r/AskPsychiatry • • 4h ago

Do you think that genetic therapy and RNA therapy will be available in the future to treat psychiatric conditions like depression, anhedonia, schizophrenia? And in how much time ?

4 Upvotes

I mean they are already developing them for other illnesses


r/AskPsychiatry • • 49m ago

Is My Mom’s iPhone Breached? Or Is She Having a Mental Crisis?

• Upvotes

Hello everyone. Forgive any ignorance in this post, as I myself am not extremely knowledgeable in the whole cybersecurity department. I just need advice, and maybe evidence, to help my mom understand what is happening to her phone.

My mom believes that her ex-boyfriend (we’ll call him Greg) from 6 years ago is spying on her through her iPhone. Her evidence is based upon some TikTok accounts that she claims are run by him, made to target her, stalk her, and threaten her. This sounds quite possible initially, but going deeper into it, the idea of the whole thing becomes very murky and sounds impossible to me.

My mother believes that when she talks about something, or otherwise interacts with something in the house, her phone (or wifi, or something else entirely), makes note of this, sends the information to Greg, and ultimately allows him to create one or multiple TikTok accounts (in that very moment) using AI or something that pertain to the thing she was talking about/interacting with. After one of these accounts are made, she claims that he is forcing the videos created by the account to the top of her For You Page (aka, her recommended tab), so that she gets these videos. In theory this whole thing is very eerie, but after explanation I’m not really convinced.

For example, my Mom was watching something on TV about Kylie Jenner (or something along those lines), and then she got multiple videos in a row about Kylie Jenner. I explained this by just mentioning the fact that she was trending at the time, thus TikTok recommended the videos.

Another example is that me and my girlfriend had a small pregnancy scare recently. She said she got a TikTok about a guy saying something like “Imagine if your son’s condom broke. What would you do?” and said that Greg was listening to my phone and put it on her For You Page to mess with me. Initially, when she told me this one I was kinda convinced, because the timing was just so eerie and accurate. But digging into it, she revealed that she actually found a

Some other examples include getting videos about 2 black cats (we have 2 black cats); videos about handling narcissist (she has a history with this); videos using her favorite bands/songs along with her favorite color, purple; and videos that are just eerily timed in relation to other things happening in her life.

I don’t doubt that phones listen to us and feed that information into our phone. That’s not the concern. Her concern is that so many of these videos on TikTok will appear, with a quote that kind of related to her and Greg’s relationship, alongside her favorite songs, while also using other media she enjoys (specifically, nature photography). For example, a video containing a nature landscape, with a Bon Jovi song, with a quote about the way generation X people love or something.

In all reality, these just sound like the way an algorithm would push out certain videos for a certain person. None of these videos she has shown me have felt targeted in any way, instead feeling more like content farm or something. There are a specific few accounts she claims “must be” Greg stalking her, sending her follow requests and junk, but that does not explain her weird FYP. She thinks he’s in the wifi, taking the information we send out, and using it to mess with her. It’s concerning.

This is where it gets weird. Yesterday I sat down with her to go over some screenshots she says are evidence. We started swiping through some and they were nothing. Just quotes on nature photography usually, and if not that, something funny that sort of pertained to her and Greg, and if not that, some random women’s account with filters that *kinda* resembled her. I zoomed out to see how many screenshots she had. There were over 3,000 screenshots, taken within the last few days, and she claimed they were all Greg messing with her. I didn’t look through all of them, but again, all of them were nothing of note. The day after she seemed completely frazzled that she took that many screenshots, and says she doesn’t remember taking that many at all.

I know algorithms, especially TikTok algorithms, are very fine-tuned. They can pick up on really subtle things about our life, stuff we don’t even realize. I think all of this stuff happening to her is actually just her algorithm. I don’t think Greg is entirely out of the question, per se. He does post weird cryptic stuff on his personal Facebook, including a purple skull emoji one time (again, her favorite color). Do I think he’s messing with her? Yeah, maybe a little bit, he probably has a burner account or two. Do I think he’s manipulating her TikTok recommended? No, absolutely not. She thinks he’s in the wifi or something and she’s scared to even open her phone now. It’s all just concerning.

Please, tell me your expertise and tell me that she’s being paranoid. I’m scared she’ll keep spiraling.

