Going back on antidepressants

HI @ray_of_sunshin3

I think it is very encouraging that your psychiatrist is recommending DBT. A lot of psychiatrists are antagonistic towards psychological therapy. It is a fairly common practice for people using DBT to also use medication at least initially. Hopefully you will be able to use DBT to heal your underlying issues and then reduce and eventually stop the medication altogether with the help and support of both your psychiatrist and therapist.

DBT is just one of a family of fairly similar therapies that evolved out of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). This family are collectively known as “Third Wave CBT”. I think there are about 9 of them that I am aware of but I may have missed one or two. DBT along with ACT (Acceptance Commitment Therapy) seem to be two of the main ones.

In practice, skilled third wave therapists borrow techniques from multiple therapies and tailor the therapy to suit the client.

I have talked to a number of people who have used DBT. Some love it and claim it has been very helpful while others hate it and of course everything in between. It is one of the oldest third wave CBT therapies and some of the concepts have become someone dated by current standards. It is also very structured which allows it to be used in a very mechanical or "mindless" sort of way, which seems to account for a good deal of client dissatisfaction. I have heard people claim that their therapist used DBT techniques to blame them for their mental health problems. That certainly should not be happening . It is a sign of a bad or incompetent therapist.

I think the most important thing is to look for a really good therapist that you feel completely comfortable with. They should certainly know about DBT and “Third Wave CBT and so on but I would suggest just letting the therapist drive the process and use whatever technique they think is appropriate for you.

I also came across an interesting free online peer-to-peer DBT Support group recently. I have joined the group but I am just observing at the moment and not actively participating. From what I have seen so far it looks pretty good and could possible be useful for supporting one-on-one therapy with a therapist.

Once you have found a therapist you could if you wanted to mention this peer-to-peer support group and get back to me @Willy if you need more information.

Hope this is some help.

Regards

Willy

Hey @ray_of_sunshin3

Wow, you’ve got so much on your plate 💜 finding ways of coping as a young mum can be hard enough, let alone with the challenges of MH.

I really commend you on trying your best to consider what feels like the right support/treatment to help yourself, I can only imagine how difficult it feels. Hearing your husband’s experience of the medication also sounds really hard, but with that in mind, it sounds like your main goal is trying what you can to help yourself through this – with the assistance and guidance of your treatment team.

For some, medication can be a helpful tool to assist us through therapy (and day-day), but of course, everyone’s experience of treatment and recovery is individual and it’s important that we are making these decisions that feel right for us personally. For some, it can feel like a bit of a trial and error process so, please know that we're sitting with you along that journey.

I like how @Willy said, "I think the most important thing is to look for a really good therapist that you feel completely comfortable with."

You're doing the best that you can right now 💜 please keep reaching out, and if you ever need some support during the week, please also feel free to reach out to the SANE Helpline to speak with a counsellor, 1800 18 72 63 (10am-10pm, Weekdays).

hey @ray_of_sunshin3 ❤️ I just wanted to check-in cos you posted this a few days ago. How is it all going?

There is so much going on for you! If I'm understanding correctly, you feel like your psychiatrists recommendation of going back on an anti-depressant could help you cope while you're starting DBT, but you've got a few worries? Is that right?

It seems like you're thinking about what your husband thinks (or maybe the impact on the relationship) and also some other questions about efficacy of meds. It's totally understandable to have these questions, especially if we think something might impact our marriage. But it's your decision to make ❤️

Is there anything which you found useful when you first started taking your anti-depressants? For me, I thought about it as a temporary coping strategy while I figured out some other things (but some people are on medications long-term and that's ok too!). And if it's not helping, you could talk to your Psych of GP about trying a different one or just stopping too!

Hi there! I’ve started back on the antidepressants not quite a week in. I suffer from anxiety and depression and it’s been getting worse again so my gp and psychiatrist supported my suggestion of going back on it after 5 months off.

My husbands reasoning for supporting me to take them is he doesn’t like how I am on them (more flat lined). He also feels like I should just focus on seeing the psychologist and that that’s the main issue. It’s hard 😩