Therapy – Page 2 – Psych Patient, MD

I have made much progress in the past six months. My life has changed dramatically. I am getting back to where I was before, much more willing to speak my mind. That used to get me into trouble. And it is probably going to do it again.

I have not learned how to handle confrontation. I have not learned how to contain my emotions and think rationally. I am working on holding my tongue, but I am afraid that I will end up having to just cut it out altogether again.

And the thoughts of death have returned. My death is my solution to everything. If the peanut butter runs out, I must die. Simple as that.

I take my medications daily as prescribed. There have been no changes in them for several months. Medications can do only so much.

Over the past several months, my weekly psychotherapy sessions have dwindled to monthly hour-long med checks, mainly due to changes that I have made in my life. I am now a semi-permanent guest at my boyfriend’s house who happens to live three states away from my mailing address. I drive 200 miles to see my therapist now. My therapist is actually happy for me and accommodates me, as he has for years now. Thing is, my therapist and I both believed that I had found another safe place where I could express myself. My boyfriend told me the other day that he has to read my blog to find out what’s going on with me. So it seems that I am back to square one.

New Year’s Resolution, once again, Physician Heal Thyself.

This being the time of year when people typically review and reminisce, I thought I would post my very first blog entry here. The original date of posting was May 31, 2005. It is in my first blog, PsychPatient, MD which you may read at here.

Who do I think I am?!

I am a psychiatric patient. Never thought I would be broadcasting that over the Internet. I have been diagnosed with depression and adult ADHD. I take medication daily. I go to individual psychotherapy sessions once a week.

I also have a PhD in pharmacology. And I graduated from medical school and completed two of the four years required post-graduate training for a specialty in psychiatry. But I don’t have a license to practice medicine. This blog is not intended to give medical advice. Information supplied here is solely my own personal opinion.

I want to break a stereotype. I am not an uneducated homeless person wandering the streets muttering to myself or screaming at the top of my lungs at inanimate objects. I am an internet marketing consultant, leading a quiet life in a studio apartment in NYC. Although I do not fit the commonly held stereotype, neither am I a rarity among psychiatric patients.

This blog is my forum to express my personal opinions on mental health issues. I am firmly committed to mental health advocacy. I want to lend support and encouragement to fellow psychiatric patients. I hope to supply a unique perspective on mental health care that is colored by my experiences both as a patient and as a clinician. Comments are always welcome.

Again, this blog is not meant to substitute for professional advice from a licensed clinician.

Much has changed since May 2005, but I am still under psychiatric care albeit less intensive. I hope to go back to medicine one day. For now, I am working on the internet trying to regain my bearings, my composure, and my self confidence.