http://forums.psychcentral.com A safe and secure self-help support community run by Psych Central. en Wed, 16 May 2012 19:07:54 GMT vBulletin 60 http://forums.psychcentral.com/images/styles/pc/misc/rss.jpg http://forums.psychcentral.com http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=229417&goto=newpost Wed, 16 May 2012 19:05:25 GMT About the scars & wearing of long sleeves... I told the truth & the girl who confronted me said I needed to tell our boss when I'm ready, even though I told her I'm already in therapy. WTF?! That's personal! And it doesn't interfere with work! I've never SI-ed at work. Anyone else had to do this? If so how did you handle it? I'm not sure how to proceed. Any advice, opinions, and/ or experiences welcomed. ]]> Self Injury doglover5 http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=229417 http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=229416&goto=newpost Wed, 16 May 2012 18:52:34 GMT A lot of things. But I especially do not like the waiting area. I do not like other people being there (this is a change from before). I do not... A lot of things.

But I especially do not like the waiting area. I do not like other people being there (this is a change from before). I do not like other patients, other therapists, office staff -- none of them.

I feel paranoid when I'm sitting there. Today I actually looked up paranoid on my phone and read the entry on Wikipedia to try and distract my paranoid thoughts. Yeah, I chuckled a little with that one.

I feel very, very, very, very vulnerable. Very see-through. I don't want anyone else to get a look at me. I don't want anyone else to form a thought or opinion (no matter how inconsequential) about me. I don't want to be visible.

I told T I needed to be smaller. That I felt like Big Bird with that big feather sticking out of the top of his head, except I had those types of things sticking out all over and I wanted them GONE.

I figured out this was another reason for my extreme weight loss. That I need to be smaller. Invisible. The other new reason I discovered was shame. When I am fat I am greatly ashamed. When this whole process began a few months ago I had shame coming at me from every direction and no control over it. So I started losing weight to get rid of one of the shameful things that I could actually control.

So I need to disappear. Not in a going-away-forever kind of way, but in a nobody-notices-her-in-the-corner way.

Trigger warning just because it probably is triggering. Hell, I don't know. ]]> Psychotherapy jenluv http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=229416 http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=229413&goto=newpost Wed, 16 May 2012 18:30:01 GMT Aimee Copeland Doesn't Know She Lost Her Leg, Family Says

More...

From Yahoo Health. ]]> News Headlines NewsBot http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=229413 http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=229412&goto=newpost Wed, 16 May 2012 18:29:43 GMT Does anyone else deal with an over bearing, controlling alter? Tigress is so mad at me right now for sharing so much!.......I will be probably get... Does anyone else deal with an over bearing, controlling alter? Tigress is so mad at me right now for sharing so much!.......I will be probably get punished later for this....but Katherine says I should try to reach out......so anyone? How do you deal with this. I am sick right now....I know she is fuming at me.......she hates it when i talk...... ]]> Dissociative Disorders Tigressnred http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=229412 http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=229409&goto=newpost Wed, 16 May 2012 17:53:18 GMT Ok, so I'm only 1 people, but I'm sure others agree. This place needs his unique blend of guidance wrapped in charisma and sarcasm! I MISS MY FRIEND :hissyfit: ]]> Borderline Personality Disorder Trippin2.0 http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=229409 http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=229407&goto=newpost Wed, 16 May 2012 17:32:42 GMT http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veIWg6_fLmk

