Richard Schultz
Ph.D.
Psychologist
Atlanta, USA
Answers questions in Anxiety · Depression · Trauma Therapy
About Richard Schultz
My goal as a psychotherapist is to provide patients with a safe, growth-oriented environment in which they can learn to better face life's challenges, strengthen their relationships with themselves and others, and leverage more of their full potential.
My style as a therapist is more interactive and direct than neutral, and I work hard to help my patients progress toward their goals as quickly as possible. I believe that healing and growth takes place in the context of a strong therapeutic relationship, and I pay close attention to this aspect of my work.
I employ a variety of tools and techniques to help my patients attain their therapeutic goals, and actively tailor the treatment approach to suit the needs of my patients. I also emphasize treatment methods that are supported by the latest research findings, as appropriate. I maintain a great respect for individual differences, and welcome the opportunity to work with clients of diverse races, religious and ethnic backgrounds, and sexual orientations.
With regard to technique, I most commonly operate from Object Relations and Cognitive-Behavioral perspectives. Don't worry, you are not expected to already know what these terms mean! I will summarize these concepts for you below. Very simply put, however, I utilize these two approaches to 1) help you understand how you got to where you are, and 2) help you make desired changes.
What I do
I am a clinical psychologist in private practice in Atlanta, GA.
My story
My goal as a psychotherapist is to provide patients with a safe, growth-oriented environment in which they can learn to better face life's challenges, strengthen their relationships with themselves and others, and leverage more of their full potential.
My style as a therapist is more interactive and direct than neutral, and I work hard to help my patients progress toward their goals as quickly as possible. I believe that healing and growth takes place in the context of a strong therapeutic relationship, and I pay close attention to this aspect of my work.
I employ a variety of tools and techniques to help my patients attain their therapeutic goals, and actively tailor the treatment approach to suit the needs of my patients. I also emphasize treatment methods that are supported by the latest research findings, as appropriate. I maintain a great respect for individual differences, and welcome the opportunity to work with clients of diverse races, religious and ethnic backgrounds, and sexual orientations.
With regard to technique, I most commonly operate from Object Relations and Cognitive-Behavioral perspectives. Don't worry, you are not expected to already know what these terms mean! I will summarize these concepts for you below. Very simply put, however, I utilize these two approaches to 1) help you understand how you got to where you are, and 2) help you make desired changes.
Why life is worth living
We choose to make it so.
Treatment Offered
Specialties
Therapy approaches
Patient population
Modalities
Answered Questions(51)
When Psychedelics Make Things Worse
So abt a month ago I took a shroombar with my friends and had a really bad trip. During the trip I was having what felt like a panic attack while my mind was thinking about the worse things possible. I was thinking about why people kill themselves, felt like I was going crazy and thought that all my friends thought I was crazy. Also felt to the public eye that I was going crazy so during all of this I tried to act normal. I couldn’t not sit still so I did my best to avoid all the negative thoughts by walking with a friend on the beach. It also made me think about my girlfriend and as well challenged my sexuality. That really scared me because I know I’m straight. Another thing was that during the trip I felt like I couldn’t tell what was real. Like I was doubting and second guessing everything, also felt like time wasn’t real. I had to have a friend near me at all times because they were pretty much my anchor. So after the trip ended I was able to calm down and felt relieved. Fast forward a couple days and I’m fine but I realize that my anxiety is a lot higher. And a week later I’m driving with my girl and she makes a joke about one of my friends liking me and that triggered like a anxiety attack. So I realized that when she said that I thought abt the horrible trip which then sent my body to panic. It doesn’t end there, I recently broke up with my girl and now I feel like my anxiety is higher than ever and I feel like im always in my head and never in the present. I feel like i am numb to life and like I am there but i am not there. At times I feel like I’m back but then I’m back to feeling weird. I really want to feel like I’m back to normal because this state scares the hell outa of me.
Read answer →Grounded or High: A Stoner's Dilemma
Hello Doctor, I think i’m having a though time with a new anxiety problem. In the past 3 years I tried mushrooms few times, I had a lot of fun and very profound experiences, but also a bad trip, then i tried mdma twice and had a bad trip the second time, i also am a heavy pot smoker and started way before «tripping ». Since I had those trips i think my way of seeing life is different, better in my opinion but there’s things that i can’t handle, like it’s too much and i have a sort of existential anxiety, i constantly analyze tons of things and sometimes it makes me feel bad, i get anxious for not much. Sometimes weed makes it even harder to handle and i had a few panic attacks (not very harsh but i really don’t like this feeling) since my trips, because tripping didn’t only change some of my perceptions of life, but also my way to deal with pot too, it can be more psychy in my mind sometimes. But weed isn’t the problem here because i also have those anxious thoughts when i’m sober. I get really anxious when i go out to see friends that i don’t see much (i don’t have problems with my 5-6 closest friends) if i have to get in a place fulled of people, or even just few « bad » or really « sad » people i just feel all the negativity and i feel bad. Thinking about my future can also get me really anxious, I think i have so much analized myself that i know my insecurities and thinking about them make bad loops in my head (girlfriend,money,work,find my real passion in life, practice more loving life and enjoying it because i don’t enjoy it enough i could be way better in my opinion etc..) Sometimes i have those thoughts alone also but i have no problem to deal with it if i’m in a good place (like places i know) I get really intense thoughts, but not only bad ones, i also feel all the possible love in the world and i can really love deeply (for what they are, not really falling in love) someone in a few moments or appreciate things about people i couldn’t before. I also learned a lot about mushrooms, the scientific side and i think know quit a lot (but i need to know much more and have even more to learn about it and a lot is still unknown). I feel like i learned a lot trough mushrooms and they made me a better person in this world. So by saying this, i am not sure if i have just a mild psychosis, an anxiety disorder, did my brain reprogrammed itself differently with mushrooms and made me even more sensitive than before..? i don’t know, i also think i am an empath, (i was before all this also, but even more now) But i am not sure 100% to have a kind of hppd. (maybe not at all and its just anxiety but more deep) I also tried Salvia, and had the weirdest experience of my life but challenging and interesting, but now with weed i feel depersonalization or derealisation (not sur about that either). It doesn’t bother me i enjoy it but maybe it’s also related to my anxiety because when i feel that state i think really deeply and with less of my ego, and i like it only in comfort zone.. i sometimes feel a lot through people’s eyes, i feel a lot by looking the sky or nature. And i can’t fight my anxiety, my discomfort zone is really hard to leave so here we are, i am having a bad time going out with all that and it’s not fun i really want to enjoy life at it maximum and this is a wall to truly loving life.. i feel i « know » too much and feel all the negativity around me...
