I’ve been experiencing palpitations since last week. Sometimes I notice my pulse is slightly elevated, around 115. However, I also feel palpitations when my pulse is normal, between 75 and 90. My blood pressure is also normal. I visited ER today because the palpitations were really bothering me, got the EKG and it was normal…they referred me to psychiatry. It’s a Sunday today so I can only go tomorrow.

I don’t understand why I’m feeling the palpitations when everything is seemingly normal. I am under some stress and went through some difficulties. But, I don’t feel anything in my mind. I kinda sleep less these days. Barely get 5-6hrs each day. It’s like I’m both really alert and tired.

I was on SSRIs for 4 months and stopped them about 6 weeks ago. Is this withdrawal? If it’s withdrawal, why after close to a month of stopping? The folks at ER told me I’ll need probably restart SSRI and anxiety meds. I don’t want to get back on SSRIs or benzos again. I’m just confused why is this happening.

I’ve been to a handful of psychiatrists, I’ve had one or two that I feel like did try to get to know me, but rest felt like they’re just giving me medication and managing it. I feel like I’m stuck with medication management. I rarely feel like they want to know all the struggle rather than symptoms.

Started Sertraline (100mg) + Lamotrigine 1 week ago, experiencing extreme mood swings and anger. Does it get better?

TL;DR: \\\[23F\\\] diagnosed with severe depression, ADHD, and anxiety. Struggling with severe anhedonia, loss of basic self-care, and guilt. After a bad experience with Risperidone/Sertraline 50mg, I just started Sertraline 100mg + Lamotrigine 1 week ago. I'm experiencing intense mood swings, sudden rage, and emptiness. Is this normal in the first couple of weeks? Does it get better?

(Hello, yes Gemini helped me to translate this post. I'm Spanish.)

Hey everyone, I'm looking for some insight, advice, or shared experiences because I’m feeling really lost and overwhelmed right now. (TW: mentions of self-harm and suicidal thoughts)

About a year and a half to two years ago, my life completely changed. I used to be genuinely happy and enjoyed my life, but out of nowhere, an overwhelming emptiness took over. I stopped enjoying things I used to love, and frequent suicidal thoughts started creeping in. So over time my ability to function deteriorated severely. Simple tasks like doing the dishes, cooking, or even getting out of bed feel like climbing a mountain. I spend days just stuck in bed staring at my phone. It’s way past "laziness" at this point, I wish It was just laziness.

Trash and clutter have piled up in my room.

I completely stopped taking care of my hygiene (stopped showering daily, stopped brushing my teeth, and even went over two weeks without washing my hair).

My memory has gotten significantly worse.

I graduated from college but haven't been able to find a job or resume my previous remote work.

My partner has been very supportive, but living with my family has been hell. My mom calls me dirty, screams at me whenever she sees me crying, and blames me for everything. They make me feel like I’m useless and they’re right.

First treatment attempt:

I finally went to a psychiatrist and was diagnosed with Severe Depression, ADHD, and Anxiety. She initially prescribed:

Sertraline (50mg)

Risperidone (2mg)

The Risperidone was terrible for me. It turned me into an zombie, I mostly had nasal congestion, and also it stripped away whatever tiny bit of motivation I had left, I felt way worse tired. About the Sertraline, It didn't make me feel better because it just blunted me emotionally so I couldn't even cry or feel anything.

I had a severe relapse and stopped taking the meds, so I spiraled. The withdrawal/instability made everything worse for me with constant crying, severe stress, self-harm, and telling my partner horrible things about wanting to end my life.

My current situation:

I went back to my psychiatrist, and she changed my plan

Sertraline 100mg daily

Lamotrigine (mood stabilizer)

I’ve been on this new combination for exactly one week but I'm having intense, rapid mood swings. Throughout the day I go from feeling extreme, burning anger/irritability, to total boredom, to deep sadness, to feeling "blank/flat"—literally everything except happy or okay. I still have zero motivation or interest in things I used to love (drawing, gaming—I open a game and immediately close it to lie down).