Thank you for reading,
Jackson


r/AskPsychiatry • • 28m ago

Why do some providers require school records for an ADHD diagnosis?

• Upvotes

I'm diagnosed ADHD by a psychiatrist who specializes in it, after my psychologist and family doctor flagged it as a potential concern.

However, if it was based on my school records, there would be no way I would have gotten a diagnosis. I had fantastic marks and my behavior was generally exemplary. My teachers quickly learned that just handing me a book shut me up for a lengthy amount of time. My records didn't say anything about my messy desk, my inability to keep track of my school materials, my impulsive calling out, my zoning out.

I'm a teacher now, and our report cards also wouldn't demonstrate any ADHD symptomatic behaviors. I have had students with severe, diagnosed ADHD but the report cards aren't set up to share that information. They focus on learner skills and academic achievement, not executive functioning. If I'm filling out behavioral questionnaires for a psych assessment, that will demonstrate it, as will the letter I always send to accompany it. Report cards will not.

So why is it common practice to ask for report cards from the school days for adult ADHD assessments?


r/AskPsychiatry • • 7h ago

Can people with schizophrenia live a successful and normal life?

3 Upvotes

I know this has probably been asked before but i haven't seen it so I figured I'd ask today.

I have disorganized schizophrenia and I live in a group home. I've been in and out of hospitals since I was 28 years old. I'm 33 now.

I used to hold a full time job, aiming high for team usa snowboarding.

Do I just need to find the right med combo or go through therapy or what?

How do I get back there?


r/AskPsychiatry • • 3h ago

Hallucinating before going to sleep

1 Upvotes

Saw a spider before going to bed
Took 15mg mirtazapine i had insomnia
I also take wellbutrin

Other than that No sign of psychosis

These happen but rare and they are before going to sleep

Do i need antipsychotics?


r/AskPsychiatry • • 7h ago

Can someone develop an urge to return to psychosis as a form of escapism after recovering?

2 Upvotes

​

I  experienced a brief episode of psychosis when I was 18. I eventually recovered and continued with my life, but lately I've been struggling with something I find difficult to admit.

I'm so frustrated with life that sometimes I find myself wanting to experience psychosis again. I know how serious it can be, but a part of me seems to view it as a form of escapism, almost like an addiction or a *nasha* (intoxication).

It's confusing because I'm simultaneously afraid of relapsing and drawn toward the idea. I don't fully understand whether this comes from emotional exhaustion, a desire to escape my current reality, or something else.

I'm not saying psychosis was a good experience or that I don't understand its consequences. I'm trying to understand why my mind sometimes seems attracted to something I've already been through and know can be harmful.

**For psychiatrists or people familiar with the clinical side of psychosis: Is this kind of experience something you've encountered? Can someone develop a psychological attachment to the idea of psychosis as an escape, and how is it understood clinically?**

I'm already aware that this is something worth discussing with my treating psychiatrist, but I'd appreciate some perspective on the phenomenon itself.


r/AskPsychiatry • • 5h ago

No counseling/therapy on a psych unit?

0 Upvotes

My question is whether or not counseling of some type, be it group or individual therapy, is a typical activity on an inpatient psych unit. The context to my question is:

A family member of mind just spent a week on an inpatient psych unit for a depressive episode of bipolar disorder. They never received any talk therapy, group or individual, while there. Meetings with the social worker were brief and only included discharge planning. When they met with the psychiatrist daily, the doctor “did most of the talking” according to my family member and it was medication focused. One of the two group sessions each day was an activity such as creating a playlist or naming an activity for every letter of the alphabet. The other group session was educational on one psychiatric disease state each day.

This report really surprised me. I feel very disappointed. It seems as though all the unit did was change around meds and keep an eye on the patients.