Read answer →Party Panic: How Substance Abuse Triggers Anxiety
As the sibling of a drug addict, I was against drugs for most of my life. My sibling was in rehabs and mental institutions for most of my teenage life. Mental illness runs in my family (drepression, personality disorder) More than half of my family is on some sort of anti depressant. I never battled with any of these illnesses until 2 years after leaving school where I began to feel mild anxiety and so I decided to go on a mild anti-anxiety/anti-depressant. Eventually, after coming out of my teen years, I decided to experiment a little with drug use. (This was not my first time trying drugs. I had tried drugs in high school before my sisters serious drug addiction started) I decided to stop taking my anxiety medication as I didn’t feel I needed it anymore. I stopped my medication the same day I decided to stop. I never consulted my doctor as I was told it was a mild pill that I could stop at any time. My partner, with whom I share a home, is an avid marijuana smoker and so it was only a matter of time before I became a regular marijuana smoker as well. I smoked everyday consistently for about +- 3 months. I decided to try other drugs as well. I’ve tried a few drugs and none of them have drastically affected me besides for shrooms. My first attempt at trying shrooms, I took a small dose and barely felt any different. On my second attempt I had a good amount. I had a normal trip for about 3 hours until I decided to smoke some marijuana afterwards so that I could relax, which was the worse decision that I have ever made, I regret it to this day. I had the worst trip. It took me to the darkest place I have ever been in. I felt like I was an inanimate object, like I was one with the bed I was laying on. When I did speak I couldn’t feel my mouth moving, I felt like I had no control of my body even though I was talking and walking completely fine. I had a huge panic attack. I felt completely disgusted with myself, I hated myself. I was so self conscious and kept telling myself that I was not good enough. In that moment I thought my families history of mental illness had finally caught up with me. I insisted that my partner drive me to the hospital as I legitimately thought I was going to die. While in the car driving to the hospital I was in and out of focus, I was boiling hot and then I was freezing. I kept yelling to my partner that I was going to die. At one point I felt as if my soul was leaving my body and I had accepted the fact that my life was ending. After being rejected help from hospitals, eventually the driving around for about an hour or two sobered me up. I went home that night and slept. The next morning I felt fine, just extremely embarrassed that I couldn’t handle my drugs. Since that night, I had smoked marijuana again a few times but every time that I smoked I got extreme social anxiety, to the point where I would lock myself in a room just to be away from people. I decided to stop all use of drugs straight away as I could see it was effecting my life in a huge negative way. These last few months after my bad trip I have not felt myself at all. I fell like a completely different person. I have extreme social anxiety to the point where going to work is a huge fear for me. The thought of being around people terrifies me. Communicating with people on a daily basis is a struggle for me. I feel like I have lost all social skills that I have developed over my life. I have forced myself to see friends and go out few times, sometimes I am completely fine but other times I have mild panic attack’s from having to communicate with people, I have no control of when I feel social anxiety. I used to be a loud, fun, outgoing person and now I would rather lie to my friends so that I don’t have to see them and sit at home doing nothing with my partner where I don’t feel anxiety. I was an English teacher in Thailand for one year, I lived by myself in a foreign country with no one I knew for one whole year and I never felt a second of social anxiety and now I can’t even handle having to have a casual conversation with my boss. All these symptoms I have mentioned above, I thought were just symptoms of me developing anxiety or depression but my partner keeps insisting that I have not been the same since the night of my bad trip on shrooms. I am currently back on my anti-anxiety medication. After the first two weeks of taking this medication again I felt like I was myself again as the medication was starting to work. Now I have been on it for more than a month and I feel my social anxiety is coming back again and it’s still as bad as it was before. I don’t know what to do anymore but I feel completely depressed that I am not the person I used to be. I feel like this is the person I am now and there’s no way for me to go back to normal. I really need any help or advice that I can get. I’m desperately trying to fix myself but don’t know how. I just want to be the person that I was before I made the wrong decision to experiment with drugs.
Read answer →The Lightbulb Has To Want To Change: Motivation For Treatment of Health Anxiety
My 27 year old son has been diagnosed with anxiety and depression. He lives with me so I see first hand how he is not getting better. He feels hopeless, wishes he was never born, has pains in his mouth from the anxiety that causes him to lose control. I don't know what to do. The Dr.'s prescribed ativan to help with his symptoms, but he has to take it too often. He's convinced that he has diseases and won't accept that the pain is a symptom of his anxiety. Earlier today, I called a hotline at Kaiser because he was so bad. They wanted him to do a web visit with a therapist, but he declined. He won't take advice from me or anyone. He's really in a dark place. He says he doesn't have plans to harm himself or anyone, but I'm still so afraid for him.
Read answer →Confidentiality and Therapy: What Are The Limits?
My friend is a victim of sexual assault, but does not want to report it. She does not want to go through the legal process or have everyone she knows find out. I am not very good at comforting and she does not want to go to a therapist for fear of the incident being reported. Would a therapist be required to report it?
Read answer →The Mind-Body Mystery
Dr. said he thinks it's anxiety, but I'm not sure. I've been foggy headed for over 3 yrs. I went limp 1st time sitting at table 3 yr. ago. All kind of test & all was good. 2 wks. ago driving down rd., out of nowhere I got real blurry eyed & felt like I was going to pass out. Pulled off rd. & called 911. After getting home I have to lay in bed 4 or 5 days except for being up 20- 30 min. at time. Next night I fell limp at table. Not as bad as 3 yr. ago, but had g-baby to call son to help me to bed. 2mg valium will help some after I've been scared to death. 2 wks. ago was 1st time I ever got blurry eyed & hands shaking bad to. In between the last 3 yrs., it's been foggy headed daily. Some days worst than others.
Read answer →Was it Trump or Just a Bad Trip?: Anxiety Begets Anxiety
Hi Dr. Schultz, I don't know if you're still answering questions on this site, but I ran across an excellent and empathetic response you wrote to someone three years ago and thought I might as well try... life is difficult for me right now, and I am seeking help wherever I can find it. I am a 34-year-old woman who has suffered from occasional bouts of depression and low-grade anxiety my whole life. However, besides a year or so on Prozac after a close friend passed away, I've been able to lead a successful, healthy life without medication. That all changed when I took mushrooms with my friends this past March. I had done shrooms at least four, possibly five, times before, and had had either pleasant or negligible experiences. This time was different. I had extreme anxiety to the point where I feared I was losing my mind, and ever since then, I have suffered debilitating panic attacks and anxiety. I had to deplane an aircraft - I've never had a fear of flying - and see a psychiatrist, who prescribed me Gabapentin. However, while the Gaba does help if I feel a panic attack coming on, it ironically increases my anxiety since I fear long-term side effects and don't want to be reliant on a medication to (barely) get through my day-to-day life. Everything has changed for me. I've always been a bit of a hypochondriac, but now I am devastated by any negative change in my health. For example, last night I went dancing with friends, and my ears have been ringing ever since, and I am currently battling panic over the possibility that I sustained permanent hearing loss (the ringing has never lasted this long in the past). I get anxiety before social events and have a very hard time motivating myself to get up and get ready in the mornings. Things that used to give me pleasure no longer do, which I know is a sign of depression (when I'm not battling high anxiety, I often feel empty inside). I went on a retreat to Guatemala this summer and bought some herbal pills with valerian root in them, and I now have to take them almost every night to sleep. I hate that I've gotten to a point in life where I am taking something or a combination of somethings every day just to survive. And when I DO feel normal, the mere thought, "Hey, I feel normal!" makes me panicky because I remember that most of the time, I'm battling anxiety. It's a vicious cycle. The election has made everything ten times worse. At least in the past, my issues were my issues, but I felt confident that our country was moving in the direction of progress. Now I feel like my security blanket has been yanked away; not only do I not trust myself, I don't trust the world I live in. I used to be a very upbeat, trusting, and generally optimistic person, but now I feel this underlying gloom and doom that dominates my waking hours. I don't know where to turn for comfort. Talking about it with my friends and family often makes the anxiety worse. Do you think it's possible I suffered permanent neurobiological damage on my mushrooms "trip" and that I will never return to my old self? If so, or even if not, do you have advice for how I can manage my debilitating anxiety without having to be drugged for the rest of my life? I feel like I've lost myself. Thanks so much, and happy holidays, Sabrina
Read answer →Giving Fish Versus Teaching To Fish: Which is More Effective In Treating Anxiety?
Hello. I have social anxiety disorder and I've just changed my therapist, because I moved to a different city. I already had 3 sessions with my new therapist, but he's really different than my old one. I liked the old one more mostly because, when I told him that I‘m afraid of not knowing what people actually think of the things I say or do, he understood what I wanted from him and he‘d never (or at least almost never) beat around the bush. And even though I told this one the same thing, it still feels like sometimes he hides something that he‘d otherwise say just to not "insult“ me, I guess. He just makes the confused look for a second and says something really non-straightforward, which is pretty hard for me to understand. I talked about this thing with my friend and he didn‘t really agree that the old therapist was better, he said that he wasn‘t acting professional, because I should understand things myself and he shouldn‘t say his opinion and I feel like I really don‘t agree with her. It wasn‘t like the old therapist would just say his opinion and present it like a fact or made me do the things that he suggested me, he just said what he thought about the situation and suggested what could be the best solution for me, when I couldn't figure it out myself and I really appreciated that. I really want the new one to not be so overly nice, because I feel like it's not going to get me anywhere. But I‘m not sure how to talk with him about that.
