I'm a male in my early twenties who has washed out of college and is looking for a mental health professional of some sort in Northern Virginia. Issues I feel are likely to come up are my (long-ago diagnosed) attention deficit disorder, depression, and some form of OCD - I have a deep and (likely irrational) fear of psychosis and other impairments of cognition. I am deeply wary of psychiatric drugs, and want to work with someone who shares my attitude toward them, but would recommend them as a last resort. So what I'm after is some sort of talk therapy, preferably with a medical doctor (as oppose to "just" a PhD). [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 13, 2009 - 11 answers

Are there really no side effects to cognitive-behavioral therapy? Has anybody had a bad outcome or weird experience? [more inside]
posted by pauldonato on Jul 4, 2009 - 20 answers

I just got back from a psychiatric evaluation. The diagnostic impression is "chronic major depressive disorder versus dysthymia." What does "versus" mean in this context? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jun 19, 2009 - 15 answers

About ten years ago I was admitted to the mental health ward of my local hospital due to severe depression and anxiety. When being given an admission interview by a psychiatrist/psychologist (I am unsure which) she asked me 'Did you ever spontaneously change handedness, from right to left or from left to right'. I would have taken this as the madness normally associated with such people but, as a child, I did spontaneously change from being left handed to being right handed and have remained right handed ever since. The matter was never mentioned again and I have never made sense of the question. Any ideas?
posted by mogcat on Apr 7, 2009 - 6 answers

Why do I deserve happiness when there are other people in the world who don't have it? I seriously need to know. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Feb 22, 2008 - 53 answers

FatFilter: Help a morbidly obese woman find a compatible psychologist or therapist. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Feb 1, 2008 - 7 answers

An adolescent relative in her senior year of high school is suffering depression, and recently spoke to a psychiatrist about suicide, which resulted in her near-hospitalization. She's taken Zoloft, and done some therapy -- what now? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 31, 2007 - 14 answers

help me shake my writer's block! [more inside]
posted by thinkingwoman on May 20, 2007 - 17 answers

Any advice -- from experience please -- for breaking a friend's cycle of depression, hospitalization, and attempted suicide? [more inside]
posted by nímwunnan on Nov 29, 2006 - 8 answers

How do I stop being an over-achiever? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 16, 2006 - 19 answers

Trying to find ways to chill out. I need something that can occupy my mind and entertain me during the evening without putting me in a trance or putting me to sleep. I can't relate to characters on TV or novels, so all I read is non-fiction. With music, it either puts me in a trance or I get bored. I've tried meditation but it just makes me go to sleep. Basically, if I'm not actively engaged with learning something new, being creative, or solving a task, my mind shuts down and I get bored or zone out. Other people tell me, oh that's good that you don't watch TV or anything, but you know, I'm just sick of being so intense. I'm 20, male. Any suggestions, fokes?
posted by Laugh_track on Oct 9, 2006 - 35 answers

How often do you contemplate suicide? What's your score on the Beck Depression Inventory? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Mar 13, 2006 - 79 answers

Tonight, one of my housemates checked into a safehouse. Unbeknownst to anyone else in the house, he's been cutting himself, and he's suffering from heavy depression/suicidal thoughts, mostly due to school and being away from home.

What can I do to help out? Things to do when he gets home? What would be nice to bring him while he's getting help? For anyone who's been in this situation, what did you find especially helpful/uplifting?
posted by anonymous on Jan 31, 2005 - 18 answers

I need a therapist. I recently moved to the Boston area, I don't really know anybody, and Psychology Today isn't doing it for me. I know that I'm clinically depressed (runs in the family, and relatives who are docs say so), and it's gotten worse of late. It's ruining my job, my life, and my sleep. Where do I find a top notch psychiatrist/psychologist?
posted by anonymous on Dec 12, 2004 - 8 answers