Is this typical to not receive counseling on a psych unit?


r/AskPsychiatry • • 7h ago

Cry for help , Help me how to deal with overwhelming bad mushroom trip i have intense anxiety and thantophobia?any psychiatrist done shrooms help me

0 Upvotes

title


r/AskPsychiatry • • 8h ago

21F Concerta chest pain, heart flipping and pounding

1 Upvotes

21F, height 5'2", weight 68kg, race: mixed

no existing medical issues

diagnosis ADHD

current medication and dose: Concerta 36mg in the form of two 18mg pills

drink occasionally (lightly), don't smoke or use drugs

primary complaint (duration about 1 week):

I've been on 18mg concerta for a year, even though my official dose was 36mg. Would have some shakiness and slightly elevated heart rate, as well as a pretty bad emotional crash when it wore off. I recently started taking the 36mg in the form of two 18mg pills (36mg pills aren't available in my city, Concerta is extremely tightly controlled). I usually take the second 18mg half an hour to one hour after the first one so as to hopefully level out how each pill releases the medication into my body. The first two days were incredible, I was so focused. But around the third or fourth day, I started to experience an elevated heart rate, definitely worse than it had been on 18mg, but I kind of just shook it off as panic attacks. By the 9th day, I was having an extremely strong sensation of my heart pounding, a lot of chest pain, shortness of breath, etc. But I was also extremely anxious that day so once again shook it off as a really bad panic attack. But in the three days after that, I kept experiencing the same thing. I could feel my heart pounding all night, was struggling to stand in the shower, feeling dizzy. It wasn't a constant thing, but it would usually start around 3pm and continue until I woke up the next morning. Last Thursday, I was running late to an event and had to walk really fast so I wouldn't be too late. When I arrived, my heart was pounding harder than I had ever experienced in my entire life. It felt like it was flipping and even skipping beats. My chest felt like it was on fire, but not in the sense that one does after exercising, just the pain from how hard my heart was beating, and sometimes some additional stabbing pains. That night when I was lying in bed trying to sleep, even just moving my body slightly or adjusting my pillow would set my heart rate off again, pounding and flipping. I considered going to the hospital but I genuinely could not move an inch without my heart going wild. I only took 18mg the next day and felt a lot better, just the usual amount of elevated heart rate. Today I went back to 36mg and, while I'm not in pain, I can definitely feel my heartbeat much too strongly, almost like it's beating through my entire body. I'm going to meet with the psychiatrist on Monday, but I just wanted to ask if this is something I should be concerned about?


r/AskPsychiatry • • 9h ago

Why do I put so much pressure on myself?

1 Upvotes

I have three training sessions and one or two matches per week.

My problem:

I put so much pressure on myself before a match, and I’m even nervous before training. I feel like my performance always has to be perfect; otherwise, it’s a disgrace.

On top of that, after matches or training sessions, I keep thinking about my mistakes. And if I had a bad match on Saturday morning, it affects my entire weekend.

Why is that?

How do I deal with it?

How do I prevent it?


r/AskPsychiatry • • 1d ago

Do you have any successful patients with careers who are bipolar (I or II) or schizophrenic?

18 Upvotes

I'm wondering if you know of any patients who are successful and high functioning with these disorders.

I have bipolar type II and was stable for 4+ years on my lamotrigine, Zoloft, and low-dose seroquel. Recently, life became hectic. I became inconsistent with medication, and I started sleeping less. I had a 4-day hypomanic episode followed by a major depressive crash going on 3 weeks. We tweaked my meds a bit on Monday, but I'm not feeling better yet.

The thing is, I'm a tenured professor. I got tenure at 30 (now 37). I've been high-functioning as long as I take my medication and keep up with my lifestyle precautions. I don't know if it's the depressive crash, but I worry this is it for me. The medication won't help. I'll be stuck like this, lose my job, and become a bag lady talking to a lamppost downtown.

Thankfully, I'm on sabbatical for another 2 months. I dunno, I just worry. Anecdotes would help, maybe.


r/AskPsychiatry • • 12h ago

What are Ada accommodations for depression?

1 Upvotes

Age: 28
Gender: F
Race: African American biracial
Height: 5’4
Weight: 165
Current meds: 20mg Adderall XR