Read answer →Mushroom Roulette: Hallucinogens, Anxiety, and The Youthful Brain
I recently tripped on mushrooms for the second time about 2 months ago. I had eaten maybe 2 grams of them soaked in orange juice and maybe 15 minutes later started to feel the effects. At this point I was in the car with 5 friends, 2 of which had eaten mushrooms as well. The other 2 were just there to watch over us. As I started to feel my body react to the mushrooms I asked my friend to take me home to get some cigarettes because I started to feel a little anxious. In the car my friend pulled out a joint and we all smoked it, after we smoked I started tripping very intensely. We got to my house and I had gone inside to get my things, by the time I had come out of my house my friend who was tripping as well was tearing up and just started on walking down my street. At that moment I knew I was in for a really bad time. We followed my friend and her boyfriend both of whom were tripping and got them in the car. My friend had pleaded to go home and I had no choice but to continue my trip at her house where both of her parents would be. When we got to her house everything was overwhelming. I had felt psychically I'll, nauseous, shaky, and nervous. I had had these disturbing thoughts of vomiting in my head (I'm an emetophobic) it was almost like a movie playing over and over of me being sick and vomiting on myself and being out of control. At this point I was fluttering and walking around just waiting the trip to end. My visuals were wavy and intense and I couldn't see straight. I had sat outside quietly with my eyes closed clinging to one of my sober friends in fear. I did this for about an hour just trying to calm down. While I had swirly intense closed eye visuals. I kept on thinking that we are all one and we are all connected and some part of my mind considered death as a positive thing. I was convinced that it wouldn't matter if I was dead and that nothing really mattered at all because we are all connected. After that I stopped feeling my body. I felt as if I was blowing in the wind, I kept on saying that I was going to blow away. I couldn't feel my body at all. Maybe 3 hours in I started to grasp reality a little better but my mind was still anxious and I was pacing back and forth laughing and then crying and so forth. One of my older friends showed up and at that point I was ready to go home so I called my mother and told her what was going on. She was furious with me. Then my sober friends drove me home. I went home and watched a movie and finally fell asleep. I woke up fine and was glad that my trip was over. The next weekend the same friend I had tripped with invited me to the beach. As we were there she pulled out some mushrooms and suggested we try again just eating maybe one or two. So we did. At first the trip was minor I only felt a little euphoria and that was all. By the time we had driven home maybe 2 hours after eating them the car lights started to become brighter and I felt like I was in a space ship. I started to panic a little and asked my friend to take me home, she did and she stayed at my house and fell asleep. I went outside because I started to have the anxious feeling again. Pacing around not knowing what to do or how to take my mind off of it. I just waited it out. Maybe 2 weeks later I was in the car on the way to pick up some weed with my sister, we were both heavy smokers. In the car I started to get a little anxious. Then I started to think about the shroom trip I had at my friends house. My fingers and hands started tingling and I started to almost feel as if I was tripping again. Embarrassed, I didn't tell my sister as she went into the shop. I waited for 10 minutes during which I had a full blown panic attack and called my mother. I had never had a panic attack that strong before, I had been diagnosed with anxiety and the age of 9 but only had minor anxiety attacks when I felt sick or nauseous. After the car ride I had several panic attacks. Maybe 1 or 2 every hour. Mostly because I was terrified of having another one i ended up giving them to myself. A week or two later I started breathing and learning how to cope with these attacks and at the first sign of one I could control it. I could not smoke weed anymore since it was make me feel some similar effects to the mushrooms and triggered panic. I started to isolate myself and started to have major depression and anxiety. Not panic attacks but more of a lingering anxiety. The moment I woke up it was as if I had a whole day ahead of me just to try and fight my way through hours of despair. Time started to become a fear of mine. I started to dread it, since I was just sitting on my couch waiting for the hours to pass by which went very slowly. I started to worry about the future and how much time I had on my hands. As if every hour was a day that I had to try to fight. The bought of tomorrow and a whole new day to fight was unbearable. I never left the house and found it hard to have relationships and friendships. I had even broke up with my boyfriend of four years because I had not felt the same towards him. I had these intrusive thoughts that I could not control. If something made me anxious or worry, it became a trigger and therefore I could not be around that thing or person in fear of having an anxiety attack. (My boyfriend became one of those things along with tv shows and foods). My thoughts were very irrational and I could not think straight at all. Sleep became an issue and I found myself awake till 5 in the morning watching tv. Which became one of the only things that could distract me and make me feel better for the time being. I was afraid to go outside and communicate, I feel a derealization as if I was in a constant dream state. Everything almost looked different and felt different like I was on a different planet. I became suicidal and even started threatening my mother not to leave for work because I would die if she wasn't with me 24/7. She was a good distraction for my mind and helped me with a lot. When she wasn't around I would constantly think and I would give myself panic attacks. I felt worthless, like a baby that needed someone to hold my hand or else I would have a mental break down. My family, scared and worried, told me I had to take medication (though I had a bad experience with taking lexapro a few nights earlier which gave me a panic attack instantly after I took it) so I forced myself to take lexapro every night right before I fell asleep. I would go through period maybe weeks of being anxious and not being able to leave the house. Then maybe a week or two of feeling normal and I could see my friends again. Then another week I was back in bed again feeling worthless. I don't understand what happens with me or how I can fix it or if I ever can.
Read answer →Social Anxiety as Self Stigmatization
Dr Schultz, I've been trying to get help, first I have to apologize for the English, it's not my first language. I moved to other countries for two years now, about 1 month ago, I'm having a presentation in class, I'm well prepared, but when it was my turn, I got really panic and can't speak, I still get upset by thinking about it, I feel like everyone remembers it and secretly making fun of me. At first I thought it was because English is not my first language that's why I get nervous, but I still remember before I moved, I was like this too. In every presentation I would sweat and blush, my palms are cold and sweaty sometime I even got upset stomach before or during a presentation, my face would be hot and red to the point that steam would form on my glasses , which makes me more nervous because everyone will see how nervous I'm. Not only a presentation, I would blush when I'm talking to strangers,but only when I messed up, I'm usually ok in a 1 on 1 conversation. I'm afraid to tell my parents, especially my mother, I haven't seen her for 5 years, and she wasn't around me too much when I'm younger, I asked her why and she said because she doesn't like babies, I always feel nervous and stressed infront of her because she always judge my behavior, for example how I dress, the way I walk and the way I speak, I was never a loud person or get excited easily and my mother hates it and tell me no one would like me and I will never get married, She often asked me why she have a child like me, I try not to cry infront of her because she hates when I cry and she always said I deserve it, sometimes I get depressed because I have no one to talk to, my family is too complicated and I don't want any of my friends to know. When I was in kindergarten, I lived at neighbors house, I've been at 2 different neighbors house, when I'm 6 my father and mother divorced, than my mother got herself a boyfriend, so all three of us lived together, my mother usually come home late. When I'm 11 she left to and go to other country, so I was living with her boyfriend for 4 years, it was fine but I just don't like it. Now I moved and living with my mother and her new boyfriend i don't know is it because all the changes or what causes me to behave this way today, I'm not able to go to mall by myself, I can't speak loud and my voice is always like mumble, I have few friends in school and I'm keeping contact with my friends that are in my back home, even now, my hands are cold because I'm afraid to send my problem to someone, I haven't go to a professional doctor to diagnose any mental problems, I get nervous when I have to make a phone call, I don't know what to do. I just want to know what can make me feel better, I still laugh when I'm with friends, but get sad when I was alone. My concern are, base on what I describe, should I go find a doctor or it is completely normal?I don't know why I have such a hard time and behave this way, I've been worrying bout this for a while and I still avoid going to parties or mall, but thanks for taking your time to read this .