take 3.
few shots of same plane from other videos in F6 series
but more close-ups.
It's getting weird now. They are coming closer
and doing this more days in a row.
And there appears to be a surveyor in the back of my acreage? ]]> Schizophrenia and Psychosis newtus http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=229407 http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=229405&goto=newpost Wed, 16 May 2012 17:28:04 GMT I am missing my husband so much today. It's been almost 3 weeks since he died. One of his friends who had lost his wife contacted me on Facebook. I talked to him on the phone yesterday. It's nice to have him to talk to because he understands what I'm going through. I also talked to friends yesterday and they want to know what they can do to help. I don't know what to tell them. I don't know what I need right now except for my husband back. I also went to the doctor yesterday and he started me on citalopram to see if that would help any. I found Paul's ID badge for work today and it just has me crying and missing him. Some of the pictures I have around of him are from a few years ago, but this one is just a few months old and for some reason it's really affecting me. It's so hard to be without him. ]]> Grief and Loss new widow http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=229405 http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=229404&goto=newpost Wed, 16 May 2012 17:21:11 GMT I've been online most of the moring. I joined another chat site. I love this one better. We need to invite more people here. I might work on that tomorrow. If you get on yahoo, and answer people's questions...sometimes...this can be one of the answers! :D ]]> Borderline Personality Disorder Forgive77 http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=229404 http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=229403&goto=newpost Wed, 16 May 2012 17:19:25 GMT I was reading one of CE's posts about his frustration with not being able to read his T's emotions in her face or in her eyes. I have this issue with my T. Sometimes, I can see he is feeling SOMETHING, but I cannot decipher it. We have discussed it, and he said he would think about whether it would be therapeutic for me for him to be more open with his emotions. And sometimes, he will tell me what he was feeling the session before if I ask, usually in the context of helping me to see if my impressions were correct, or in talking about what a 'normal' response to things would be.

Just this last session, we were discussing something he admitted was uncomfortable for both of us, and he kept his face pretty expressionless, but I noticed his breathing became really fast (like REALLY fast to the point where I almost told him to take slow deep breaths, the way he reminds me sometimes). Also, his body language was really closed and his muscles were super tight.

So, do the rest of you ask your T about their feelings? Do you spend time guessing at it? Or just not care. I find myself really uncomfortable with the thought of how uncomfortable I apparently made him this week. ]]> Psychotherapy My kids are cool http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=229403 http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=229402&goto=newpost Wed, 16 May 2012 17:11:16 GMT Hi, I'm new here. :) I started seeing a therapist for the first time about two months ago and at our first visit she diagnosed me: adult child of an alcoholic. Also depression and anxiety, and I've been juggling meds ever since then, trying to find a combination that doesn't make me want to crawl out of my own skin. I was on Abilify for 3 weeks. Holy hell that was no fun.

Anyway. My main struggle besides the constant negativity, low (NO) self-esteem, social anxiety, and depression, is...actually I don't know what to call it. I think the quote in my signature says it best. Either I fall completely in love with someone...or I could care less about them. I become almost addicted or obsessed with them. It starts out fun and happy times and everything's great, but its gradually becomes something that doesn't even make me happy anymore. They're all I can think about. I don't want to do anything except talk to them, be with them, etc. And I end up putting all the responsibility of my happiness on this one person, which I realize isn't fair. If they do something with someone else, or are talking to another friend, or basically doing anything except talking/being with me, I spiral downward so fast its not even funny. I tell people 'I don't do friends,' because it starts out well, but I finally get too extreme and I either separate myself from the person for my own mental well being, or they get upset with me and we never talk again.

This happens male or female. I consider myself bisexual by the way, but I wonder how much of that is caused by this need to be loved. By anyone. In the past eight years I have had five close friends and I have fallen in love with each of them. I tried to cheat on my husband with one of them, but fortunately my friend did not reciprocate. I told my current best friend a few months ago (online friend) that I had feelings for her, and nearly ruined our friendship.

I am a clingy, needy, did I mention clingy, mess. And I'd just really like to know if anyone else has dealt with this, is dealing with this, or any input you can offer. Thanks in advance. ]]> Adult Children of Alcoholics ohmcgee http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=229402 http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=229401&goto=newpost Wed, 16 May 2012 16:52:17 GMT Ok theoretical situation.

Let's say the attraction is mutual. (That's an important point. If it's not mutual then I agree all the normal stuff about how to deal with transference applies.)

But say it really is mutual. Say my T and I just grew really close over the years and he got to see the real me, which is adorable and smart and funny and witty and immensely loving and compassionate and cute and sexy and giving and fun to be with. And I found him to be brilliant and sensitive and smart and funny and compassionate and interesting and sexy and vulnerable and kind --basically just another human being like any of us, not idealized and not infallible. And say I was immensely attracted to him in a way I've never been attracted to anyone before because it really was a wholistic attraction: an attraction not just based on physicality but on the person as a whole!

Say we were attracted to the way each other's mind works, say he thought the way my mind worked was really interesting and I found him equally fascinating. Say it's falling in love with a whole person ok?

Then say the very dynamics of the patient-doctor relationship turned us both on, the power dynamics and so-very-forbidden-ness of the situation made us both melt.