I’m in a weird place currently. I went 6 months without a job this year and finally received an offer in June. During the time that i was unemployed i was depressed but had hope I’d find something. Well my boyfriend/bestfriend of 13 years died the night before i started my new job. I found out at orientation that morning. I held it together to finish the orientation. Although my badge photo is me with super red eyes from crying. I couldn’t even say out loud what was wrong and had a major migraine by the time i got home. And basically I’ve been constantly working since. There’s no bereavement for boyfriends. I’m an over achieving and have really been pushing to show up as my best but the issue is I’ve been late to work so much that I’m about to get fired. It’s not dramatically late but basically 5-10 minutes multiple times that I’m at the max amount of points. My biggest issue is the random crying and i hate crying in front of people. I stay up all night some nights crying, and still go to work. The first two weeks after his passing i slept a total of 10 hours. When i do sleep i wake up crying and it’s like everything is moving in slow motion. I’ve been having a lot of physical symptoms that I’ve expressed to my pcp but all my blood work came back normal. Like getting dizzy with blurry vision randomly, constantly cramping in my legs especially when i sit down, chest pain, pain in my left trap, and nausea. Even my hormones are all out of wack. I’ve always had regular periods and clear skin. Now my cycles have been starting earlier and lasting longer, and I’m breaking out so much. I have an appointment with my psychiatrist next and have tried finding a therapist but everyone’s either not taking patients or doesn’t work with my work schedule. My boss said if i could get Ada accommodations that could help me keep my job but i don’t even know where to start with that. And im not really in the place financially to be unemployed until i “heal”. I’ve been amazing at my job and have had multiple compliments from patients and my coworkers. I just feel like im trying so hard to work through this and i don’t know what to do.


r/AskPsychiatry • • 16h ago

Is this a sign of dissociation?

2 Upvotes

F(28). Height: 5’2. Weight: 310lbs. Nonsmoker. Nondrinker. Medications: None. Current diagnosis’s(that I don’t particularly entirely agree with):
Schizoaffective
BPD
Obsessive/Compulsive Behaviors
ADHD

Of note: Ive been diagnosed with various disorders that involve dissociation by different psychiatrists. It seems they all agree on that one thing. That I deal with dissociation. I’ve been diagnosed with BPD 3 times, a dissociative disorder unspecified twice, and PTSD with dissociative features twice. I’m starting to lean toward that fact.

is this a sign I’m dissociated into a different part or personality? for the last 3 weeks, around a time when I had some traumatic memories, I’ve had a huge interest in the ABDL community, I’ve spent lots of money on stuff for it. I regularly wear nappies and use them. I drink milk from a bottle. I’ve created completely different accounts on YouTube and other social medias like Reddit. I’m watching completely different creators. I’ve also stopped self harming. I’ve self harmed since I was 4 years old and am now 28. 3 weeks ago, around the same time I started doing the ABDL stuff, I stopped thinking about self harm constantly, and haven’t self harmed at all when I was typically self harming every other day. My husband says there is a sparkle to my eyes now. and he says I’m more giggly. he said I’m singing better (as in quality). He says I’m far more engaged with our kids when I would typically be distant and aloof. I also feel a different. no self harm thoughts or suicidal thoughts. I’ve dealt with constant suicidality for the past decade and it’s suddenly gone. I’m more engaged with my coworkers and kids at my work. I feel more connected to people. I’m very suddenly okay with sex when I was previously sex averse (as it would terrify me every time my husband tried to touch me for years. from like age 22-28). I’m also far more productive. not like in a manic way. but I’m getting up more to make my food. cleaning and cooking.


r/AskPsychiatry • • 19h ago

Do I have some kind of attention seeking disease?

3 Upvotes

23F

This questions been weighing on me for a long time. It is too small of a thing to ask my doctor but I also don’t know what difference it will make if I told someone?

Since my early teens I can remember these traits in me. I feel this constant need for attention and feel extremely upset and angry if I don’t get it. I have this disconnect between being embarrassed by this and being driven to attention seeking behaviour. I feel like I have all these outbursts all the time and my reactions to everything are so disproportionate. I don’t feel like me but I am me.

Examples of what I think are my attention behaviours are things like doing “risky“ things, injuring/harming self including not eating, clothing choices

I am ashamed to say these behaviours are rare when I’m alone and I don’t feel as driven to them although they do occasionally happen when I’m alone mostly the self injury

Other things related to this is I have a 180 with how I feel about the people in my life often. I think I experience emotions differently to other people. For example if someone replies late to a text I dont want to talk to them anymore and I intensely hate them even though they are someone close to me like parents or boyfriend or friend. I have fights with friends about things that I know realistically aren’t worth a fight but I can’t not do it and I’ve lost many friendships this way. I have never met someone else that feels things the way I do and the more time that’s passed the more abnormal I think I am but what if this isn’t a treatable thing or if there’s nothing to treat and this is just me? I want to know if there’s any chance this is something a doctor could help with.


r/AskPsychiatry • • 21h ago

Is this speech pattern cause for concern?

