Patients Feeling Stuck in Therapy

“Hello, I’m a 25 year old female who was recently diagnosed with a chronic illness (this is the first that could be confirmed through test but I have others that are neurological). I’m very depressed and my therapist says my option are antidepressants or mental hospital. My mom really wants me to go but I don’t think it will make a difference. With lack of a better way to say this. I’m not depressed cause of mental health but because I’m sick and will most likely never be well again. I’ll probabl”

“I am diagnosed with ME/CFS since I was 13 and ASD. This post may be quite heavy but I'll try summarise as much as I can. I was diagnosed when I was 13, shortly after went through a big crash where I was bed bound for months and had to switch to an alternative school/PRU and slowly got used to education again. I started college/sixth form in 2023 and had an awful first year, made 0 friends, was extremely socially anxious and grieving and was considering dropping out. I managed to continue on”

“for context i live in england, ive suggested a diagnosis plenty times over the years to GPs and they always send me to counselling, so ive always felt like its pretty pointless id like to be assessed for c-ptsd but i know its not exactly recognised…. ive also been referred to emdr therapy twice, but was rejected feels like ive healed enough and that theres no need for it but i do wonder if maybe its worth the validation? i know i should have a reason to be diagnosed but idk even my counsellors t”

“Has anyone here done an Intensive Outpatient Program for depression/ mental health? If so, do you think it was beneficial to getting back to normal? I've been thinking about joining an IOP. I’ve been going to therapy for two years now and tried a few different meds, and only found one that doesn’t make me feel sick. I recently took 6 weeks off work to try to decompress and relearn how to enjoy hobbies and life. But now that I’m back at work I feel so unmotivated. I nap during the day under m”

“You could always ask to switch to another psych. If it's a big office with multiple providers then you can always just ask to switch and site that you just don't think you're on the same page with your current provider and explain the situation to the new one. I know I've had to switch providers a few different times before I landed on ones I worked well with. Also on the front of going through multiple medications that didn't work, if you have insurance, you might wanna ask”

“Based on what you're saying, I would say yeah! It sounds like making sure you get the right fit for a therapist is going to make all the difference, like maybe a therapist who is trained in DBT or somatic processing or has specialty in communication and interpersonal relationships. Part of that skill building and skill use is actually recognizing when you don't like how someone is treating you and then being able to talk with them about it or for you to make changes if they don't. If”

“Based on what you're saying, I would say yeah! It sounds like making sure you get the right fit for a therapist is going to make all the difference, like maybe a therapist who is trained in DBT or somatic processing or has specialty in communication and interpersonal relationships. If you feel like you have some skills but you want more supported practice then you can talk about that with the therapist when it comes to making your goals, so you can be on the same page that it's not neces”

“Hello, i need some advice for next steps. i feel lost and im getting more worried doctors think im faking or everything is "psycosomatic" and its driving me mad. for context; im 18TM and have been experiencing fatigue since i was 15, it started off very subtle; some days my sleep wasnt refreshing... then it turned to every day, then my body and mind started to feel it. since then its gotten worse. i have an extensive mental health history way before fatigue started, for my whole life i”

“They really shouldn’t be giving advice more than reflectively listening and getting to the core of your beliefs and perspectives. “Getting advice” should come once they know you super well and yall are on the same page”

“Apologies if this isn’t the correct sub to post as a client. I was hoping for feedback from therapists. I know the solution - but I’m too nervous/ social anxiety to do anything head on. I’m a male in my 40’s. I’ve been going to an independent provider for over two years now. Her practice is about ten minutes away from where I live. Her prices are amazing. She’s very nice and caring. I’ve never met someone so bubbly in my life. She’s good at massage. I have arthritis in my knees and she does a gr”

“If you have insurance, call your pcp or send them a message that you’re interested in therapy or a psychiatrist. You will likely need a referral from your primacy care provider (pcp) in order to see to see a therapist. I don’t know what you’re hoping to get diagnosed, but i’d focus on treatment as much as specific diagnosis!”

“Thank you. I have been working on communication with my therapist. I still struggle with prolonged eye contact because it feels invasive and makes me uncomfortable.”

“I have had issues for years, im not really sure if it's severe, but still it's a lot. I know I am depressed but there is no way this is just depression. I have had 2 different people tell me they think I have bpd and I'm not saying I have bpd, but 2 people have said something about it to me. Im so unsure about bringing it up with my therapist because I'm not particularly educated on bpd and don't want to come off as someone self diagnosing themselves with a serious condition.”