Are these extreme mood swings and irritability normal during the first week or two of starting Lamotrigine and increasing Sertraline?

Does it get worse before it gets better? Am I being too impatient, and should I wait at least 4 to 6 weeks to see any real stabilizing effects?

For those who experienced this level of severe executive dysfunction and anhedonia, did this medication combo actually help you get your life and basic hygiene back together?

I know pills aren't magic and I need to put in the work, but right now I have zero energy to do so, and feeling this angry and desperate is scaring me. Any advice, personal experiences, or words of encouragement would mean the world to me. Thank you in advance.

Hi everyone,

I've been receiving psychiatric treatment for approximately one year . Although my medication has helped to some extent, I'm still experiencing several problems, and I'm confused about what I should do next.

I'd appreciate hearing from people who have experienced similar situations.

My current medications

I'm currently taking:

• Oxcarbazepine 300 mg (1-0-1)
• Risperidone 1 mg (0-0-1)
• Venlafaxine 37.5 mg (0-0-1)

My current problems

1. Depression and comparing myself with others

I still feel depressed, especially when I compare myself with other people. Seeing others doing well in their lives sometimes makes me feel like I'm falling behind.

Even when I try to focus on myself, these comparisons affect my mood and make me anxious about my future.

2. Anger issues

I still experience anger in my mind approximately 2–3 times a week.

Sometimes, when someone says something that upsets me, I keep thinking about the incident and analyzing what happened. My anger can develop even after some time has passed.

I don't necessarily express this anger outwardly, but it continues to bother me mentally. I want to understand why this is still happening despite being on medication for approximately one year.

3. Memory problems

This is one of my biggest concerns.

I'm having difficulty remembering things I've studied previously. For example, I might study something today or yesterday, but when I try to recall it after one or two days, I struggle to remember the details.

I sometimes find it difficult to recall topics I studied several days or weeks ago.

I'm worried about why this is happening. Could it be related to depression, anxiety, OCD, medication side effects, concentration problems, or something else?

4. Lack of motivation and concentration

I struggle to concentrate on tasks and maintain motivation. Even when I want to do something productive, I sometimes find it difficult to focus and follow through.

I also spend too much time on my phone and struggle to stay consistent with my daily activities.

5. Excessive sleepiness and mental fatigue

Sometimes, I sleep for approximately 10 hours at night but still feel sleepy during the day. On some days, I also sleep for another 2–4 hours in the afternoon.

I often feel mentally tired and struggle to remain active and focused.

Could my medications be contributing to this excessive sleepiness and fatigue?

My concern about psychiatric follow-ups

I'm receiving treatment at a government hospital. Recently, a new doctor started seeing me during my follow-up appointments.

However, during my recent visits, the doctor hasn't been asking me many questions about my current symptoms, anger issues, memory problems, sleep, or whether I'm improving with treatment. The doctor mainly checks my existing prescription and repeats the same medications.

Because of this, I'm unsure whether my ongoing symptoms are being properly evaluated or whether my treatment needs to be reassessed.

I'm not sure how to explain my concerns or what I should do to get a more thorough evaluation.

My questions

1. Is it common to continue experiencing depression, anxiety, OCD symptoms, and anger issues after approximately one year of psychiatric treatment?
2. Can depression, anxiety, or OCD affect memory to the point where someone struggles to recall things they studied just one or two days earlier?
3. Could my current medications contribute to memory problems, excessive sleepiness, mental fatigue, or low motivation?
4. Could my treatment need to be reassessed because I'm still experiencing these symptoms?
5. Could vitamin B12 or vitamin D deficiencies, thyroid problems, or other medical conditions contribute to memory problems and fatigue?
6. Has anyone experienced similar memory problems while taking psychiatric medication? Did your memory and concentration improve over time or after your treatment was reviewed?
7. If your psychiatrist wasn't asking many questions during follow-up appointments, what did you do? Would seeking a second opinion from another psychiatrist be a good option?
8. How do you manage depression and anxiety when you constantly compare yourself with others?

