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Mental health support & discussion thread (August 2019 edition)
after a month sabbatical, we're back. this is pretty straightforward, i think: vent your experiences or things you need to get off your chest/share whatever you've found helps you mentally/etc.
resources that might also be of some benefit to people:
- there is, as always, the invaluable list of country hotlines maintained by /r/SuicideWatch
- https://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/ ("an online source of information for persons seeking treatment facilities in the United States or U.S. Territories for substance abuse/addiction and/or mental health problems")
- https://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/ (probably one of the best resources for finding a therapist)
- https://psychiatrists.psychologytoday.com/rms (ditto, with finding a psychiatrist)
- https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/index.shtml (covers some of the major mental disorders, their symptoms and treatments, and general topics like that)
- https://www.mentalhealth.gov/what-to-look-for (what symptoms to look for for major mental disorders)
- https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/help-yourself/ (US specific, but also covers ways you can help yourself and a bunch of ways to seek treatment or support)
- there's also some stuff over at /r/SWResources that might be worth checking out which is consistently updated.
and here is the june thread if you'd like to reference/update us on something you mentioned there.
I don't feel qualified to answer your question, but hopefully someone comes around who can. However if it doesn't get answered here then I would urge you to consider posing your question in ~lgbt, as it's more likely to be seen there by someone who actually can answer.
Yeah I wondered which of the two was more appropriate, will do!
To be clear, I think it's just as appropriate here as there... it's just that I suspect it's probably more likely to actually get answered there, is all. Though perhaps if we keep bumping this topic that might not be the case, which is a nice benefit of that mechanic. ;)
Hello, anyone has advice on how to manage depersonalization crisis?
I have some issues which include a dissociative disorder, with permanent derealization. When I'm at my baseline it's quite manageable. But when it gets worse, my sense of reality starts fading. Then I get strong impulses to act in ways that are harmful to myself, and that I would never act upon, but as I feel more and more disconnected, all the reasons why I should not act on those impulses seem less and less real, and I get trapped in a kind of metaphorical bubble in which only my impulses and fantasies about them exist and matter. Sometimes, it's so strong that I lose sense even of the visual input, I see but I don't realize I'm seeing because the images and scenes in my mind are so strong.
In the past, those situations were incredibly destructive to me, but I'm feeling quite stable since over a year, and I'm able to not act. In fact, I get totally blocked to do anything at all. The problem is that I'm not still able to get out of that state, until it passes on its own, and that can take some hours. During that time I have a hard time moving and perceiving my surroundings and getting a sense of reality, and I'm immersed in thoughts about how nothing but my impulse matters, and how there's no reason not to do it.
I'm working on this with my therapist, and I'm aware that's the only solution. However, in summer I can't go to my therapist, so I was wondering if anyone that has gone through something similar can give some advice on how to lower the depersonalization when I'm getting into that state.
I'm having a really good summer and I feel safe. Just asking for if I could get some ideas to better manage that occasional hours of mini hell.