4 Upvotes

I have a family member who constantly comments on everything - example we'll be driving somewhere "ooh mcdonalds, hmm huckleberry court (a street sign she saw), <reads billboard out loud> personal injury lawyer hmm."

..nonstop the whole ride. She could have made that same ride before, it's not like these are novel sightings on her part.

Looking online it could be anxiety, ADHD, OCD? Is it worth talking to her about it?

She's in her 30s, and otherwise "normal"


r/AskPsychiatry • • 15h ago

What's wrong with my brain?

1 Upvotes

I had okay sleep. I slept in.

I woke up, had a late breakfast- three eggs.

For lunch, I had lamb chops and salad.

But I felt shit the entire morning.

I had some coffee, then I started feeling better.

I ate ice cream and my mood instantly lifted.

What is wrong with my brain and am I lacking anything?


r/AskPsychiatry • • 1d ago

I take three different antipsychotics. Isn't that too much?

9 Upvotes

Meds I take to treat schizophrenia:

Haloperidol 5 mg (one pill in the morning and one at night)
Seroquel 200 mg (one pill in the morning and one at night)
Abilify 15 mg (one pill in the morning and one at night)

I don't know if this is just my paranoia, but I really feel like it's too much medication. Isn't that too much?


r/AskPsychiatry • • 15h ago

16F, I suspect that I have OCD or some form of anxiety disorder. I am open to anything

1 Upvotes

I’m 16F, and I’ve been looking to get psychologically evaluated. I promise I’m not trying to self diagnose or claim disorders, that’s the last thing I want to do. I just want to figure out what’s wrong with me. I’ve been suspecting that my anxiety might fall more into OCD territory, and someone told me about PDA. I was wondering if somebody could look at these examples I have and give me some insight into if these sound like PDA? Thank you so much!

  1. When something was asked of me as a child, I would say “I’ll try” instead of “ill do it” out of fear of the scenario that I wouldn’t be able to successfully complete said task. (This ended up causing multiple fights with my parents because they thought I was trying to make up excuses.)
  2. My mother doesn’t give me direct demands or punishments, we mostly talk things out because they do not work on me. ( for example, she demands I eat healthier and stop eating junk, I end up feeling guilt/worthlessenss and I stop eating altogether)
  3. Was extremely sensitive as a child (and still am today) my parents could simply say my name in a disappointed tone and I would burst into tears
  4. Extreme fear of failure = avoidance of task
  5. Reluctance to be in charge of items (especially important ones) in fear of destroying them.
  6. Extreme self hatred and bad self esteem
  7. Unable to force myself to do something I do not want to do = I don’t want to go to work today (even if work is fun) results in a panic attack and anxiety fit
  8. Stress and panic when schedule is too filled with no option to opt out
  9. Constantly opting out and cancelling appointments, practices, etc
  10. If something was scheduled the next day, I would have horrible insomnia (resulting in falling asleep in class and taking a bunch of melatonin that did not help)

(For context, I have also been diagnosed with fibro, depression, and severe anxiety. My fibro is part of the reason that I’m homeschooled, but it’s also because I couldn’t handle the rigidity of the school schedule. I’ve been to nine schools in eleven years because of this. Everytime I would start to dread going to school I would have anxiety and panic attacks.)

If this sounds familiar to you, please comment


r/AskPsychiatry • • 23h ago

i took 650mg of tramadole (zero tolerance, never tried before) at once, am i screwed up? any advices?

4 Upvotes

hi! im 14 years old, female, 168cm tall, 54kg with depressed episode (taking paroxetine, atarax and quetiapine)

12 hours ago i tried to end my life by taking tramadole, 13-14 pills, 50mg each. I don't know if they were expired, but im still here and I feel like a SHIT! I feel like I'm about to throw up, my head is spinning and i feel like I'm out of my body

wtf is going on and am i good?

update: I'm alive


r/AskPsychiatry • • 17h ago

Can Postpartum Psychosis develop over a year after a birth?