“no 😭 we got this 💪🏻 💪🏻 maybe u could try getting another therapist if u think that would help u tho”

Are we cooked?

Me neither 😭

“One friend that's barely mentally there. Single parent that most likely bipolar. Mental issues I can't find a therapist to get rid of. I'm only 16 and I'm worried about my future from now to 80. I'm autistic and might have ADHD and OCD. I don't know what to do anymore. submitted by /u/autismtea [link] [comments]”

“I will try to get over my fear of therapists and try searching for a new one when money allows me to. I got so scared to even think of trying to talk to another specialist 💀 I started BC tho for my acne and just the feeling of being given at least some sort of medication, tho not for my mental problems, made me feel a bit better in a way. It made me feel seen at least once and taken seriously for at least one problem lol”

“hello, so the title might seem a bit weird, but i didn't know how to formulate it another way important: i have very much difficulty to open up, about my feelings or anything else about me, you have to specifically ask if you want to hope for an answer bc even then, if it hits a little too deep I will lie. and i have difficulties expressing myself (globally in my everyday life). and also I am emotionally absolutely not aware of myself, so i have no idea of what I'm feeling and why etc 🥀”

“Given that “get therapy” is a response that’s often (glibly) tossed around on this sub (for better or worse), I’ll allow this post for now.”

My bad. My guy is an MD. So I guess my guy is a psychiatrist.

“I’ve seen 4-5 therapists over 25 years, from 3-25x. I would say I’ve gone 100 times total to see a therapist. I’m currently seeing a Psychiatrist for 2.5 years, but I have seen him a lot, maybe 75 times at this point. There is a big schooling difference between the two. In my area the Psychiatrist charges about $100/hour more. The difference between a therapist and Pyschiatrist is night and day. I was with the Doctor today, and we were just talking about some past harmful trauma. He knew my ears”

“Sorry to hear that. Hopefully tomorrow’s a little easier for you. Was it hard for you to take that step to get therapy? I’ve been considering it for years but I’ve never gone.”

“most people only start figuring out their mental health stuff way older than 21. yeah, sooner is always ideal, but man, you're still years ahead of most. if the meds you're on aren't working well, keep trying new ones. and if your providers aren't listening or are being unhelpful, get new ones. it can take a lot of trial and error, but there is help out there. stay strong 💪”

“I was lucky because a family member recommended my therapist to me. Just recently my therapist gave me a referral to a psychiatrist so I could move forward with a long-term treatment plan. I don't know where you're located but here in the States it's actually really simple and moves fast. There are also online portals you can use through your insurance provider to find a therapist or psychiatrist.”

“I’m so embarrassed and tired , I’ve been struggling with my mental health for so long and it’s like they don’t take it seriously I went to gp when I was 14 for thinking I had ocd and a year later I got a assessment and now I’m 15 I attempted to commit suic/de well I used a substance that could basically but my intention was more to harm myself so I could get help despite I had suicidal thoughts I really wanted to get help and i couldn’t get it any sooner so I decided to harm myself and I actu ge”

“Hi everyone! I was hoping someone might have some helpful insight or a similar experience that they wouldn’t mind sharing. I’m curious as to if I’m bipolar. For starters, my dad was. I’ve been in and out of therapy since I was 13 when I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression. Chronic ptsd was then added as well once I got older. But I’ve always struggled with manic episodes that can last days and are usually financially burdening, I don’t go through depressive episodes too often now that I’m”

“I think it reinforces bad behavior. You do it to feel better, but the intensity and frequency increases. If you are looking to reduce suicidal thoughts, i know this is something people say all the time but please attempt to go to therapy. Try to understand where the thoughts are coming from, making peace with things that hurt, talk with a professional. They will be able to guide you. You need to make a plan of action to heal. Getting better means doing the things you hate doing, taking care of y”

“Hi... hopefully this is an alright place to ask. I'm Až I've been struggling with an apparently undiagnosible condition, which started in early to mid febuary. I got sick with a stomach bug in late january, and 3 weeks later (which i was fine and recovered quick, felt confident i could face it again, note this matters later) and randomly becane extremelg nauseous from the smell of food. Not sure what caused it, but there was a sudden hit of nausea, acid reflux, and headaches that prevent”

“why would they be legally obligated to cut contact? Did the therapist ghost you or did they give you a specific reason why they cant see you anymore?”

