Do I need professional help?

[5PTR2]

Hello,
I am a 25 yr. old male.  I own my own business and have for a couple of years.  My problem is with depression to a lesser extent and paranoia/anxiety to a greater extent.  The depression is a result of a mixture of self induced anxiety, i.e. anxiety created by always seeing a multitude of problems and feeling overwhelmed by them, and paranoia- feeling that there are mounting conspiracies to do away with me (in one form or another).  There are some other problems such as thinking I can change the weather that a newsperson on tv knows what I'm thinking... and so on.  These problems go entirely undetected by anyone else largely because I myself do not totaly believe what I am thinking.  It is like one side of my brain is logical and "normal" thinking (the side that deals with the outside world) and the other is in a constant dreamlike fantasy with those bizarre thoughts mentioned earlier. What my question becomes is are these stresses caused by anxiety and paranoia going to crack my seemingly "in control" side of my psyche, making me essentially insane?  Should I seek help before something like that happens?  Any help at all will be greatly appreciated, thank you.
Matt

[STARLA GRRRL]

I am not a doctor, but this is what I think: I think that as long as you have the ability to reason with yourself (ie, considering that these thoughts couldn't possibly be real) then there is no need for emergency treatment or anything. That being said, sometimes "magical thinking" can be a result of over-stressing yourself, or it can even just be "one of those things". This magical thinking does not have to automatically make you a schizophrenic...or even bipolar for that matter, though this is what your psychiatrist will tell you I have no doubt.
This is a tough call. I would suggest seeing someone, just to get everything out in the open, and TALK about it. But I would strongly recomend seriously thinking about these medications they might want to put you on. You have to ask yourself "Am I a danger to others? Am I a danger to myself? Do I hallucinate, or hear voices in my head?" It doesn't sound like you have much of this at all to me. Therefore, I'm not saying don't take any meds at all, but I am saying to do your own RESEARCH into any meds that the doctor suggests. You deserve the full story, and I am unfortunately not confident that you will get it off of any professional simply because in my experience they all too often drug people who don't even need it, and they make money off telling you what is wrong with you. I'm sure there are some good doctors out there, but you need to be your own encyclopedia of meds and such that they might recomend. I really hope everything works out for you.
God bless.

[Kelp]

You really need to seek professional help from a Psychiatrist. I think your use of ilicit drugs is a major cotributing factor. There are many medications which could help you. You really should not use them especially when experiencing these types of syptoms. I hope you can get some relief

Kelp

[satans get-away driver]

Ok, i just tried to submit a comment, and they tried to charge me 5 dollars....its disapointing to see, how these vultures try to make money out of peoples missery...i dont want to say too much of they may take out a contract on me..-shakes-..ok, so im going to ask anyone who sees the 25 yr. old chaps question if they can help me.  Im 17, and im from england.  I dont think i was ever a happy kid, neverhteless i wasnt and unhappy one either..well at times, yanno.  Then at 16, my brother died, and my already present drug habbit greatened, introducing the use of ecstasy, anphetamines and nothing else into my pot-habbit life.  I was truly depressed, and felt very guilty over my brother.  When i was on just the pot, i started to get a little paranoid, well..come to think of it, very paranoid...hearing auditory hullicinations, and making pretty much anything out of anything.  This made me more unhappy, although i realised it happening, and i expect this is a good thing..although i cant understand how other ppl dont see it happening, probably due to the fact their memories dont go that far back, and they cant realise what they used to be like...on the other hand it may just be a part of the illness.  Then i start to do pill, and at the end of the night pot aswell....this was something i regret doing..because everytime i done it, i had bad trips....total paranoia..it was a differnt world...the best way i can describe it is a altered state of conciousness, your brains eye is merky...if i was in that state, and someone told me that a man was after me, id have no doubt a man was....because from what i can make of it, is that you forget majoy affecting factors...ill give an example E.g :) you meet a girl in club..shes nice enough and everyhing..nothing wrong with her..she cracks a joke about being insane..you laugh..because it was a joke right?..then that night you leave her and get stoned, suddenyl you realise the jopke wasnt a joke and she was actually trying to tell you she was insane...and shes going to kill you (this happened to me)of course when you are soba, its totally rediculous..anyways, even when im not intoxicated with drugs or anything, im still quite paranoid, and i have a few things stuck in my head from when i was severely paranoid, and that wont budge...im also very unrelaxed, very anti social unless under the influence of alcohol (at 17 i know).  I cant even really leave the house anymore, which is stopping me getting my education at college, and getting out and making new friends..other than my druggy friends.  I need to drink alot to make myself socially tolerable..for reasons i wont share.  Although, i used to think that i was on a tv show, and my life was a plot is a directors story book....which was my fate...so in the "real" world scripts were called fates...bc it was my fate..if you catch my drift..and they filmed me through spiders....because SPIders...now i think thats totally ludicrus, although at times it makes sense again...thats all, id really appreiciate it if someone could tell me if itll go away without seeking help, because i dont want help..thankyou...the way i have put it makes it seem asthoiugh its not that bad, well it is bad...because youre just reading it as another person on teh net...but its MY whole life..thankyou for reading, signed, Satan P.S, i have developed warped views of god and his ways

[satans get-away driver]

Hello, I'm inclined to agree that you need professional help.  I think i suffer from similar fantasies as you, although mine were induced by drugs and have therefore settled down a little since i refrainded from using them.  I peronally dont believe i need help, but then i look at normal people and see how warped i am.  Im never relaxed around people, and im very unhappy at times, otehr times ill be triggerr happy for one reason or another.  When i walk down the street, i think people are smirking at me, or laughing at me, or talking about me and it isnt a nice feeling.  What am i doing...im writing a comment to you and i end talking about me..me me me..its all about me.  Im trying to find out how to ask the doctor about me, but im having trouble navigsating the site, most probably due to the fact i havent tried and have soley been reading other ppls conditions...although i feel better now im not alone.  All the best, yours sinceraly satan

[Skizo]

As a rule, depression begins to improve between the 4th. and 8th. week with full dose of the medication.

Improvement in anxiety is seen some time as early as the first week.

[juliana]

hello everyone my son was prescribed celexa for anxiety and depression his anxiety and insomina has got worse since starting the tablets how long can he expect before the side effects lessen he is on 10mg and is supposed to go on 20mg after he has been taking the medication for a week, he is also taking beta blockers for the anxiety.

Thanks for any help

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

I would strongly recommend help.  You are in control now, but it requires a lot of mental energy to stay in control. You want these two parts of your brain to talk to each other in a smooth and coordinated way.  Some medication might also be helpful, so seek the consultation of a psychiatrist rather than a psychologist so the proper medication might be considered.

[Mazzcm]

I agee u should seek help. Right now things are manageable, but paranoia and anxiety have a tendency to progress, sometimes rapidly. If u seek treatment now u may be preventing a future embarrassing or even devestating event.
Thaerapy can never hurt - If anything it will help u to get to know urself better.

[Skizo]

Definitely, seek professional help.

You have two good things going for yourself:
one you are aware of your problems, two you want help. Good reality testing.

Most  people in the paranoid spectrum do not acknowledge their problems.

I do believe that you'll do well with help. Good luck