Read answer →An Imperfect Storm: How To Develop An Anxiety Disorder
Dear Dr Schultz, Thank you for offering your advice on the internet. Sometimes it's much easier to seek help this way, especially when some experiences are embarrassing to share. I have an ongoing fear of home invasion that started 14 years ago. It has got worse, and I have been experiencing ghastly nightmares and panic attacks for the last five years. My home has been broken into several times, in fact this is what embarrasses me the most. I can't talk about it because not only do I see disbelief in the eyes of others, but I feel that the sheer number of times must indicate that something is wrong with me. Yet I don't know what I could have done to prevent any of these events. The first time, I was 19 years old, and studying in a town away from my parents. My father was (and is) emotionally abusive, controlling, and incredibly frightening. That day he decided to turn up unannounced, but I wasn't home. He was paying my rent, so he believed it was his right to break into my little one room flat by kicking a hole through the front door. When I got back that evening I felt such fear and shock that I called my mother, who told me they had "visited". Strangely enough, that didn't help at all. It nearly felt worse. I got the door fixed, but I had no idea how to fix myself. I felt awful, and angry, and guilty for the anger, because they were paying for my rent, after all. The second time, I was 26, and I had my own place. A large flat I rented in a rather nice part of town. It was the middle of the afternoon on my day off from work, and I was spending the day in pyjamas, expecting no one, lying on my bed reading Jane Austen with a cup of tea. I heard a loud knock on the front door, and was suddenly caught in a moment of indecision. Do I answer or just let it go? I wasn't dressed adequately, and besides, I was expecting no one. But before I'd even made up my mind, I heard more noises. Someone was prying the door open with a crow bar. I froze, then got up, but it was so quick, that he was inside my home in an instant. Luckily, the corridor led straight to my living room, and he walked past my bedroom door to get there first. I didn't know what to do. I knew the police wouldn't get there in time, but I knew my friend and neighbour was home. I hid behind the bedroom door and dialed his number. Whispering as quietly as I have ever whispered, but panicking too, I asked him to come round. At first he couldn't even hear me... then he wouldn't believe me... that was the worst. I wasn't speaking normally... I was deliberately skipping superficial words because I was afraid I'd be heard, so I sounded like an old fashioned telegraph. At last he felt it in my “voice”. Less than a minute later, he got to the building and the burglar heard him open the door downstairs. All the while the intruder had been making muffled noises in the living room and I could hear heavy footsteps. I thought I was going to die because I hadn't dared make my presence known... I was literally in a weird frozen state, like calm and panicked at the same time. I don't know how to explain. All these thoughts were rushing through my mind, such as, when he opens the bedroom door he's going to be surprised, his reaction will be unpredictable, he might panic too and kill me. Apart from that phone call, I couldn't move. I wasn't breathing normally, because I feared he'd hear my breath. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it would give me away. I was afraid my phone would ring, but I couldn't turn it off, because it wasn't on silent mode and he would have heard the "off" jingle. I wanted to break it. Even removing the battery was more noise than I could afford. When the intruder heard my friend on the stairs, he walked out, fast. I heard him walk past my bedroom and out the front door. My friend started shouting at one point, he told me it was after they'd walked past each other on the stairs, and he actually realized what had happened. He saw my door broken in, the lock was on the floor, and there were wood chips everywhere. I still couldn't come out of hiding. He had to come and get me where I was. That's when I collapsed, shaking, as if the frozen state had kept me up, and then it snapped, leaving me drained of all my energy and I just cried and cried and kept shaking with violent spasms. We called the police but nothing had been stolen so they did nothing. A few months later, two detectives did show up at my friend's place, because he was an eye witness, and admitted the procedure hadn't been respected, because they'd forgotten to show him photographs of potential suspects. Four months later, I got back from a sleepover to find the door broken in again. This time my laptop had gone, and the cables of my desktop were partially unplugged, which makes me think whoever it was must have been interrupted. I waited for the police to get there before I dared go inside, because I was afraid the burglar might still be there. The police were horrible about it. They were brutal, and dishonest. I don't know why. Maybe they were fed up because I was sobbing. I don't know. They just wanted to know what was missing, but they wouldn't let me check properly. I only noticed my laptop was missing after they left. One of them said to another in front of me "if there's nothing missing, we'll say nothing happened". I couldn't believe it. My door had a gaping hole in it, where the "new" and supposedly "secure" lock had been, with wood chips everywhere again. My friend's theory is that they were worried about not having followed the procedure the first time. I had gone straight back to work the first time, but I wasn't myself. This was too much, and my GP told me to take a month off. I was working in a bank, and I needed to be efficient. So I didn't take the medical advice... and burned out. I lost my job. I hate myself so much. That job was so important to me... banks were no longer recruiting where I lived, they were firing people left and right, and I desperately needed to hang on, but I wasn't strong enough. I was weak. I was a bit dead. I'm so ashamed. I decided to move out of my flat. I didn't feel safe there. Without a job, I was living on my savings. I didn't feel up to going to any interviews, because something was just wrong. I wasn't "me" anymore. So I got a small room and went back to school. I had to do something, but I didn't want to "betray" an employer. So I chose to study law. It was nice, because I could go to class and just learn. It was so much easier than going to a job, because I didn't have to pretend, or smile too much, or be criticized for looking like an empty shell. I actually did very well. I passed the first year with excellent grades. And then the second year, during the midterm exams, it happened again. I ran home exceptionally between two sessions for lunch and a 20 minute nap (I wasn't sleeping well). Just as I lay my head down, I heard someone try to insert a key in my lock. I froze again. Being a coward was becoming a habit! It wouldn't turn, because my own key was in the lock. Then I heard the knob shake and rattle angrily, and my landlord's voice yelling "I can't get in! Something's stuck". I ran to the door then, in anger and disbelief. I never missed a month's rent in my life and it's absolutely illegal for a landlord to enter a tenant's flat. When I opened the door, his jaw dropped. He didn't expect to see me! He mumbled an angry excuse, and then his wife turned up behind him, just as surprised as her husband, with my mail in her hands. I asked how long they'd been doing this. They wouldn't answer. I told them this was unacceptable. But I had an exam to go to. It was the hardest exam I ever took in my life. My brain was in a state of trauma. I wanted to press charges, but I couldn't bring myself to go back to the French police. (All this happened in France. My handbag had been stolen off my shoulder since the burglary, and they refused to take my deposition because I’m English, not French… I no longer trust the police in this country, I’m afraid). I started closing the blinds and putting toothpaste on the light switch, to make sure no one had visited my room in my absence! It sounds like madness... I found the toothpaste smeared on the wall THREE times before I actually dared to do something. I was a ghost. I felt completely naked all the time. Exposed. Lifeless. I felt like I had no intimacy anymore. I started staying home to defend it from intrusion and dropped out of school. I felt like an animal. As though I had no control over anything. Then I did the opposite. I left home for long periods of time, staying at my boyfriend's instead. My friend, who is a social worker, tried to help. He called the landlord, and told him we were taking him to court, and stated my rights. In France, where I live, home intrusion is a criminal offense, whether you're the landlord or not. But the result was not what I expected. The landlord got angry. He changed the locks and stole and destroyed all my belongings. Everything I owned. I was so broken by then that I couldn't do anything. I still haven't, and it happened two years ago. It's too late now. I hate myself for not reacting, being so inefficient, and pathetic. Letting him get away with it is awful. Now I'm dead inside. I still feel naked and exposed. My diaries, all my papers, photographs, everything is gone, and it's all been taken by a man I fear and loathe. I feel dirty, and ashamed. My deepest secrets, my dreams, my silly teenage thoughts were in those diaries. He was a nosey, disgusting landlord, who enjoyed letting himself into his tenant's flats, so I know he combed through everything I ever owned and probably read all my stuff. Now I have lost everything. My belongings, and my soul. I'm living with my boyfriend and haven't been able to work. I'm especially ashamed of that. I have a fear of doors... it's not agoraphobia. I can go out. But I keep having nightmares about doors. I lock them, and they open, or turn into flimsy useless little things, people walk through them, keys don't work, I wake up in sweat and cry. If someone knocks or rings the door bell I freeze, it's like receiving a physical blow in the chest. I start shaking uncontrollably, every time. And I cry. A lot. Now I feel like nut case. I don't know what's wrong with me. People have experienced much worse and they get over it. I would be ever so grateful for any advice. I cannot afford therapy at all. We hardly make ends meet as it is, because I'm such a useless burden. It's like I'm drowning, and you're my last resort. Sorry for such a long and boring question. Thank you so much for reading it.
