was in sec, I suddenly turned from an extrovert to introvert. I have been lethargic throughout my sec school years (sleeping problem?), stress and depress in junior college, and very depressed through end of my junior year in college (cannot stop crying)and early senior year.
My mood is down, really down all the time.
My question is
1) I took 2 prozacs that was suppose to be prescribed 2 years ago, is that ok? (I got a little bit of headache from it, but otherwise........)
2) Should I go read some cognitive therapy books? (I got no money for therapy)
3) How should I change my self to make sure I don't sink in to madness?
Answer from DepNet
Dear “Tell me what to do - Concrete things to do”,
Thank you for writing to Depnet. It must be difficult living with yourself being like this. And it’s good that you know that exploration of various contributing factors need to be supported by engaging in more helpful behaviours and thought patterns.
To be concrete, it could be helpful to first define your goal, the changes you want and make a simple plan according to SMART principle. Some of the activities that are recommended are:
1. Consult a psychiatrist as soon as possible to get an assessment. Besides having expiry dates, medication & dosage prescribed 2 years ago may not be therapeutic for your current condition.
2. Educate yourself about the illness & learn to manage it better – what are the symptoms, how they affect you, how you cope with them & how to further improve your management.
3. Learn, practise & improve general stress management skills. You may wish to click on Depnet’s “find help” for the list of mental health services and check with the agencies for fees within your budget. Of course, self-help books are generally useful when one does sufficient practise of their suggested exercises.
You may wish to note that the more appropriate term is “psychiatric” conditions, or “mental illness” instead of “madness” for the symptoms you described. Wellness can be maintained and mental illness may be prevented when a person engages in activities that meet our needs: emotional, mental, spiritual, social, physical, vocational, leisure & good stress management skills. Recovery from mental illness involve all above plus illness management.
Regards,
Depnet
The answer was published on DepNet
07/01/2008