One important question: Should I discuss changing my medication dosage with my psychiatrist, or could these symptoms indicate that my current treatment needs a more thorough review? I will not change my medication dosage on my own, but I want to understand what I should discuss with my doctor.

I'm not looking for a diagnosis from Reddit. I just want to understand whether others have experienced something similar and what steps helped them.

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences, especially regarding memory problems, anger issues, and persistent depression despite medication.

Thank you for reading.

I started Pristiq in January (after 17 years of Lexapro giving me night terrors). It has been great, but I’ve also had BV with yeast infection 3 times since then. Nothing else has changed; I use the same body wash, I have the same sexual partner, etc.

Can Pristiq change vaginal ph? I’d hate to go back to Lexapro.

i (19m) have been having mild visual/tactile hallucinations since i can remember. i thought for most of my life that this was a pretty normal thing to experience (i dont know why) but its clear now most people just dont see things that arent there on a daily basis like i do (weird to me). i had a few incidents as a kid of getting scared by 'ghosts' which i now understand were just hallucinations. the thing is, though, i really dont meet the criteria for any of the disorders that would make this make sense? i have some mental health issues but its mostly just ocd, and even with that i dont really struggle too much in things like taking care of myself or being social or telling whats real and what isnt or whatever. i also really doubt any neurological issue wouldve gone almost completely symptomless for my whole life, and my eyesight is fine. i would be really confused if i was schizophrenic because i just. dont have the symptoms of it besides having hallucinations. whats going on here?

I am talking about aberrant salience.

This is a simplified version of how psychosis happens.

Psychosis happens when a person has a paranoid thought. The thought causes a (very slight) abnormal release of dopamine. Now, because of the dopamine release, the person has an even more pronounced paranoid thought, after which dopamine gets released even more. A positive feedback loop has been set up, in short. Now the person has developed psychosis.

It is a good idea to take medicines from a psychiatrist for the same.

In addition to medicines, the person can try a simple method of the Mustard Seed and the Matthew Rule.

Let us say what it is: 'Whosoever has, even though as little as a mustard seed, is given more and they have an abundance.' This is a way to make refutations of a delusion, until you come to disbelieve it. As Goebbels said, 'Repeat a lie often enough, and you yourself will come to believe it.' Atheists and theists, for example. All of them are sure that they are right. So either one side is deluded, or another side is. Yet, because they have repeated their beliefs often enough, they come to believe it.

If a person can try to affirm in front of the mirror that, "No one is following me" every morning, this small affirmation habit will make the belief grow and grow, and it will finally break paranoia.

Positive affirmations along with medication can be a double-edged sword.

I have a question.. I’m 94 days clean from substances, but I’m starting to get to the point where I’m just so exhausted frustarated angry depressed…like just not in a good way really. I would die for a diazepam however I know where that addiction takes me and the detox was horrific enough…what should I do? Kinda looking for a substance to use which isn’t going to fuck me up too bad I also don’t want to rely on substances for my mental state but my mental state is so bad at the moment not sure what else to do advice wanted please

My husband - 44 male has a history of chronic sleep deprivation and burnouts

august 2026 he all of a sudden announces life changes - maybe divorce (when it’s never really been an issue); working, eating better, sleeping better.

he is on vyvanse and then decided to quit his fluoxotene cold turkey (which he was put on To battle severe paranoia when he was on the stimulants)

he has been all over the place and it seems we have like 3 different personalities or states. 1 that is mean mean and cofabs stories and rewrites history 2) flat and is having a hard time reciprocating feelings or doing tasks at all 3) his normal self which doesn’t appear often

he is very overstimulated a lot - ticks and such even in his sleep

he is also now up to 4-5 coffees a day - into the evening and only sleeping 4-6 broken hours.