Read answer →Downside of the Upside: Yesterday's High Is Today's Low
Hi Richard, I am currently seeking help for my situation. I had a “bad trip” during the last time I took them. Just to put things into context. This was the third time that I took hallucinogens. The first time that I took, it was mush ( 1g ) and the experience was blissful. Loved the experience, had a great time and left me very positive. A month after that, I took LSD for the first time. I took a bit too much and I had a serious bad trip. For two hours or so, I believed that I was dyeing and that it was the end for me. 5-6 hours after the bad trip started, I was calming down and I had a feeling of rebirth. The next days were actually very positive and gave me more strength. Felt like I could go through bigger challenges because I overcame that bad trip. A year has passed, and last weekend I decided to tae some mushroom with 3 of my friends. We took ( 1.5g ). After drinking it, 40 mins after the trip started, I got all of the same symptoms of panic attack. It took me about 2 hours to calm down and again I felt this “rebirth feeling” and I was ecstatic that I was still alive. The very next day, I felt all right. Towards the end of the day, I smoke a small joint of pot. I smoke almost on a daily basis but for the past two months I stopped smoking during the weekdays. A bit after I was done smoking, I had a flashback. A panic started in me but I was able to calm it down after 20-30 mins. Slept fairly well. The next day, I woke up with a lot of anxiety. Not sure what was going on. I thought that I had some permanent damage from the mush. Went to work and once I arrived to the office, I had a full blown panic attack. Asked to go home, and I was able to calm myself down. As the evening progressed, my mood was better and I felt overall better. The very next morning, same situation happened as the day before. I got an anxiety/panic attack. Spoke to my family members about what has occurred and it made me feel better. As the day progressed, I felt better and better. That evening, I felt like I came back 100% to my old self. This morning I wake up, same thing happened. Anxiety and panic attack. I was wondering if this could be physical or purely psychological? Could this be PTSD? I am becoming desperate for help because I am afraid of loosing my job. I can’t be fully functional. Thank you for any advice.
Read answer →Helping A Loved One Help Themself
Hi Dr. Schultz, My son, late 20's, took a medical leave from work to attend a partial hospitalization program, he had been in therapy and feels stuck. He has been extremely frustrated with himself for not feeling like he could follow through on recommendations. He's been diagnosed with depression, also ADHD (Inattentive type) and anxiety. He tried medication for a little more than a month, then had difficulty refilling the prescription and is no longer on medication. In the meantime, he has lost his job due to downsizing. He no longer receives therapy and has not followed through on a few job leads. I find myself worrying way too much about the situation. I have a hard time not offering support, and find myself trying to help him prevent this situation from getting worse. I need to know the best way to be supportive. Please give me some suggestions...
Read answer →You Cannot Worry Your Way Into Wholeness: Chasing Anxiety With Workaholism
I am a CPA who was just made partner. By most standards I am very well off. I can see rationally that at this point in my life --37-- I have sufficient resources to handle most situations. However, I have a constant sense of worry that something terrible is going to happen and the only thing I can do is work harder now so I can have more and so I will be OK. I have had panic attacks about this. It is not something that I can put into words very well and I am not adequately capturing the essence of it. It is like an unformed dread that comes upon me and the only way I know how to chase the feeling away is by putting my head down and working even harder. If I stay busy enough I can outrun the feeling but the obvious problem with this is that I am missing a lot, especially with family, by working so much. I know I need to change and that I should change but it is very difficult because as soon as I ease off the dread and fear starts creeping in. I think a sudden big change will be too hard for me but when I try to make gradual changes to work less I never stick with it. Do you have any advice for what I should do?
Read answer →Ghost In The Machine?
How do you motivate behavioral health change in the family?
Read answer →We Learn to Treat Ourselves The Way We Are Treated: Deconstructing the Trauma-Based Self
I dunno if you can help me. I feel beyond lost, my own family have told me that im broken, incapable of love. I am struggling with my life, ive been a victim of every kind of child abuse from my family and oldest brother. Ive tried to get help and my family have banished/abandoned me. Ive two amazing children who have kept me alive, happy but i know that i cant allow them to know how afraid i am, how lost i get. ve scared that they (my family )may be right bout me... That i am broken or incapable of love. im not in a relationship since my divorce last year, i havent had a relationship since i moved towns... Is there something wrong with me? Am i truly broken? Am i unable too love anyone?
Read answer →How Obsession Begets Obsession...With Anything
Hello, I am a 23 y/o female and I don't know what's wrong with me, l am a big time overeater. The only reason I am not obese is because I exercise. I'm always preoccupied with food. I'm always thinking of what I will eat next. After having my child I started taking phentermine and that has been the only time in my life that I did not obsess over food. l don't know if I'm depressed, have Social anxiety or what my deal is. There is absolutely no time for me to be depressed. I do'nt feel sad. Mostly, I feel like a zombie going through daily routines while shoving processed food down my gullet. 1 also get this weird brain fog that happens when ' believe I'm possibly anxious, like around people. As a nursing student one instructor told me l needed to pay attention and the worst part is I do try but my head sometimes gets cloudy, and 1 will just feel this overwhelming fatigue. I'm going to start a job as a RN soon and feel this foggy brain is going to make everything So much harder. I hate not being able to pay attention, always eating, Worrying I'm going to mess up. I would like to ask my PCP about Wellbutrin but I feel embarrased asking.
Read answer →If Not For Yourself, Then Do It For Me!: Motivating Behavioral Health Change In The Family
I have an adult family member who has been diagnosed with severe clinical depression and anxiety. She is very cooperative in terms of going to therapy and taking the prescribed medication. But when it comes to actual necessary habit changing, she doesn't budge. For example, her CPAP sleep apnea machine just collects dust because she says she can't sleep with it on, and she smokes CONSTANTLY - every 10 minutes or so. My questions are: 1) When someone is in such a horrible condition - pretty much comatose 24/7- is it an appropriate time to try to get them to stop smoking? She is very sensitive to even the slightest bit of "stress". So would trying to quit just be compounding her troubles? 2) What do you think of using cigarettes somehow as bargaining chips to get her to use her cpap machine?
Read answer →Anxiety About Antidepressants: Iatrogenesis or Phobia?
If I take SSRIs is there any danger that they will change my brain permanently once or if I stop taking them? Serotonin toxicity? I am terrified of the idea that I will lose myself or my personality with medications and I won’t be able to get myself back.
Read answer →Focus Feeds Fright: How Cognition Affects Physiological Sensations
I had noticed that recently while trying to fall asleep at night, my breathing seems to affect the vibration or noise from the engine that's passing by. At first I thought I might have been imagining it. But unfortunately I think it might be really happening. I don't understand it, this never had happened before. Its given me real unhealthy anxiety. I'm embarrassed and humiliated, I feel handicapped in a way. I hope you can help. Thank you
Read answer →Are You Depressed Enough For Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation?