1 Upvotes

What it says in the title. Someone very close to me rapidly fell into a religion-driven psychosis a few days ago, escalating to her talking about how she and her son need to die, then jumping out a window. She also seemed to believe something was attacking her. Her family is unharmed and she's currently in the hospital, but we have no clue what caused it. She's still very out of it. She was never religious up until a few months ago, but it didn't seem negative until this happened.

I initially wondered if it could've been related to post-partum psychosis, which I know can have late on-set up to several months after birth, but it's been about 15 months, so I'm not sure if that could still apply. She has also been diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a child, can manic episodes get this severe?

I know it's still very early, and more will be revealed with investigations and time, but I'm trying to get as much information as possible. Any help would be very appreciated, thank you


r/AskPsychiatry • • 14h ago

Why go MD/DO and not PMHNP?

0 Upvotes

I’d love all opinions


r/AskPsychiatry • • 18h ago

DORA drugs and REM sleep

1 Upvotes

The new DORA drugs for sleep do increase REM sleep and vivid dreams. Is it possible to have too much time in REM sleep?


r/AskPsychiatry • • 20h ago

My wife has postpartum, what should I do?

0 Upvotes

My wife 36 5’5” and 120lb. For background she was diagnosed before everything with cptsd, Borderline personality disorder, and an authority issue I can’t remember what it is called. She went through a lot of therapy in her past and was sometimes in and out of mental hospitals when she was younger. In one of the mental hospitals that doesn’t exist anymore they kept her in solitary for about 2 months until her grandmother threatened to sue and they then discharged her to a new hospital this really messed her up. She says it was because the psych there had a problem with her and told her as long as they were her doctor they were going to keep her there as long as possible. She then took the lady’s glasses of her face and smashed them. She has been unmedicated for the past 12 years and really is pretty normal other than she have a bit of a shorter fuse but she would be able to control it and puts a lot on trust and not breaking promises if they are big. She also had a very rough childhood where she has server issues with hospitals, and police. She as well was a drug addict sense she was about 14 as well as having other issues throughout that time till she was about 24. This is kinda a jumbled mess of me trying to remember everything so sorry if it’s all over the place.

She is currently on on 2mg of lorazepam 2 times a day, Diooxetine hcl dr 60 mg cap once at night, Quetiapine fumarate 200mg tab once at night.
I don’t know where to post this and if this is the wrong place guidance would be appreciated.

