Please recommend me a psychiatrist and therapist in the Dallas area who 'specialize' in anxiety/dysthymic disorders.

April 6, 2012 6:24 AM

Please recommend me a psychiatrist and therapist in the Dallas area who 'specialize' in anxiety/dysthymic disorders. I don't have severe anxiety to the point where I'm a hermit or anything. I like to think of my self as a very functional social phobic. But the anxiety is still there enough to rear its ugly head. For example, I'm finding it increasingly difficult to connect with people as I get older. I've lived in Texas my entire life and all my best friends moved away after college. I haven't been able to develop friendships that are as strong as the ones I had in high school and college.

It's also affecting my job performance to a slight extent as well, as I'm finding it extremely difficult to feel comfortable around senior leaders. I always have a very slight level of baseline anxiety when I'm around seniors, so I become kind of quiet, rigid/awkward, etc.

I came to realize over the past couple years that I have pretty mild anxiety, and/or possibly dysthymia but I've always just dealt with it but now it's starting to frustrate me and I want to treat it.

So, I want to start seeing a therapist and/or do CBT while taking medication to just treat this stupid anxiety. I've taken SSRIs in the past for anxiety and none of them really had an effect on me. It was like taking sugar pills, so I stopped taking them.

But now I've done some research and I'm interested in taking nardil, as none of the traditional SSRIs worked for me. I'm under the impression that not many psychiatrists will prescribe an MAOI like nardil, so if anyone knows of any that has been known to prescribe nardil, please let me know.

In terms of the therapist, anyone who's well-known for treating people with anxiety disorders would be awesome.

Any recs???

Thanks!

posted by anonymous to Human Relations (4 answers total)

While you should always have an open and honest relationship with your doctor, I think you'll get the best care if you don't start off by requesting a specific medication. You're more likely to establish a good rapport by steering the doctor in that direction indirectly and see if you get a bite. ("I heard about nardil, what do you think?") Being open to trying CBT and talk therapy is also helpful even if it doesn't work for you (I wasn't a fan, personally.) You may need to spend years experimenting with the right medication before you find what works for you. A patient, understanding doctor who both listens and educates is key.

Good luck and congratulations for taking this important step.
posted by moammargaret at 6:38 AM on April 6, 2012

But now I've done some research and I'm interested in taking nardil, as none of the traditional SSRIs worked for me. I'm under the impression that not many psychiatrists will prescribe an MAOI like nardil, so if anyone knows of any that has been known to prescribe nardil, please let me know.

I know this doesn't answer your question (I am not in TX and don't have any recommendations for therapists), but getting fixated on a particular medication before engaging in a therapeutic relationship with a practitioner is putting the cart before the horse. Try not to engage in rigidly pre-determined thinking about what treatment you think will work for you, and also don't discount an entire class of drug that didn't work for you before. There are many variables that influence medications' efficacy, and what didn't work for you in the past might work for you now. At any rate, MAOIs are never first-line therapy for anxiety. You're not likely to find anyone who will prescribe one to you off the bat.

It also sounds as if you might be in a phase of life where the close/easy relationships we form in school are harder and harder to come by. This is something many people experience to varying degrees, and anxiety might contribute to making it harder to make new friends, but so does simply being older, having to work every day, having less opportunity to be around large groups of peers, etc. Recognizing that--and trying not to put any extra pressure on yourself--might also help you feel more connected with new people.

Good luck to you.
posted by little mouth at 6:45 AM on April 6, 2012

I am the same as you minus the Texas part. SSRI's made me even more depressed and klonopin just made me spacey and forgetful. I have had Lamictal prescribed twice but my bad drug experiences and scary internet stories made me too afraid to try it. Plus I would rather deal with anxiety permanently with no side effects.

I have a therapist (I think mainly just for venting purposes) and I am now going to acupuncture. Acupuncture, massage and strange 'liver strengthening' pills surprisingly seem to work much better than anything else I've tried.

Anyway, that's my experience, having similar issues to the ones you describe.
posted by bquarters at 8:05 AM on April 6, 2012

Also for me there is a definite SAD/natural light component- something else to look into.
posted by bquarters at 8:06 AM on April 6, 2012