felix4

On a couple of occasions I have had people having a right go at me on social media accusing me of being racist. I really am not, & I don't like seeing people being racist. However, the way I see it, accusing non racists of being racist is on a par, & in some ways perhaps worse than being racist. I fired back & said this to them, & said that YOU are the problem too, which seemed to shut them up. Honestly, I can in a way see how this could turn people racist. Right, not sure why I have post this, & I don't really have much to say other than hi Malina & Cora, & Cora, stop the reassurance seeking! Take care both!

Hi @Gemzi3 I just wanted to say hi! I was just passing by on here, & thought "I recognise that name as one of the old skool on here". Sorry to see that you are struggling, & I hope you feel better soon! Take care, & all the best! x

I used to be a pilot, & yes, I used to get very anxious! Okay, I have always been into 'Aviation', & learnt to fly gliders in the 1990's. One of my biggest regrets has been taking a wrong turn in life soon after with a bad relationship & letting the stress, anxiety, depression, & ocd take over & put a stop to what I used to enjoy. @Angelina K. DON'T let anxiety, OCD, & so on get in the way! Battle on past it, & don't let anxiety disorders dictate! You will have a lot of distractions tomorrow & will be busy with check in, security, & so on. Enjoy it! You'll be fine!

I received a phone call for a psychiatric assessment over the phone. This was with a new psychiatrist, & he asked me to simply stop taking an antipsychotic, & double up on an anti depressant. I then received a letter saying I had been discharged from psychiatry (been with them 20years). I did as advised with meds, had a complete psychotic meltdown (with limited access to GP only), & I am now in the process of trying to get myself back to how I was pre discharge.

Blimey Caroline, it sounds like you'd have more help from Dr Paul Gachet from the 1800's! I know you are very desperate to get better, but might it be best to step back from all the videos & articles for a while? Give yourself a break, & fill this time with something enjoyable instead for say 2-4 weeks & see how things go. All the best.

Hi Matty, I think some psychiatrists think more antidepressants = more happy & reduction in OCD. From personal experience, I would say more antidepressants = apathy & a chemical cosh reduction in OCD! Having done the max citalopram, & Prozac dosage & so on, I found a minimal dose of Venlafaxine helpful, alongside a minimal dose of aripiprazole helpful & good quality CBT/ERP! If allowed, try venlafaxine first before antipsychotic addition route, get better, & slowly wean off meds!

The thing is Nick, I get the impression that some Drs & psychiatrist think there a correlation with more pills = more happy, but I get the impression it not the case. I was at one stage on dosages of citalopram above those recommended as the maximum for depression. Yes it helped numb the OCD, but I felt numb with apathy and more depressed. Whereas, I took the smallest dosage of venlafaxine & aripiprazole and it worked wonders. Same with diazepam, apparently it can be more-ish, but I felt benefits on lowest possible dose, & increasingly unwell and anxious on anything higher. Maybe I went in with the wrong mindset being told how addictive they are, & very reluctant to take.

Hi Snowy, The envelope was sellotaped up, so I am not sure? The neighbour was a bit odd, & had 'problems', but I did occasionally talk to her on passing. I used to question some of the random content of conversations, as if she had read something sensitive.

I was referred to psychiatry in 2003 and during my initial assessment I felt it quite a challenge being open. I found every now and then the pair doing the assessment would quickly scribble something down as if I had said something wrong and it an evidence gathering exercise. To be honest, I regret discussing some mental health related things with my GP. I partly told him stuff as a kind of dual cry/plead for help, & catastrophising, and in many ways/times I were beyond crisis point! When referred I was diagnosed as having psychotic depression, & following med treatment, then OCD. I found my very private/sensitive initial assessment report the other week, the one they addressed to my neighbours flat!

I have never tried mushrooms, but I did do LSD on several occasions back in the early 1990's. I was always anxious after taking it & wondering what effect it would have, bearing in mind once taken, you are stuck with it for the next few hours. I remember one time having a 'bad trip', & how scary that was! The hallucinations were very real! To be honest, I was quite open to taking part in research if it was done in a controlled medically supervised way with a far less amount. However, having recently experienced the effects of psychosis after being asked to stop/increase psychiatric meds, I'd be too scared to now!

Hi Summer, I must confess to never seeing a new generation SSRI anti depressant (escitalopram) prescribed alongside an old tricyclic antidepressant (amitriptyline)? That does not sound right? I am no expert, & I would say go with the professionals, but clearly you need a 3rd opinion! Are you able to discuss with another psychiatrist, or different GP? Crazy having to do this isn't it!

Hi Caroline, I am not sure what to suggest really, but I wanted to say that I am totally not convinced by what your psychiatrist say! To refer to differing kinds of OCD sounds wrong. Yes, there are differing themes & severities and so on, but beneath it all is essentially the same process/cycle. Many many years ago and prior to any diagnosis of OCD, I had problems with staring and focusing on breathing, so I have an idea how hard it must be for you.

Hi Summer, I use a pill cutter, & I must confess splitting the 5mg's are a flipping nuisance! Some are round, & others oblong, and after retrieving the bigger parts from the dust, I am sure some days I get 2mg & some days 3mg. I have always been led to believe there are smaller 2mg doses available, & 1mg as a oral solution. This from a google search, but maybe not available in all countries. All the best & take care! Generic names: aripiprazole (ay ri PIP ray zole), aripiprazole lauroxil (law rox il) Aripiprazole Oral tablet: 2 mg, 5mg, 10 mg, 15 mg, 20 mg, 30 mg Orally disintegrating tablet: 10 mg, 15 mg Oral solution: 1 mg/mL Brand names: Abilify® Tablet: 2 mg, 5mg, 10 mg, 15 mg, 20 mg, 30 mg

Disgusting! I too feel in a similar situation to Veryblue, & I am concerned (almost paranoid) as to what has been written about me on my GP records by one previous doctor in particular.

I think the smallest dose is 2mg. I get prescribed 14 x 5mg & have to use a pill cutter to get them down to 28 x 2.5mg. Summer, I would give them a go, & I have not heard of anybody getting psychosis from antipsychotics. I had issues with the silly psychiatrist telling me to just stop taking them, BUT, I have been on them years, and I was told to double venlafaxine at the same time. I am now down to dosage as before, & plan on coming off them in a controlled way. Personally, I would think you would be fine, & will benefit OCD wise, & I found less is more! (I have been on really high doses of other things in the past, and found they overcooked it, so to speak). Also, you will probably find it will help you engage with CBT. You sound pro active, so keep up with CBT & the sooner you come off of it! Give it a try, & say if no improvement after 8 weeks or whatever, tell them you want off of it.