Is there any problem to trying transcanial magnetic stimulation before medication for depression. My husband has a hard time with sexual side effects of SSRIs. His doctor told him his depression was not as bad as they normally treat with this approach but is there any reason why it would not work for someone with medium grade depression?
Read answer →Treating Social Anxiety: Building Confidence By Leaving The Comfort Zone
I am introverted and shy. I have this thing that I do as a defense mechanism where I when I come into a room with people I am not 100% comfortable with (99% of people) I try to be as polite as possible but then discourage through my activities or body language the likelihood that anyone will interact with me. Paradoxically, I am lonely and I am grateful when someone does talk to me. I would like to open up a bit but my habits are lifelong and deep and I am not sure how to do this. What’s the way I should start? I feel like I need a college course for introverts on how to interact without discomfort or stress.
Read answer →Sick of Being Afraid of Being Sick? Time To Treat Your Emetophobia!
The idea of vomiting makes me feel panicked. I cannot handle it and I almost never allow it to happen to me. I recognize this is a problem. My partner wants children and so do I but the idea of morning sickness really terrifies me. How to resolve this problem?
Read answer →Mild Dissatisfaction Disorder: The Pathologization of Human Normalcy
Nobody is perfect or perfectly satisfied, correct? So that being a given, we can’t say that being not perfectly satisfied is a disorder or deviation from normal. If we can accept that as true, do you think there is a tendency today to over medicalize and treat what is essentially just normal human experience? For example, if I go to get counseling with a psychologist and when asked why I say that I am not perfectly satisfied with my life. After counseling, I’d bet there is a greater than even chance that I’m leaving that office with a diagnosis of some sort and maybe even a prescription for medicines – even though the only thing that is ‘wrong’ with me is that I human. Do you think this is true, and if it’s true is it bad, and if it’s true and bad, what can be done to change this?
Read answer →Transhumanism, Cybernetics and Biohacking For Optimal Living
What’s the best way to maximize my cognitive potential and performance? I am interested in the ideals of biohacking but I am wary of going guinea pig with my brain. I would like to start a program of nutrition, brain exercise, supplements and medications, maybe even therapies like neurofeedback as a way to maximize my mental performance. I would like to do this in a low to no risk way. Are there any ‘coaches’ who could help me with this? The person would have to be an expert of some sort, such as a psychiatrist or a medical professional. Any ideas or information you could share would be greatly appreciated.
Read answer →Side Order of Mushroom-Fried Brains, Anyone?
Can magic mushrooms fry your brain the way LCD can?
Read answer →Why Can't I Concentrate?: Paying Attention To Inattention
I am on luvox. My depression has lifted but my concentration is still a mess. I will be lucky if I can stay with this paragraph for long enough to finish it…So where was I??? Oh yeah – concentration. I am 9 months into Luvox and I have mostly really good things to say about it. I have heard other people say that it helped them with concentration but honestly mine is as bad as it was at the worst of times. I used to do coding and I took a breather but I have enough goodwill to get some work – unfortunately I just can’t focus enough to trust myself to handle a complex job. So what do I do?
Read answer →Did Shrooms Fry My Brain Or Is It Just Anxiety?
I have been a heavy marijuana smoker for more than 13 years. I never had a problem with it but then I had a very scary bad trip on some mushrooms a few months ago and ever since then I get really paranoid a lot of the time after I smoke. Sometimes it gets so bad I lock myself in my bathroom just so I won’t have to face anyone and my heart will be pounding like mad. I never imagined I wouldn’t be able to handle my weed but I guess that day has come. This is just not fun anymore but the messed up thing is that even though I do not like this anymore I cannot seem to stop using it for more than a day or so before I find myself lighting up again. Is there any way I can learn to reduce and manage the paranoia I am getting when I get high? I realize this is a bit of an unorthodox approach to solving my problem, but for me I think it is the most realistic/has the best potential outcome. I have filed this under anxiety because I think what this is basically is a pancik situation and not a drug situation.
Read answer →The Painful Portability of Panic: Dealing With The Dentist
I have panic attacks and I have a dental problem that is getting worse. It is an on again off again toothache that I know is a cavity that needed filling a couple of years ago and now is much worse. I just can’t bring myself to sit in a dentist chair. I know I will have a panic attack. I am at the point where I can’t really not deal with this any longer. Do you know if I go to my doctor and ask her for some medicine if she will give me a lot of valium of something similar so I can maybe survive the dentist by being as good as passed out? I am not joking. Do you have any advice for me on this? There is only dentist in my area covered under my plan and she does not use laughing gas ever. I am not in a position to pay for expensive dental surgery off plan.
Read answer →Anxiety Fuels Addiction (and Visa Versa)!
Please help me. I have had anxiety and panic disorder since I was a child (about 12 yr). I'm 22 now (and female). Traumatic experiences one after another happened in high school (things like deaths of best friends, drug trade in Washington DC, gang gun fights, etc.), and in my 2nd year of college I was diagnosed with PTSD. There's a summary of my mental health. Now the real problem. I've been prescribed xanax for 2 1/2 years and was just switched to clonazepam a few months ago, for panic disorder. At college, I became madly addicted to adderall, and this has been ongoing for 3 full years. At first I was only taking 20 - 60 mg, but by year 2 I was pulling all-nighters and taking 60 - 200 mg IR daily. At the same time, I was taking 1-3mg alprazolam daily and now I'm taking 1-3mg klonopin daily. I've also tried every drug in the book, including things like DMT, but not meth or crack. I am having the hardest time quitting. I have the chills constantly and can't seem to regulate my body temperature (problems with the hypothalamus??) I cannot do inpatient treatment. I just got a job in July and can't afford to lose it. I've already missed enough work. I am seeing a psychologist. Other relevant info: both of my parents are high-function, law enforcement, alcoholics I've been smoking weed for 4 years Have I done permanent damage to my brain? Will I ever be who I used to be? What is going on with my brain chemistry? Please help me understand this, I am miserable.
Read answer →How to "Be" With A Friend's Struggles
My girl friend has anxiety disorders, depression and agoraphobia (all formally diagnosed and currently under medical/prescriptive care). She also suffers from some mild OCD habits, though I've seen people with worse symptoms, myself included. The more we get to know each other, the more she shares with me. She doesn't let many people get close, as she has trust issues. Recently, she shared her obsession with death, as in her obsession with wanting to die to end her physical and emotional pain. She apparently journals her thoughts about death and dying frequently. At one point in her life she was a "cutter" but she hasn't done that in a very long time. We've spoken about that specifically and she has assured me that that obsession is in the past and is not a part of her thoughts anymore. I wouldn't have known except that she and her grandmother told me- her scars are not evident because it was so long ago. She couldn't relax the other night as she was totally focused on a death poem she was writing, and paused the DVD we were watching as she finally had the inspiration to finish the poem. Then she insisted on reading it to me aloud, pausing for effect at certain points, like it was a dramatic stage performance. I didn't say a word, and then she put her journal away and we went back to watching our movie. We never spoke about the poem at all since then. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do- embrace her thoughts, ignore them, or confront/challenge them. She is going to counseling for help with her many emotional issues, and I want to help. This issue concerns me though, and I'm not sure what I should do. Thanks-
Read answer →Painful Limits: What We Can and Cannot Do For Others
(1.) I am very scared to tell my parents what i am going through . I don't know whether they would believe me or not . They would probably think that it is an excuse to run away from studies and to hide my weaknesses . They have very high expectations from me. (2.) Also my mood changes from time to time. sometimes i feel sad and sometimes i don't and sometimes i feel casual and carefree. example like past 2 weeks my exams were going on and i felt very casual and carefree. I did not studied a word to prepare because i was not able to concentrate on the books. I know my sadness will come again when I will get to know my marks and there are hardly any chances of getting passed in any subject. (3.) I have lost interest in school and coaching. I just wan't to get locked in my room and do nothing. AM I NORMAL? ARE THESE PROBLEMS FACED BY EVERYONE IN THEIR LIVES OR AM I TOO MUCH EXAGGERATING ? Also suicidal thoughts don't come on a regular basis.
