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I went to the psychiatrist yesterday
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Meow I'm a Cat Offline
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Post: #1
I went to the psychiatrist yesterday

Wasn't sure which section to put this in so.

He says I have ADHD because I'm impulsive, annoying, easily frustrated, procrastinate, can't pay attention (I space out a lot during conversations), I change moods hourly, sometimes within minutes, etc. There's also a risk of a mood disorder.

I find it funny how it was the first time I met this guy and he expected me to tell him everything about myself. That's not how it works. I ended up lying about two kind of big questions, but oh well.

He also wants me on medication. But I really don't want to. He says it will help me in school but I just feel they want to change me, and that I'm not good enough the way I am.

Advice?

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09-18-2013 07:04 AM
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brainiac3397 Offline
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Post: #2
RE: I went to the psychiatrist yesterday

The shrink's greatest shortcut: "Here, have some meds!"

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(06-14-2013 08:02 AM)Potato Wrote:  watch the fuq out, we've got an "intellectual" over here.

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09-18-2013 07:53 AM
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SoulRiser Offline
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Post: #3
I went to the psychiatrist yesterday

Quote:I'm impulsive, annoying, easily frustrated, procrastinate, can't pay attention (I space out a lot during conversations), I change moods hourly, sometimes within minutes, etc. There's also a risk of a mood disorder.
In other words, you're a normal person in an environment you don't like.

Don't take any drugs they might give you. Can you get a different psychiatrist? Why'd you go to one anyway?

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09-19-2013 02:28 AM
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James Comey Away
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Post: #4
I went to the psychiatrist yesterday

For whatever reason, neither of my 2 psychiatrists I had gave me meds, or even recommended them. Maybe I'm alone.

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09-19-2013 09:17 AM
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UnschoolShqiponjë Offline
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Post: #5
RE: I went to the psychiatrist yesterday

He is a terrible therapist who just wants money from the insurance company. He should get another job.

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09-19-2013 01:08 PM
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Meow I'm a Cat Offline
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Post: #6
I went to the psychiatrist yesterday

My mom made me go.

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09-20-2013 10:08 AM
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xcriteria Offline
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Post: #7
I went to the psychiatrist yesterday

My advice is, first of all, educate yourself. Take the time to learn about psychology and how people think about mind and behavior.

I've been diagnosed with ADHD, the inattentive type. Lots of people have who are very successful in life. Some people think of this as more of a brain difference... with benefits... than purely a disorder. For example, read through the pages on Born To Explore.

The key thing is learning about your mind and brain and learning how to use it.

You'd think that would be part of education, but usually you have to take that side of things into your own hands. Fortunately, there are easier ways to learn about this than I was able to find earlier on.

Your performance in school... what do you think of your classes? Would you be happier and more focused if your learning experience was different?

Here's a clip from Ed Hallowell, a psychiatrist who specializes in ADHD and has it himself:



Watch on YouTube

He also has a great article about the importance of changing your school or workplace to match how your mind works... before you go trying to "fix" what's really a problem with your environment:

How Brain Science Can Save You From The Wrong Job

I've taken ADHD meds at times, and I found they did help me, but I've also found other ways to improve my mental function, mental energy, and attention. A big part of it for me is finding activities I find interesting and engaging.

Some people find changing their diet and doing exercise can make a huge difference in the kinds of problems you describe.

Basically, you have to do some research, try some things and see what works. Meds are just one way to affect your mind.

It's possible to learn, grow, and change your brain using other methods as well. Meditation is one... metacognitive awareness, learning to notice your states of mind and influence them, is another.

From OM To OMG: Science, Your Brain, And The Productive Powers Of Meditation

If you want to read more on that topic, try Dan Siegel's book Mindsight.

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Here's a talk from Dan Siegel where he talks about his concept of mindsight, and what's missing in factory-model education:



Watch on YouTube

For mood and anxiety, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, or CBT, is one example of using metacognitive awareness. This method is about noticing your automatic thoughts, even writing them down, and checking if you're making certain errors like thinking catastrophic thoughts, over-generalizing, and so on. This has been proven to change people's brain.



Watch on YouTube

All of that is a lot to watch and read, but if you start learning about those things, you'll be able to take more of your life in your own hands. You'll also be able to have more intelligent conversations with your parents and psychiatrist.

Ask your psychiatrist what he thinks about these methods and why he things what he does.

If you have any questions or comments on that... let me know. Too many people end up having their lives run by people who don't even take the time to ask the right questions and look in the right places for answers.

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09-21-2013 02:14 PM
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Ky Offline
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Post: #8
I went to the psychiatrist yesterday

This is a fairly late response, but I just realized something.

It's a psychiatrist's job to prescribe medicine - no wonder they said those things. You need to see a psychologist.

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11-24-2013 04:05 PM
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xcriteria Offline
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Post: #9
RE: I went to the psychiatrist yesterday

Psychiatrists are medical doctors who have the training and qualifications to prescribe meds, but some also do therapy, counseling, and the like. These days, many psychiatrists focus exclusively on prescribing meds, but not all.

For example, this psychiatrist wrote a bit about pros and cons of meds in this short blog post: http://drpsyche.com/psychiatry/problem-with-medication/]The Problem With Medication

"So where does all this leave us? In my case, I weigh the pros and cons with my patient and talk it out. In particular cases, I may advocate strongly for medication, in others I may be more neutral, in other cases I may discourage it. Sometimes, the opinion of another experienced health professional that a patient needs medication, especially when the patient has been seen by that person for awhile, can be a helpful (though not certain) indicator."

And Ed Hallowell, who I referenced above, has emphasized the importance of finding a good fit in one's job or school for psychological well-being, where some other psychiatrists would go straight to meds to address the problem.

Key points

1. It's important to research the people you see, ask them questions, and learn how they think about the mind, people, and even school. It's also helpful to learn about what they know and how they think, even if they have more experience.

2. There are a range of experts you can work to help with problems and improve your life. I think the whole way experts are named, trained, and identified needs to be reworked. There are a wide variety of psychologists, counselors, coaches, and other helping professionals, and it takes some work to learn about all the varieties. (Even DoA is offering to counsel people, and that's what I'm trying to do as well.)

3. My belief is that instead of consulting a single expert, it's important to consult a group of people and get them to discuss and debate what they think, in a way where their conclusions and suggestions can be part of subsequent discussions.

4. All my visits to professionals through the years have been isolated conversations with a single person... the point is to enable privacy, but a lot of them have totally different views about the mind and about life. I've learned a lot more from my own research, live conversations, and online interaction than in those moments, even though I think talking to professionals can be helpful as well.

5. We need to find and make a list of professionals who get the "questioning school" thing, as well as those who look at life beyond "normality vs. disorder." The catch is, it's hard to make such a list of people who everyone can meet in person in whatever place they happen to be.

Anyway, Meow, any updates on this? Are you still having the same problems, and have you done anything or learned anything useful along the way?

What have people suggested?

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11-25-2013 03:12 AM
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Miller0700 Offline
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Post: #10
RE: I went to the psychiatrist yesterday

(09-19-2013 09:17 AM)Hansgrohe Wrote:  For whatever reason, neither of my 2 psychiatrists I had gave me meds, or even recommended them. Maybe I'm alone.

That or all psychiatrists are different.

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11-27-2013 01:51 AM
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