[Remember this is totally theoretical and I have no evidence whatsoever my T ever felt this way about me, this is just for the purpose of my question because there is a question here]

So pretend for a minute that all of this is true... and say we talked about it and said you know what, I really, really like you. We are both comfortable with changing the nature of our relationship, we're both adults, why can't we do that? I find a new therapist; he finds a new patient (there are lots!) and we become friends/lovers.

If it's totally mutual, why couldn't I just find a new therapist and change my relationship with my old therapist from "doctor" to "friend" or even "lover"?

I KNOW IT'S VERBOTEN! Please don't just say "because it's against APA regulations" or whatever I want to know WHY IT IS?? I mean have there been studies where it has been demonstrated to totally ruin the patient's or the doctor's lives, independent of the threat of the doctor losing his license? I want to know if there is any evidence at all that in such a situation real psychological harm could be done to either person?

Again, I'm not saying this is my situation. It's not. But if it were... I want to know why it's inherently BAD for two consenting adults to act on their desires in this situation? ]]> Romantic Feelings Toward My Therapist Lillylillie http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=229401 http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=229400&goto=newpost Wed, 16 May 2012 16:49:28 GMT Hi, all - I realize it's better than gaining weight excessively, but has anyone dropped a lot of weight over a short period of time while being stable? I lost about 40 lbs over 12 months, and I am thin to begin with. PCP and other specialists thought it may be due to a thyroid issue or gastrointestinal, but nothing has turned up. I know some of the meds I'm on can cause weight loss, but my understanding is that it typically is the result of a decreased appetite. My appetite is quite large and has not changed much at all over the time of the weight loss. Can some of these meds cause your metabolism to change? Dr.'s have said they would like to see me gain about 15 lbs or so to look healthy, but nothing is really working - just trying to eat as much protein and carbs as I can.

Thanks. ]]> Bipolar Red_Cyclops http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=229400 http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=229399&goto=newpost Wed, 16 May 2012 16:44:28 GMT i am constantly angry with people as they tend to disappoint me left and right. the agency that is working with me helps to subsidize the apartment... i am constantly angry with people as they tend to disappoint me left and right. the agency that is working with me helps to subsidize the apartment that i'm living in. the agreement was that i would keep the apartment clean in order to keep the subsidy. that's fine but who decides what the meaning of "clean" is and where did my ability to live her and live life as i choose go out the window?
i want continuity and i want to be taken seriously. i am not being validated by the agency and when things happen that result in my being upset, they don't want to talk to me anymore because i raise my voice. i don't consider raising one's voice as yelling since it is only to emphasize that i'm upset. i can control the swearing but i don't know many people who calmly state they are angry and calmly talk as if nothing has happened to make them angry.
i'm so confused. the rules changed on me 2 months ago, without warning. i understand that i'm not the only client at this agency. i understand that things pop up from time to time. i don't get why my case manager, all of a sudden, doesn't return my phone calls, why no one gives her the messages, why i have to fight for everything, even the ability to get someone to talk and listen to me.
it leads me to feel more and more unimportant, worthless, pointless, etc. things i feel on a constant basis and are now being reaffirmed by an agency meant to help me. ]]> Coping with Emotions utz2232 http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=229399 http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=229398&goto=newpost Wed, 16 May 2012 16:42:12 GMT So i've been having a really rough couple weeks with depression and pushing my friends away. My T and I talked about all sorts of stuff today and she went through a bunch of coping mechanisms to try whenever I get in a panic state. She also helped me with realizing how passive aggressive and gamey I come off as whenever I panic and get in a state of total desperation. I feel so good that something she said today will really help me calm myself down and bring people closer rather than push them away. I'm bipolar and don't always realize what I do, but she went over warning signs and coping mechanisms with me and just helped so much! I just wanted to share with someone cuz I'm really happy about it. I seriously feel like I have the best T ever right now cuz she has helped me so much! :D ]]> Psychotherapy jaxter23 http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=229398 http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=229397&goto=newpost Wed, 16 May 2012 16:39:04 GMT According to the June 2012 issue of Scientific American, "most of the cells in the human body are not human at all. Bacterial cells in the human body outnumber human cells 10 to one." :D ]]> General Social Chat pachyderm http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=229397