Any tips for managing a mental illness?

Mental is thinking. So mental illness is a thinking illness.

Humans think with words.

Bad words are like bad food. It makes us ill.

Good words are like good food. It makes us well.

Speak good words to change your ill thinking into well thinking.

Instead of saying… “I have cancer”… Say “I have health”.

Instead of “I have MS”… Say “I have vitality”.

Change your words and change your thinking.

Fall asleep with Power Affirmations and be well. Because You Are.

I am a mental health professional, but I am not a doctor. You need professional care face-to-face. See a psychiatrist and tell him/her exactly what you wrote here telling us. When they tell you how they can help you, listen and do what they suggest.

I can’t afford a psychiatrist. $150 each session…

You can afford a computer and a youtube search for How to overcome hypochondria”.

Instead of saying “I can’t”… Say “I can”.

The anxiety and tension caused from always worrying about something will depress your immune system and make you prone to get sick. Maybe try a different emotion for a change. If you start to feel worried, get angry or put music on headphones and get happy. Force yourself to have other emotions. If you can’t be calm & relax, go ahead & have strong emotions. Do things that cause other emotions besides worrying.

I have no clue where you live. But if you are in the United States there are probably free options. You just have to call around and work for them.

At the very least you can go into the Social Security office and say you have mental health problems and want to apply for disability. They have to get you to see psychiatrist for a evaluation.

It is a foot in the door. The appointment will be scheduled for around 90 minutes. Feel free to tell them you have no interest in getting disability but say it was your only chance to talk to some one and you desperately need help. They will most likely be able to get you in with someone that will work for free.

Or just go to the hospital and say you are suicidal. Might be a bit uncomfortable but you could go from there.

Do not say you are suicidal if you are not suicidal. You will still be able to get free treatment without lying. Maybe you just need someone to talk to, whether it be a friend or a counseller. Most states have a free crisis line phone for someone to talk to when your friends aren’ t available.

Yeah I’ve tired all of that, I think what I need is reprogramming, and yes I can afford a computer but I was working then and now I have my own business so money is a bit more tight, it wont always be, but I’m trying to find new ways to find help until i can afford to see someone. That’s all. Definitely dont’ want to pull the suicidal card, no where near that and I have had friends who have been and they were definitely noticeably out of it and messed up, I’m just not in control of my fear.

Can you afford to see a doctor? At least he or she can prescribe something to lessen the anxiety (which is generalized at the moment).

I can so relate, I suffer a similar ‘health anxiety’ which also spills over into pharmacophobia which is so hard as I refuse all medications. It could be a little of the chicken or the egg scenario as you worry about your health due to the underlying anxiety and this is causing the hypochondria.

With all phobias, somatoform disorder can occur, like when you feel strange sensations and think the worse. The sensations are real however most of the time they can be attributed to anxiety and the body reaction physiologically to this stress.

I would suggest hypnotherapy. However, although all patients can be hypnotised, so to speak, it does not always cure everyone.

If you could reduce the anxiety and at least talk to someone, anyone, a good friend, clergyman, a phone line, in a forum any thing at all, it will help reduce the isolation you feel.

Anxiety is horrible thing to live with, especially alone and without support. I’ve always found my anxiety reduced when hanging out with like-minded people or friends.

I can, I’ve seen them and they’ve given me antidepressants but I don’t know if i want to take them??

x

Everyone is of course correct that seeing a doctor would be the best thing, but if that is not an option right now then here are my thoughts:

Totally take the antidepressant you were prescribed. I have anxiety, though not the same variety, and a very small dose of celexa (10mg) took it down a huge notch. Seriously so worth it.

I had a period in my life where my health was very uncertain and I found that highly absorbing distractions were very, very helpful. I luckily possess the ability to get very drawn into some activities, if they are mentally stimulating enough, and all other thoughts go away for awhile. For me these are things like making jewelry, painting, and writing. If you have a hobby of this nature, I suggest you try making yourself busy next time you’re worrying. If you can get absorbed and push those thoughts away for a little while, you might find that things don’t feel so dire afterwards.

I am only suggesting this as a way to get through moments of acute anxiety. You need more help for the long term. Hopefully you can afford a doctor soon.

I agree. Take the anti depressant as prescribed. You have to start somewhere. you might as well start with what you have.

You can look up how long it typically takes for your particular medication to start taking effect, at least a week I am guessing.

It sounds to me like your issue is more anxiety than depression but there’s no harm in experimenting with what you’ve been given. There’s a chance it could help. Manage your expectations. Perfect would be nice but better is better than nothing.

You have to think of your mental health as a work in progress. It takes tinkering, experimentation. You are the subject of your own mental health project, working with the assistance of a dispensing psychiatrist.

You have an opportunity to get started. Take it. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Many antidepressants (SSRIs) treat anxiety also.

They told me when I started celexa that it would be three weeks before I felt any change, it was closer to one week. Placebo effect is of course a possibility.

@tan253 This question asks for help, so you seem to want to get better. Then in response to a post above, you answered, “I can, I’ve seen them and they’ve given me antidepressants but I don’t know if i want to take them??” That means you went to a doctor, you explained your problem, they gave you medicine, but you are refusing to take it. That means you sought help, but you are ignoring the help offered.

As I stated above, you should do what the doctor says.

What have you got to lose? If it works, then you will feel better. If not, you can see the doctor again for another remedy.

I am having a difficult time understanding why you can’t see a psychiatrist. You went to a doctor, so that means you have access to medical care. If you are in the US, that means you have medical insurance. Psychiatrists are covered by medical insurance. If you are outside the US, then you probably live in a country with some type of national health plan, and psychiatrists are covered by those.

If you have access to medical care but you are refusing to use it, then you have a problem you haven’t listed above.

I strongly urge you to stop looking to the Internet for medical help and see a psychiatrist.

^ This might be controversial to some, but as a person that has struggled with mental illness for many years, I feel that consulting the internet is not a bad idea.

That said, consulting with a doctor is absolutely vital, but the Internet can provide a slew of personal experiences that can help you know in great detail what you can expect.

Since you are at the start of experimenting with medication, I stand by my suggestion that you start with the prescribed med you have on hand. See just how much that improves your state.

The drug you have been given might work for you well. I hope it does. However there is a significant likelihood that it isn’t ideal. This is not a problem. If the drug makes you better then you will be in a better condition to describe with accuracy what additional goals you wish to achieve with medication to your doctor.

Medications are highly effective, but trial and error is required to find the best med (or combinations of meds) to work best for you.

I hope launching into the medication you’ve already been given issues you some hope. It is your start. go from there.

I sincerely wish you the best.