“I legit couldn’t give doctors my symptoms because to me it was my normal and this is why we need doctors who ASK SPECIFIC THINGS not just go “what’s ur symptoms” cos wtf. I know other people feel this too. Like how do I know standing up and feeling faint isn’t normal if I’ve had it forever, same with lifting my arms above my head. The headaches I get 3-4 times a week that I’ve dealt with for years. Idk I just don’t think of it until asked? Maybe it’s my autism. submitted by /u/ThePin”

“Three years ago, I went through a traumatic experience that completely changed me. I never saw a psychiatrist, and I never got any support from my family. I felt completely alone while trying to deal with it. For a long time, the trauma was on my mind every second of the day. I was constantly suffering. The worst part was the shame—I felt like I had failed myself and lost my dignity. After what happened, I made a promise to myself that I would never let anything like that happen again, no matter”

“i'm 18 and got a new therapist and in our intake session and i was super uncomfortable she was having me do a ton of paperwork to get a bunch of diagnosises (i'd just gotten a formal psych eval i don't know why i had to do all of these again) but i was really uncomfortable with her and anxious and she asked me if i'd attempted before, i usually lie but i said kind of and immediately started regretting it after and when she asked what i did and i told her and she asked how many of”

“Many people in our profession have experienced this, me included. Social anxiety and low sense of self-worth. These are issues that therapists work with every day. You can make real progress and feel better.”

“Idk how insensitive I’m being and I’m sure you have gotten this ALOT over your years but sometimes doing things you liked to do during your childhood helps . Yk those hobbies that you really loved to do but then just stopped doing as you got old ? Those things”

“It just seems like it’s a waiting list after waiting list for these appointments. I was on a waiting list for this specific appointment to get referred to whatever therapy it is and now I’m on a 2 month waiting list for the CBT. I heard there is different intensities and honestly based on what I told her it should be high intensity. However the resources I got after this appointment whilst I’m waiting for CBT suggest it’s just low intensity which is disappointing enough. I wasn’t told anything a”

“I'm 27 and because of my mental health issues (mainly OCD), it's difficult for me to even leave the house. It's something I've been working on for a while and I feel like I'm slowly getting better. One thing that I struggle with is the shame of never having a job. I'm scared they will laugh at me or question me and I'm not sure how I should respond, because I'm guessing "I have mental health issues" isn't a good answer? What do I say? Is that somethi”

“My therapist use to be amazing. We have gotten to a point where the services need to already be ended for the harm it’s causing. I will react certain ways and my therapist says that they wouldn’t have done it that way. Or that they would have done things differently. I accomplish really great things and I think there is some jealousy about it, or an attitude that my struggles aren’t that bad because it appears like I’m great. I just don’t know why it’s all of a sudden as previous it was really h”

“That must have been so devastating and scary. I'm sorry you're going through this. Can I ask what strategies you've found to be helpful?”

“I was told last week by my therapist that I don't do the hard work, that I take the easy way out. I've not had an easy life by any means. My home was violent, had drugs, I was sexually abused. Cool. Lucky me, I'm not alone in that. I've been working since I was 12. I went to university, two years In my partner and I split and I had to help support our child. Fine. Dropped out, worked two jobs. Finished college. It wasn't easy, two not quite full time jobs + studying it was ha”

😝Maybe the therapist gets lazy after trying to coax me into talking

“A family member asked me to get checked for depression. I have the following sympton (I am consulting counsellors and professionals also) - a LOT more tense in group settings; feeling like I'm performing instead of really enjoying socializing which is draining - less willing to talk about my own needs and feelings - spending a LOT more time on my own - mull over things that happened in the past a lot more often submitted by /u/alternativelychee123 [link] [comments]”

“I did all that I could to seek professional help because everyday I felt my mental health get worse and harder to cope with it . Today was the first session, I met a therapist and she all the session wanted to get me to speak but I didn't give her any indication because seriously I didn't know how to answer any of her questions, I told her I'm not here because I feel like I'm not doing enough in my study or anything, I'm here because I'm suffocating inside me without any”

“Right flair? I’ve been having some anxiety issues recently and I don’t want to but my mom is going to make me go to a therapist, I’m 17 so not much I can do. I have a LOT more going on than just the anxiety that no one knows about. I’m worried my therapist will tell my mom, whether she has to or is just going to anyway. I’ve looked a lot online and seen people saying conflicting things about it so I don’t know if I’m good or not. I’d like my family to not know anything and I don’t know about thi”

