Struggling With Mental Health

Student Lounge College Life
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Hey guys. I guess this is more of a check-in than anything else.

Anyone else excited for Thanksgiving Break? It’ll be my first breather in three months!

Anyways, I want to keep this short, sweet, and to the point. The topic title is the main problem. This whole semester, I’ve been struggling with mental health problems that have ranged from unprecedented self-harm and suicidal ideation. A lot of days, getting out of bed is a huge struggle and I quite often sleep maybe 16 hours a day. Studying and attending classes is hard, but I still pull through at minimum. I’ve informed the student counseling center and even gone to the psychiatry clinic they offer. Student counseling was okay but they saw me as someone needing more help than the 6 free sessions and so they recommended I look for longterm care off campus. Psychiatry is just awful and of no help. They prescribe medication, but the psychiatrists just aren’t people I trust with my health. I feel worse after going to see them, and they actively discourage medication use despite that being all they do. So I don’t take the medication they give me.

I have contacted as many people in the health department as I can to help me through such a difficult time, emphasizing my self-harm concerns, but they don’t seem to care if I’m not in immediate danger at that moment in time. They’re beginning to ask questions: “Three psychiatrists and you’ve had a problem with each? Maybe YOU’RE the problem, not them.”

Is there some avenue for help that I’m missing? I DON’T want to go back home honestly. My parents are of zero help with this kind of stuff, and they’re incredibly toxic people.

I’ve written previously about severe panic disorder this (and last) semester, but I’ve managed a workaround: I noticed a correlation of when they’d happen. Specifically they’d happen pretty severe when I drank water in the morning and I drank LOTS of water in the morning. Once I stopped drinking water in the morning and began waiting several hours to do so, the problem pretty much cleared up. Incidents still happen but not as bad or frequently–maybe once a week, if I’m particularly sleep deprived. Makes me wonder if it really was panic disorder or some sort of electrolyte imbalance.

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Have you seen a general doctor and had a full medical evaluation? You may also request a referral to a different mental health practice. Sometimes you have to keep trying to find the right type of practice for you. You actually are fortunate to have three different psychiatrists to try in one area. Psychiatrists are of great shortage in our country.

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@NorthernMom61 I have tried going to two general doctors at least twice and both times they immediately wanted me to see a psychiatrist. One of those times, I intentionally withheld any diagnoses of an anxiety disorder to see if they’d come to the same conclusion, and they did.

The psychiatrists are provided FREE by my university. If I get referred out, I have to actually pay a huge copay from then on. I’m on a little bit of a limited budget, so having to do followup appointments every two weeks gets expensive. That’s why it’s a little discouraging.

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Your best option is to keep going to the free psychiatrists then and try to build a bit of a relationship so that they can more accurately treat you. You may actually benefit from trying one of the medication regimes they recommend. Keep trying, you don’t sound entirely safe left without a lifeline.

I’m sorry you don’t feel like getting your parents involved will help. Is there another family member you trust that you can call on to help out?

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Have you tried taking the medicines at all? I can understand not wanting to, but there are physiological causes behind mental illnesses. It might help to try them for a month or so and see if anything improves. Like I said, I can understand where your reluctance comes from, but it might be hasty to rule them out without trying.

Alternatively, not all mental health practitioners are psychiatrists/able to prescribe medication. Would the copays still be high if you saw a licensed social worker? I would call your insurance provider to make sure. And if you have been diagnosed, be sure to mention that; it might make a difference with the cost.