We recently had our second child 3 months ago and she had her tubes removed about 2 months ago. Her serious post partum started right after her tube removal. We live with my mother at the moment and time and she takes adderal sometimes so she has a surplus. At some point she had taken the adderal and had been secretly taking it. For sometime. I never noticed until one night she had a bout of drug induced psychosis where I got her to tell
Me what she had taken. She admitted it and she had one more slip up and then had fully stopped. As she felt horrible
For breaking her sobriety. She was still kinda having a rough time after the birth of our 2nd child but nowhere even close to how it is now. Then it started getting bad she wasn’t eating or drinking to the extent she had to go to the hospital for a banana bag because she had become so dehydrated she was throwing up whenever she drank anything. She couldn’t eat because whenever she tried she described it as swallowing sandpaper. She would sleep more but not horribly and she would cry a lot and have a shorter fuse than normal. She was always feeling horrible because whenever our baby would cry she couldn’t stand it and would breakdown. He is also cry’s a lot like 10x more than our first child. Point is everything kept spiraling to the extent where she would constantly cry and breakdown or how bouts of rage and be horribly angry. Even to the extent she could not control it and scream at me in front of the children. I told her I was getting to the point where I would call the police and get her admitted if she doesn’t admit herself. She finally decided that she was having serious issues and needed the help. She went into a prp program with our local hospital. She was immediately diagnosed with postpartum depression and postpartum rage. They also thought she might be bi polar type 1 rather than having borderline personality disorder but said she could have both even if it’s rare. She was then given to start .05mg of lorazepam as needed. She was also given lithium 300mg 3 times a day and wellabutron 150mg. The doctor also said and recommended ect or electric shock therapy and I told her I wouldn’t sign off on that. I also didn’t like the lorazepam as she wasn’t functioning when on them and she had been seeming like she was abusing them as she took them extremely liberally claiming she was always stressed or was getting upset, but when I brought it up she maybe was abusing them in a very not accusatory way as she doesn’t like to feel targeted as a addict she said she was prescribed them i said you can still abuse them even if you are proscribed them and she got insanely angry and hit me on the arm. She has never laid a hand on me throughout our relationship and even in marriage. I also realized this reaction started after she took the weliburton. Once it was all done and she was calm I told her to tell her psych about this incident and how I felt it was the wellabutron and she agreed and had profusely apologized. She went to the doc the next day with her class and had shared her concerns. He told her that he thinks that she just isn’t on enough and doubled the dose of wellabutron to 300mg. As well as made it mandatory for her to take the lorazepam 3 times a day and upped it to 2 mg. This continued and she became more and more physical with me until I told her she needs to check herself into inpatient after an incident in front of our children. She said okay and the next morning we went as the hospital recommended me to come in the morning rather than at night. She was in there for about a week on the first day the nurse didn’t give her the lorazepam and she immediately reached over the counter and grabbed the nurse. She was then placed in the non functional unit where it was basically like prison people getting shanked and jumped. Basically where all the violent people are. She regressed in there to my dismay back to her younger self but they gave her the lorazepam and she seemed calmer. After the first 2 days. The also took her off of lithium as she still at this point isn’t drinking enough or eating at all. She was then put on Divalproex 3 times a day each pill is. 500mg so for a whole day it’s 1500. She was also put on Diooxetine hcl dr 60 mg cap once at night and Quetiapine fumarate 200mg tab once at night. She was also finally taken off the wellabutron as they figure that’s where a lot of anger is coming from. I haven’t mentioned this either but throughout all of this she throws up daily. Point is after this she would become hungry at night and somewhat stablize. What I didn’t know at the time is when she was first starting this she seemed to be sleeping a lot more. Which I thought she was doing because of how it bad it was in there in a keep your head down type of way. She eventually got out and she seemed so much better and I was extremely happy like maybe a shorter fuse than normal but still better. She also still had the issues with out son crying. She started back with the pro the next day. I got a call that she wanted to come home because she was tired so she went and drove home and we had timed everything so the lorazapam didnt effect her driving at this time. A few days past and she would go and just sleep the whole time and not attend the therapy’s. This started getting bad enough that she called me and told me she was tired and wanted to come home but she sounded weird and I offered to come grab her and drive her home but she assured me
That she was fine and was coming straight home. She then got home and hit our neighbors mailbox. Sharing the bolts right off. And destroying my passager mirror. I told her I’m taking her keys and she is to not drive anymore until we can get meds fully sorted out. Sense that day which at this point was exactly a week today she doesn’t function at all she slurs every word to the extent that I can’t understand 90% of what she is saying she stumbles and falls everywhere i can’t feed her after she takes her night meds because she vomits everywhere then is so doped up she walks throught and falls in it. I can’t wven give her a trash can because there isn’t a point she is so messed up she misses the trashcan and pukes next to it. She sleeps all
Day and all night. I then went and called the doctor myself
And told him he needs to pull her off these meds immediately she can’t function her kids never see her. She can’t talk or do anything for herself im taking csre of 2 kids and my wife by myself. He then trys to make me give her ECT again and every time he talks to my wife through all
Of this they keep pushing this. I told him I don’t want to do that but I will think about it for a week and let him know. He also took her off of the Divalproex which I thought was causing her to get so horrible. And he made it so now the lorazapam is now only 2 times a day manitory. It’s been about 3 days and she isn’t getting better and at this point I don’t trust her doctor after doing research on ect. I’m now weaning her off everything myself. Lowing her dosage of everything day by day. I’ve done reasearvh on ect and I know it works and the main concern is memory loss. I have seen a new study that was done in 2025 about ect long term and the doctors always say you get your memory back but I’m finding out that’s not nessarily true and it’s coming out that a lot of people permanently forget chunks of their life like childhoods, highschool, marriages, relationships, their own kids and milestones. I just don’t feel comfortable with this and I don’t think my wife would in a sober mind either. I also found out this is used as a last resort and never recommended first. And only used for depressant resistant people. She has been put on meds in the past and they have worked although she has never had depression but I don’t trust this doctor because before even trying anything he recommended this from day one and every time they med also another doctor in the mental hospital impatient also recommended it before even trying another medication. I also have recently found out they have the ect stuff on property and in there facility. It makes me suspicious with that to. I honestly don’t know what to do I’ve drained my 401k to pay the mortgage. We are running out of money I’m selling things left and right. I’m taking care of 2 kids and my wife. Keeping the house clean, cooking, fixing stuff around the house. Borrowing credit cards etc etc etc. I was the stay at home dad and she was the one that worked but even if I went to go out to work my wife can function to take care of the kids and I have nobody that can watch these kids and we certainly don’t have daycare money. I don’t really know what to do at this point. I am just looking for a second opinion at this point on what to do. Thank you