“Hi hun, I just saw your post in Ask Docs regarding your arm and I don’t know you but I’m concerned too. I’m sorry your life has been hard. Seeking help is not a bad thing or weakness. You have years ahead of you where things can get better for you if you give yourself a chance and get some more thorough help. Sending love sincerely 💜”

“I'm 16, and for the last 3 or so years I've been depressed, haven't been diagnosed, but I'm like 90% sure atp. This year compared to the last two has been better, but still not enough. My social life these past few years has been in the gutter and it doesn't seem to be bettering anytime soon. I always feel so alone even tho I technically have friends. My bff in elementary school and I had a falling apart in middle school. We've been talking again this past year but his so”

“I don’t know if I’d need a more complicated one. It’s more so I can learn to be less stressed/anxious/manage my emotions that aren’t generic, like a lot is from personal trauma that I never had therapy for at the time and is still impacting me. Also a number of issues, family, past abuse, adhd, stress, anxiety, past you know what thoughts and self harm and I think I was depressed but I never was diagnosed, same for the adhd, the school thought I had it but I was never diagnosed (I didn’t see any”

“is there anything i can do to help with disassociation outside of therapy? im in therapy but this really sucks, its like i go my whole day on autopilot till im suddenly conscious again and its like whiplash. i look at my hands and its like oh my god im real and everything around me is real. i feel like a lot of my toxic behavior is due to the fact that reality comes secondary to whats going on in my head, and id truly really like to reverse that. any advice? thank you. submitted by /”

“i don’t mean a crisis team or anything, i mean someone i can consistently talk to once or twice a week to work through all of my issues. i really want to get better but would prefer to do it online, and don’t have the funds for traditional therapy. the only apps i’ve found have been paid or chat bots. can anyone help? submitted by /u/Embarrassed-Song3760 [link] [comments]”

“DISCLAIMER: I am not seeking professional advice or a diagnosis, I know this isn't the right place, I'm seeking possible comfort and self-understanding through other people's experiences. My therapist and I have recently started suspecting that I might have the disorder after many sessions due to my life experiences and behaviors. They are not allowed to diagnose me so it's still not 100% sure but I feel like I am going to have trouble processing that information. I have an appoi”

“Sorry if these questions come across as dumb, but would I have to specify what I want a psychiatrist referral for? My doctor is very old school and I specifically want one BPD and autism, so I’m not sure if he’d give me one. I’m planning on living on my own soon and I’m really new to the real world”

“You are 100% an adult at 18 anywhere in Canada and have the full privilege of doctor-patient confidentiality.”

“That sounds like a plan . I would still try to get appointments it never hurts to get options from different people in different medical fields.”

“to begin with a bit of context, i (17F) have had a series of varying mental issues for most of my life, beginning when i was around 9/10 years old. the most persistent of these issues that i have struggled with include suicidal thoughts, random mood swings, paranoid thoughts of people (both strangers and friends/family) intending to harm me, intrusive thoughts, and loss of motivation to do anything. there have also been subsets of other mental issues that i had developed based on the previously”

“You should look into partial hospitalization programs (PHPs) or intensive outpatient programs (IOPs). They bridge the gap between full hospitalization and weekly or twice weekly appointments. Unfortunately, the sort of residential psych ward you're discussing is rare, if it exists at all. Psych wards exist to stabilize you in the short term so you can get help at home. The "privilege" is usually getting out. They're also very focused on removing anything you could possibly use”

“Hello everyone, I am looking for a good therapist/psychologist who's queer-friendly/ affirmative or any platform which is affordable and good. I have recently come across Rocket Health India and their session is of 1000 rs./per hour. I was using this other app (which I don't remember correctly but it's something like) THAP. I can't find them on playstore anymore. Would really appreciate if you have any leads!! submitted by /u/SavingsShift4352 [link] [comments]”

“I'm not. I've been doing it quite a lot lately and I don't really know how to justify it to myself this time. I just wanna know if therapy has worked for people who used to self-harm. Does the urge go away or does it stay and you have to fight against it every day like with alcoholism? Btw I also struggle with that but it's not that bad yet so no need to worry about it.”

“I am safe. I do not have plans of self harm (history of it), nor thoughts of relapsing (I'm fully sober) I have ADHD and severe chronic anxiety. I moved recently, had a family death, and just moved to take care of my mom. I'm really struggling with chronic anxiety (teeth are chipping apart, severe avoidance to everything , though I'm still getting things done for a few hours a day when I'm at my peak) and ADHD. I was dx a year ago with adhd and havent really learned any new skill”

“Unlikely, but not impossible.”