Read answer →Diagnose My Wife, Please!
I'm wondering whether my wife's behavior rises to the level of a disorder and if so which one. She doesn't seem to invent symptoms/illnesses or assume real symptoms are the worst possible illness so it doesn't seem like what I think of as hypochondria to me. Instead, she frets about how our health COULD be damaged by what seems like an endless list of things: saw dust, fiberglass, pesticides, GMO, anything non-organic, cordless phones, cell phones, WiFi, mouth-breathing, EMF from bedside clock radio, not enough sun exposure, etc. Every other week there is something new to try avoid or get more of. She seem to treat everything that somebody says could be bad for you like asbestos where any exposure level is too much. Workers in a saw mill get some lung problem from decades of saw dust exposure means that cutting some wood in our garage a couple times a year for some home improvement project makes the garage a superfund site off limits to anyone else. I am tired because 95% of the time the only thing she wants to talk to me about is how to improve or maintain our family's health. At least an hour a night and normally more is spent on Internet health research. So far, we've never had any health issue that she didn't seem to believe could be cured with the right food, herb, supplement, etc. In short, no one area is taken to a dangerous or ridiculous extreme but from her perspective there are thousands of potential causes of health problems and we need to keep constant vigil against all of them. It is hard to argue against health but a constant pre-occupation with it doesn't seem to be necessary to be healthy to me.
Read answer →Depression and Suicidal Thoughts are NOT Normal Teenage Problems
Thank you very much for your reply . Due to this I have gained some hope of getting recovered. According to your question I possess attention difficulties.During any lecture in my school, I am not able to concentrate no matter how much I try. During that time some random thoughts come in my mind . My feelings of depression are worst during exam times. Those thoughts of suicide were at peak when my high school exams were round the corner. That time when I thought of suicide, every time the thought of my parents came in my mind so I did not took that step. But the most important thing is that during normal days these feelings of depression comes to my mind at not so much intensity (These are mild and I feel neither sad nor happy ). I also don't think of suicide during normal days (except sometimes). I also procrastinate during normal days thinking about my life and thinking whether I will be able to get out of this situation or not. This leads to a lot of waste of time and I am not able to study anything. Even when I get down to study these feelings don't let me to study. To avoid these feelings I just sit on internet most of my time. Are these normal feelings and normal circumstances faced by teenagers?
Read answer →How Trauma Changes Us: Anger
My ex tried to kill me and he burnt down my home. He was abusive for a long time and he swore he'd kill me if I ever left him. I kicked him out of my house and got a restraining order against him after the police were called when he was beating me a few months ago. He left but 2 months later he burnt down the house while I was in it. I got out but my dog died and everything I had is gone. The police can't prove that he did it but I am sure that he did. I have left the city and am in a place he doesn't know about. I am so angry now all of the time. I have a right to feel angry but it doesn't help me that I go into a rage when someone cuts in line in traffic or when the waitress gets my order wrong. Little stuff that doesn't matter and I totally lose control and scream. I don't even recognize myself after the fact. It's like I become a different person for a while. Why can't I control my anger anymore? I am sure it is related to what's going on in my life. More importantly, how can I get back in control of myself? I feel like I am not myself and I need some help but I don't really know who to turn to. I don't have a family doctor or anything like that and it seems weird to go to a clinic to tell my story to a stranger, because it sounds crazy. I feel like I am going crazy.
Read answer →Depression & Anxiety With Academic, Cultural and Familial Pressures
hello. I am a 17 year old teenager from India. My father is 61 year old and my mother is around 50 . Upto class 8th i used to do very well in studies but after it my performance began to decline. In high school my situation worsened so much that i used to fail almost every subject. My teachers warned me and threatened me by saying that i will not graduate. I was in a very sad mood . when my exams were approaching i had that thought in my mind every time i sat down study. There was so much tension built in my mind that i could not concentrate on my studies. I felt hopeless and thought that i would never be able to do anything in my life. I often thought of suicide . I thought that things will never change and my life would be ruined forever. from that time i always felt low on energy,my appetite changed (i started eating more), my sleeping hours increased and i used to get irritated so much on small things that i felt like killing everyone around me.my stomach problems increased from that time.My parents don't understand me and want me to be an engineer and to graduate from INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY but my true heart lies in film making in hollywood . They have also enrolled me in a coaching ( to get selected in IIT) where they teach for 4 hours at a stretch after 6 hours of school . they did that without taking my advice and now i'm facing a lot of problems. those feelings of depression continue to hover in my mind and i have written to you as no one is around to help me. Please HELP me........
Read answer →Generalized Anxiety: How to Treat It?
Do you recommend trying acupuncture or acupressure for a person with GAD?
Read answer →On Being With "Boredom"
If I AM JUST FEELING BORED ALL OF THE TIME WHAT DOES THIS MEAN. I NEVER USED TO HAVE A PROBLEM ENTERTAINING MYSELF BUT NOW ANYTHING I THINK OF DOING SEEMS SO DULL AND I DON'T EVER REALLY HAVE FUN ANYMORE AT THINGS THAT I USED TO DO ALL THE TIME WITH MY FRIENDS? DOES THIS MEAN I AM DEPRESSED? IT REALLY BLOWS TO HAVE A WHOLE DAY OFF AHEAD OF ME LIKE TODAY AND NOT HAVE A SINGLE THING THAT I WANT TO DO WITH IT SO I GUESS I WILL JUST WATCH TV.
Read answer →Marijuana Is As Effective For Treating Depression As Gasoline Is For Extinguishing A Fire!
If a person is depressed is smoking marijuana going to make things worse or better? My brother seems to be happier for a while when he is high but then he seems more depressed after the high wears off so i am not sure. I don't want to give him a hard time though about the one thing that seems to give him any happiness.
Read answer →The Bipolar Child: A Challenging Diagnostic Task
Can an 8 year old boy be bipolar? Half the time when I visit my nephew he is so hyper (manic?) that you can't get him to stop talking nonsense for a second and other times when I come over he is sullen and withdrawn and he does not want to leave his room. My sister says his teachers at school are also confused about his behavior but she is in total denial and she thinks he is totally normal.
Read answer →OMG! My Heart is Racing! Is it a Panic Attack or Am I In Love?
Sometimes heavy exercise, which gets my heart rate up, triggers feelings of panic. It makes me want to not exercise, which I think also makes my anxiety worse. How can I learn to differentiate between the heart pounding of a panic attack and the heart pounding of aerobic exercise?
Read answer →How Many Shrinks Does It Take To Change A Light Bulb?
My sister is addicted to pain drugs. This morning her boyfriend found her on the floor not breathing with blue lips (actually she was still breathing but just barely and it looked like she wasn’t). He called 911 and they were able to resuscitate her. This is the 3rd time she has accidentally overdosed. If someone was going to keep trying to jump off a bridge we’d out them in a hospital until they weren’t a danger to themselves, even if they didn’t want to be there. My sister doesn’t want treatment right now but she is going to die soon without it – so what’s the difference? How is one form of suicide different from another? The hospital says they can’t take her on unless she agrees to the treatment. Is there anything I can do to get her forced into this?
Read answer →How Trauma Changes Us: Avoidance and Self-Medication
I got attacked walking home from work a couple of months ago. I am a waitress and finish around midnight. This guy pushed me down and ripped off my jewelry and purse. He pulled my necklace so hard I had a red line around my neck for like 2 weeks after. Now, I don’t walk home alone any more but I find that I don’t even like to go home to an empty house so now I go out every night after work for a few drinks and now I think I am an alcoholic. I need to get drunk enough to pass out every night. How do I stop drinking? My friend said I should go to AA but if I don’t drink I am scared on my own so I don’t think this is going to work.