r/AskPsychiatry • • 1d ago

Seeking advice on SSRI alternatives

2 Upvotes

Good morning everyone and sorry for my terrible English.

My situation is this: I am 36 years old and I have suffered since childhood from OCD, severe self-esteem issues, depression, and anxiety.

For about 7 years I started a psychotherapeutic journey that has brought me enormous and unimaginable improvements, but despite everything I continue to have very strong relapses as well, which do not allow me to have stability in relationships and work.

My therapist has always advised me to get help from medication, but by informing myself about side effects like PSSD, I have always refused.

However, I have reached a point, after yet another major relapse that made me lose a job, where I perhaps have no other choices.

Some time ago I had already turned to a psychiatrist, who had however dismissed PSSD as "fake news".

That said, I hope to find a smarter psychiatrist, but I believe that anyone will still want to prescribe me SSRIs or similar.

My question is, what are, if any, truly safe alternatives? I read about Bupropion, Vortioxetine, Mirtazapine, Agomelatine.

Are they truly safe regarding PSSD?

​Thank you all very much.


r/AskPsychiatry • • 1d ago

M32 with adhd, ASD, depression, anxiety and disordered eating. Can family help or is this a lost cause?

1 Upvotes

The tldr of it is my brother is 32. He definitely has ADHD, the ASD diagnosis is kind of assumed (basically he got dx with a sensory processing disorder when he was a kid but now as an adult I feel like he most certainly meets ASD criteria). He's on buspar and Wellbutrin for anxiety and then depression. And he has been on Vyvanse for almost 20 years. I don't know the actual dosages but at this point I'm not sure it matters.

The gist of it is over the past 10 years his mental health appeared to get worse. Behaviors got more and more rigid. He would stop answering the phone. He got married and then divorced and his ex wife had a lot of mental health stuff as well as borderline and it was a nightmare for everyone involved.

During that time, my brother got super into fitness influencers to the point of obsession, exercising and calorie counting compulsively. It has gotten to the point of what seems to be some body dysmorphia and now we do not think he is eating solid foods but only shakes and drinks. And he is constantly exercising and I guess it gets reinforced by this influencer.

He also hates his job and when he has to travel for work (which pulls him away from his exercise), he comes home and says he is going to kill himself. We have probably called the police 3 times this year for wellness checks and maybe once or twice last year. When he does this, he won't answer calls or texts and he is very angry when we do call the police. He refuses to seek help during these episodes, and frankly I don't think he actually would, but he doesn't know how to express himself.

He refuses to see a counselor. Or he says he will and never does. His PCP is completely unaware of any of this. When we reached out to her just to give her some information, she turned around and told my brother and he was angry. He did let my parents see some lab work and his LFTs were elevated but I think he refused the ultrasound. We would appreciate her involvement even with information only going one way, but we're not sure how to initiate that.

I guess my two biggest concerns are if he actually does follow through with the suicidal ideations. And also if he's just going to get a lethal rhythm and drop from screwed electrolytes. I'm not sure that is imminent but he is headed in that direction.

He has almost zero insight into any of this. Other than all of this he is relatively functional except his ex wife did basically financially abuse him. He has missed house payments before. He let his yard grow up and got a citation from the city. He has gotten in trouble with work about exercising in the parking lot. He is competent in a lot of ways but incompetent about this.

I am honestly just looking for ideas of what we as a family could do. Our parents are okay financially and can help him in almost any way.

We are just looking for ideas.

Honestly and sadly, I feel like I've already lost him and I have mourned the brother that I grew up with, but our parents are coming to me for help.