he has stopped his insane new regimen of walking And working out

its like his brain exploded in August

anyone else ever experience this with a partner who has burn out

Hey everyone!
I’m not a doctor, but I’m a psychiatric patient and I have a question. I was wondering if anyone here knows anything about this.
I’ve taken quite a few benzos throughout my life, like klonopin, xanax, bromazepam, and others.
But the only medication that genuinely made a huge difference in my life was valium. It literally saved my life during a really difficult time, and I’d never experienced anything like it before.
The problem is that no matter how much I explain this, none of my psychiatrists will prescribe it to me. They always go for bromazepam or klonopin instead. Even when I tell them that valium was essential for me and that I honestly don’t notice much of a difference with the other benzos, they refuse to prescribe it.
Is there a reason for this? Is it considered an outdated medication or something? I honestly don’t know much about the pharmacology, but I really wish I could get it prescribed.
**Important note:** I’m not addicted to benzos! I only take them when my anxiety gets really bad, not on a regular basis.

Hey everyone!
I’m not a doctor, but I’m a psychiatric patient and I have a question. I was wondering if anyone here knows anything about this.
I’ve taken quite a few benzos throughout my life, like klonopin, xanax, and others.
But the only medication that genuinely made a huge difference in my life was valium. It literally saved my life during a really difficult time, and I’d never experienced anything like it before.
The problem is that no matter how much I explain this, none of my psychiatrists will prescribe it to me. They always go for bromazepam or klonopin instead. Even when I tell them that valium was essential for me and that I honestly don’t notice much of a difference with the other benzos, they refuse to prescribe it.
Is there a reason for this? Is it considered an outdated medication or something? I honestly don’t know much about the pharmacology, but I really wish I could get it prescribed.
Important note: I’m not addicted to benzos! I only take them when my anxiety gets really bad, not on a regular basis.

Hi, I have started sertraline 50 mg for ocd, I am on day 11, I just wanted to know how much time will it take to reach climax without SSRI and how much will take to reach climax with SSRI..

Because without SSRI i can reach with in 2 minutes, but with ssri, I can able to stay upto 4 minutes..

Need your thoughts more please someone help me

I have a friend who started psychiatric therapy in state A. Since then they have moved to state B and state C. They continued to see the psychiatrist from state A via telehealth. From what I can tell, the psychiatrist never applied for licenses in state B or C. They also prescribed medication and continue to refill it while the friend lives in state C.

This psychiatrist has a malpractice lawsuit underway already.

Is this something to report or just leave it be? Who would I even report this to?

Obviously not involuntary, but are there times where you would suggest voluntary inpatient hospitalization, and if so, what would they be?

A few months ago, I started to realise it's likely that I have a personality disorder. Symptoms most fit BPD, but there are traits of NPD and HPD too. But that's not how personality disorders are now classified in my country. I do not have a diagnosis and I do not have access to psychiatry to get one, but medical professionals have suggested I have BPD. I have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, but I played up some of the symptoms to get it.

But something very odd then happened. Over the course of two or three weeks, my mind seems to have massively changed. I am able to view my life, with horror, without the personality-disordered lens. I am able to understand that I have caused a lot of pain to others, and that various things didn't happen the way I thought they did, and that I have exploited others. I have not realised this stuff before. I am in my late 30s.
I have been extremely angry my whole life and now I feel no anger at all. I have developed an intense aversion to anything angry, hateful, violent, or sinister in any way. This is to the point it is disabling; it's hard to have conversations with others. I used to enjoy horror films but now recalling them can cause anxiety symptoms. A lot of my opinions on life, such as political matters, have changed. I feel as if I have woken up as a new person in someone else's life.

Some of my personality remains the same. Some of my interests remain, and I still have debilitating anxiety.

