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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by TommyTommy on February 17, 2003, at 1:52:02
I know that this website deals almost 100% with discussing meds that help to alleviate and deal with problems and believe me: I am one of those people. I am 26 and have been on meds on and off since age 15. As of recently I again tried to go off and had to almost instantly go back on because I crashed so hard into depression that I felt no reason to go on living. What I would like to discuss though in this thread is if anyone of you can relate to what I am going to discuss and also what I think is a very underated issue that is overlooked by most doctors because they don't really give any validity to it because let's face it: they can't relate to it. It's more of a thinking phobia that is related completely to social phobia. It's almost as if that little tiny voice inside your head that spits out negative comments always seems to gain the upper hand because you truly believe that it has power over you. An example of this is as follows. Lets say that I'm having what I would consider a great conversation with somebody. let's say that I am feeling confident and witty and funny and the person is laughing. Suddenly this negative thought enters my mind that says: What if you start to collapse now and the conversation goes downhill and bad. Then of coarse with that are the consequences of which are a blow to your self esteem and a ruined time. The bottom line is that it will be a bad thing if this ridiculous "negative thought" comes to actually be a reality. Well for me: it always becomes a reality because it happens. Now this is just one small little example but they always deal with how people will percieve me and how I will feel about it. Now what do I make out of this? What in hell does this mean? Is it just falty thinking? Well of coarse it is but how do we fix it? Can a pill fix it alone? Do I need to fix it by myself? The bottom line is that every doctor I try to explain this to really just completely skips or better yet bypasses right over it because they truly have no clue of what to make of it or maybe they just really really don't care. Has anybody else out there experienced this in any way and if so can you offer me any good advice?
Thank you,
Tommy
Posted by Owen on February 17, 2003, at 15:40:10
In reply to Theory on Thinking Phobia, posted by TommyTommy on February 17, 2003, at 1:52:02
Some tricks that worked for me:
What gives this little voice its power is the feeling of helplessness, the mental fatigue that made me unable to challenge the negative thoughts. Where can I find the energy to fight it? It felt anger at this feeling of helplessness. Hmmm... but anger is energy, and this energy can be channeled. So I let myself get angry at it and used this anger to shake it off. Eventually it turns into a habit - when the negative thoughts popped up I could dismiss them in a second by making a funny angry face and baring my teeth at them (or just thinking about it if I'm around people).
Think of it as a game. It worked much better for me when I didn't take it too seriously. Experiment. Try to be creative. Have fun. Yes, really. You can actually have a little bit of fun fighting your depression. The thoughts may come up in all kinds of disguises. Try to unmask them. "Hey, I know you!! I saw right through that!"
Antidepressants and tricks like these eventually drove away these negative thoughts. Which one was more effective? I don't know. I like to think they complement each other.
good luck,
O.
Posted by TommyTommy on February 18, 2003, at 11:27:39
In reply to Re: Theory on Thinking Phobia, posted by Owen on February 17, 2003, at 15:40:10
Thanks very much O for your insight on this and tricks you've mentioned to combat this barage of negative thoughts. What AntiDeppresants have you had the best success with? I am currently on Lexapro and Depakote. The Lexapro seems to be a very mild AntiDeppressant and I'm not too happy with it as far as motivation and energy to want to do things. I was on Effexor for about 3 years along with Depakote and I think Effexor gave me a much better level of motivation. And with that motivation it is much easier to combat these negative thoughts in your mind because lets face it, if you have no motivation you have no reason for living and if you have no true meaning for living you obviously have no life. What ru currently taking and what was your diagnosis? I know these docs think they can just stamp a "diagnosis" on you and we both know that it is completely absurd because no two people with the same diagnosis show the same exact symptoms. Please get back to me.
Thanks,
Tommy
Posted by Dog Breath on February 18, 2003, at 15:17:39
In reply to Theory on Thinking Phobia, posted by TommyTommy on February 17, 2003, at 1:52:02
> I know that this website deals almost 100% with discussing meds that help to alleviate and deal with problems and believe me: I am one of those people. I am 26 and have been on meds on and off since age 15. As of recently I again tried to go off and had to almost instantly go back on because I crashed so hard into depression that I felt no reason to go on living. What I would like to discuss though in this thread is if anyone of you can relate to what I am going to discuss and also what I think is a very underated issue that is overlooked by most doctors because they don't really give any validity to it because let's face it: they can't relate to it. It's more of a thinking phobia that is related completely to social phobia. It's almost as if that little tiny voice inside your head that spits out negative comments always seems to gain the upper hand because you truly believe that it has power over you. An example of this is as follows. Lets say that I'm having what I would consider a great conversation with somebody. let's say that I am feeling confident and witty and funny and the person is laughing. Suddenly this negative thought enters my mind that says: What if you start to collapse now and the conversation goes downhill and bad. Then of coarse with that are the consequences of which are a blow to your self esteem and a ruined time. The bottom line is that it will be a bad thing if this ridiculous "negative thought" comes to actually be a reality. Well for me: it always becomes a reality because it happens. Now this is just one small little example but they always deal with how people will percieve me and how I will feel about it. Now what do I make out of this? What in hell does this mean? Is it just falty thinking? Well of coarse it is but how do we fix it? Can a pill fix it alone? Do I need to fix it by myself? The bottom line is that every doctor I try to explain this to really just completely skips or better yet bypasses right over it because they truly have no clue of what to make of it or maybe they just really really don't care. Has anybody else out there experienced this in any way and if so can you offer me any good advice?
>
> Thank you,
>
> TommyTommy,
I can really relate to this. Long before I had my first anxiety attack I would have those weird thoughts come in while engaging in conversation with groups and individuals. One I remember in particular is the voice would say "what If your eyes start watering and burning" and sure enough it would happen. Part of this I got over by learning to speak in groups (I had to for my job so I would rehearse) but when I took Zoloft or Celexa it just went away along with the panic. Celexa was by far the best for anxiety. I am on Lexapro now and it's better for depression but not as good for anxiety.
D
Posted by Owen on February 19, 2003, at 2:13:28
In reply to Re: Theory on Thinking Phobia, posted by TommyTommy on February 18, 2003, at 11:27:39
> Thanks very much O for your insight on this and tricks you've mentioned to combat this barage of negative thoughts. What AntiDeppresants have you had the best success with?
Sertraline (Zoloft in the US) worked the best for me and with virtually no side effects. I guess that people on this group (or at least the most active posters) are those who are treatment-resistant and keep looking for a solution. I wish them all good luck. It's important to remember, though, that most people have success with the first or second medication they try and can get on with their lives. Today's psychiatric medication is still far from perfect but it has saved many lives and improved the quality of life for millions of people.
> I am currently on Lexapro and Depakote. The Lexapro seems to be a very mild AntiDeppressant and I'm not too happy with it as far as motivation and energy to want to do things. I was on Effexor for about 3 years along with Depakote and I think Effexor gave me a much better level of motivation.
I think the motivation may have something to do with the noradrenergic effects of Effexor. Why did you stop taking it? Have you considered Remeron, Strattera or Edronax?
> What ru currently taking and what was your diagnosis? I know these docs think they can just stamp a "diagnosis" on you and we both know that it is completely absurd because no two people with the same diagnosis show the same exact symptoms. Please get back to me.
The diagnosis was dysthimia with episodes of major depression. I always felt that something in this diagnosis was not quite the whole picture. Only recently I discovered that I am also ADD (non hyperactive type) and always have been. So far I only tried Ritalin once during the TOVA test and the effects were stunning - I only experience this kind of focused thinking every once in a while and here is a way to reproduce it reliably.
O.
This is the end of the thread.
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