Read answer →The Right Medication For The Condition: Tramadol Is Not An Antidepressant
I have taken a lot of tramadol which is a serotonin boosting analgesic. I really liked how the pills gave me more energy and boosted my mood but I really did not like how I got addicted to them and how they gave me restless leg syndrome when I tried to ‘kick’ the habit. I am not sure if I am really depressed or not but I guess you could say I am dissatisfied with things since I am always trying to find that next new drug that will make me feel like I want to. My question is if I really liked the serotonin boosting effects of the tramadol should I consider going on an SSRI, even if I am not depressed in the classical sense?
Read answer →Coping With Anxiety in Sobriety
Hi, I enjoy the Choose Help Site very much. I suffer from Anxiety, ADD & a long history of drug addiction. I have been clean for 1yr & 4months! I'm very excited about the life ahead! My drug of choice was meth. I still suffer from Anxiety daily. I take Concerta & Chilorpromazine. I have cut caffeine from my diet. I wanna live life to the fullest but the anxiety gets in the way a lot. My tel-a-med Dr. acts like the anxiety should just go away, kinda like Ive stopped using, now I will stop living with anxiety. Not the case & I feel the med. I take does not help! What can I do to help my Dr. understand its very real & how can I help myself in dealing with it. Is there a med. that would help in my case more than the one I take. I hate trying med. after med... it makes me feel like an addict all over again. And because of my past use of meth they feel like I could abuse med. that they prescribe, which is so not the case! I just wanna feel like a monster isn't erupting from my stomach & the consent worrying that creates confusion in my mind! I also wanna ask you about a book that you talk about, The Feeling Good Handbook by David D. Burns (Paperback - May 1, 1999) It seems that book is older in date & they would have newer info??? Or is this a book that maybe I should read as well? Any help please!
Read answer →Starting ADHD Treatment with Ritalin in a 13 year-old?
My 13 year old daughter was just diagnosed with ADD. Because she is not hyper we missed the diagnosis for a long time but now that we have it it really explains a lot of her behaviors and her problems at school. The psychiatrist says she should take Ritalin. I would like to see her do better at school but she is managing OK in general. I am worried that if she gets hooked on the Ritalin she might move onto harder drugs as she gets a little bit older. Is she better off using the Ritalin or riding it out?
Read answer →Educators Know When Students Are Struggling At Home!
I am a 4th grade teacher and I believe that one of my students is having a problem at home and I am not sure how to help out. He is a very bright boy and he is very well behaved but in the last 2 months or so his behavior has changed and he is now very attention seeking and disruptive and paradoxically becoming a bit of a loner where he used to have an active social group of friends. He is showing a very noticeable shift in behavior. I have had 2 of his older siblings in previous years and I have come to know the mother to some degree. She is a single mother and in my experience she has always been very caring and conscientious and her children are always well looked after and always have their work done. I believe that education is a priority for her. After her son missed some school a while back it was explained to me that she had been assaulted at work and she was recovering in the hospital and her children were temporarily at relatives. After her son came back to school everything was fine but his behavior has deteriorated since then, he rarely does his homework and he often wears dirty clothes to school and looks as if he is un-showered. I have tried getting the mother to come in for a conference but she will not come in. When I ask her son how she is doing he says she is ‘fine’ but spends most of the day in bed. The mother also dodges my phone calls but on one occasion when I managed to connect with her she acknowledged that she was dealing with some PTSD from her attack I do not know what I can do to help. Under normal situations when it appears that there is a neglect situation my first move would be to contact child protective services. In this case, because I know the mother to be very caring and a good mom, I am very reluctant to go to this extreme because of the difficult consequences for the family that could result from it. If things continue as they have been, however, I will probably have no choice but to do it. What I would like to know is how can I, as a teacher, help the boys so that they are less impacted by their mother’s sudden disability; to enable her to have a little more time to get her act back together?
Read answer →Facing the Anxiety Monster: Scary But Not Dangerous
I have always been a perfectionist and a bit obsessive about things. This has served me well in my career as a lawyer but I am concerned that some of my obsessiveness may be passing into an unhealthy range. I have 2 children, aged 8 and 10. I have always been very careful with their safety and I prefer it most when they spend their time with me or when I can supervise. For this reason I am uncomfortable with sleepovers and even play visits to other houses. I also prefer to drive my children to school and have my husband pick up after school as opposed to their using the public school bus. My husband doesn’t know this but sometimes I will have a bad feeling about the kids while they are at school and I will drive over on some pretense to check in on them to make sure they are alright. I realize this is excessive but it makes me feel better and otherwise I worry too much. My older son was invited to a sleepover birthday party last weekend. In some cases I may have allowed this, but because I do not know the parents well I decided I could not let him go (or I would have been sleepless all night). He was very upset about this so I told him I would let him go as long as I could make arrangements to also stay over at the party to help them with supervision. My son choose to skip the party but is still upset to have missed it. My husband says that I should have allowed him to go and that he is old enough to be going to supervised sleepovers at friends’ houses. We actually had a serious argument about this and he says I am stifling the children with my own worries and that by now I am not protecting them from harm but actually doing them harm by never allowing them to live a normal childhood life experience. I am worried that what he said may have some truth to it but I do not know how to change myself to give them a little more freedom. Even if I wanted to give them more freedom (which I am not sure about) I am not sure that I can make myself let go. Does it sound like I am abnormal in my concerns for their safety? If it is true that I need to give them more freedom, how can I do this without feeling so anxious that I need to drive over to wherever they are to check on them?
Read answer →The Shattering Impact of Trauma
I was raped 2 years ago. This is weird to say but I don’t know how to be myself anymore. It is never something I used to think about but I always just knew who I was – I was me. Now I’m like bits and pieces. I am certainly less confident and assured than I used to be. I feel like I have lost my sense of myself and It’s like I don’t know myself anymore and I don’t like who I have become. I can’t really explain better than this but I know it’s hard to understand. Does this make any sense to you? Is this common? Is there anything I can do to stop feeling like this and start feeling like me again?
Read answer →All Treatments for Depression Are NOT Created Equally!
I feel like my doctor is giving me Zoloft just to shut me up. I am pretty reserved and it was hard to open up to my doctor about how I am feeling sad all the time but as I was talking about it I could see that he was barely listening and he pretty much cut me off halfway through to recommend that I take anti depressant medicines and he gave me a refillable prescription to get filled. He didn’t even schedule a follow up appointment or anything. Maybe it doesn’t matter but I just feel like he had diagnosed me within about 3 seconds of my story. He seemed so arrogant. Pretty crap bedside manner anyway. Should I just take the medicine and see if it works or should I try to find someone else to talk to who will listen to what I am going through.? Maybe it doesn’t matter if I like my doctor or not. Does every doctor just recommend antidepressant whenever you’re dealing with lasting feelings of sadness?
Read answer →Helping The Depressed Mom: Can There Be A More Important Task?
My wife is a stay at home mom with our two kids who are 3 and a half and 8 months old. She is going through a tough bout of depression right now. She is on medication and seeing a therapist but it is still not really going away. I am at work 50+ hours a week and she is left on her own at home doing the hardest job in the world, which is looking after very young children. I wish we had more support near us but I had to move here with my job last year so we don’t have any family here. I don’t know what to do. I am very worried about the effect her depression might have on the development of our kids. It is not her fault at all but she I think she feels very overwhelmed so she is always yelling at them and because of the depression I think she has a really hard time showing her love for them. I think the kids can feel this though they do not understand it. I try to provide a lot of support for her when I am at home by taking the kids as much as I can but I don’t know if this is enough. How damaging is this lack of maternal affection for young children?
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