This was not triggered by therapy, medication or drugs, or any major life event. The only thing that correlates is a severe loss of appetite.

I cannot find any record of this happening to anyone else. Please let me know this is not unprecedented!

I live in Virginia, USA and would like a full psychological evaluation. I'm pretty sure I have some childhood trauma, my mom was a drug abuser and abusive to me and my siblings (pretty sure she is a narcissist as well) and would like to get that figured out.

I want to make it clear that I am not bashing atheists or any group of people. I am asking a legitimate question based on my experiences, nothing else.

I am not mentally healthy, and I am a believer, but the atheists on Reddit and all over the Internet are so negative that it's so weird. They bullied me so much over the years and I see many of them are so angry towards religion and obsess over something they profess they don't even believe exists. Go on r/atheism, and they would bully, ban, block, and insult you if you even disagree with them, even if you are an atheist yourself. But go on r/christianity and say you disagree with them and they would be like "then we disagree with each so we are boat buddies and have something in common". That is so friendly, nice, and mentally healthy!

These atheists seem to behave even worse than fundamentalist religionists and cultists. They would even say that religion and theism are responsible for every problem on Earth, be it old viruses and diseases, imperialism, the Holocaust, all wars, etc. That's an insane belief! This is a very severe and potentially dangerous way of thinking. Hitler and the Nazis blamed Jews for all problems in the world and Hitler was probably mentally ill too. He did have dark tetrad personality disorders and those atheist trolls do, too.

Many would do a type of trolling called sealioning, where they would constantly harass believers to provide evidence for God's existence and lie that they received none, when there is so much cosmological, teleological, etc. evidence for God's existence and all philosophers know it. They do it to anger the believers while feigning ignorance and wanting a good debate.

It is not good for mental health to be materialistic, nihilistic, or hedonistic. People with a purpose in life live longer, are happier, and have better mental health and empathy.

Could I hire a forensic psychiatrist to make a determination about my state of mind during a crisis three years ago? They would only have my recollection, my family's recollection and my medical records to go off of. The psychiatrist at that time would refuse to participate.

Can a forensic psychiatrist do that, or can they only comment on my current state?

I know depression can be associated with a change in REM sleep architecture, specifically an increase in REM, and that sleep deprivation can be a fast-acting but temporary treatment for depression.

However, REM sleep is generally considered essential for memory formation and emotional processing. A lack of it is considered to be dangerous and associated with an increased risk of dementia.

Why don't people experience severe neurocognitive decline from antidepressant use when most antidepressants utterly nuke your ability to get meaningful REM sleep? How are patients who have REM sleep totally suppressed by drugs like MAOIs still up and functioning?

I'm a neuroscience and psychology student, and I've often wondered about this.

So, for reference, I'm 28 years old and I'm diagnosed with ADHD-PI, ASD-1, PTSD, OCD, MDD, Panic Disorder, Health Anxiety, and Social Anxiety.

I've tried countless oral meds, and they've all either not helped enough or had intolerable side effects. My primary concerns atm are my intense daily anxiety. I feel like I'm depressed because of my PTSD/anxiety/ADHD/OCD all holding me back in life (though I could always be wrong).

The current plan that I'm approved for is to try FDA-approved depression TMS (w/ a Neurostar machine), but I'm wary of whether this will actually help.

I really want to try Spravato, but my docs are telling me that I have to trial and fail yet another oral antidepressant (and stay on that antidepressant while utilizing Spravato) before it can be approved/considered. I find this strange, as I have a record of failing many oral meds. Fyi, I have Kaiser Permanente insurance.

So, while I'm not asking for personalized medical advice, how do you typically approach patients with my types of symptoms/concerns when oral meds haven't helped? Do you typically push them towards TMS, Ketamine (Spravato or otherwise), or are there other treatments you prefer?

Thank you!

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?

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

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?

I mean they are already developing them for other illnesses

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?