Contraceptive Pill

What treatment or coping skills are most effective for you? – Day 3 of Mental Illness Awareness Challenge

Before you read this post, you may want to check out the 30 Day Mental Illness Awareness Challenge Master List for links to previous days and posts.

So here we are, on Day 3: What treatment or coping skills are most effective for you?

Medication Wise:

NOTE: ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE TAKING ANY MEDICATION AND READ THE LABELS. THIS IS WHAT MEDICATION AS WORKED FOR ME AND SUITED ME. IT MAY NOT WORK FOR YOU, OR SUIT YOU.

  • Anti-Depressants/Anti-Anxiety medication. I put this together because I take one medication that treats both things. I take Citalopram – 40mg a day, which is the top dosage you can take. This doesn’t solve my problems by any means, but it brings my emotions, depression and anxiety down so I can manage/cope a little better.
  • Contraceptive Pill. Okay bare with me whilst I explain this one! I take a contraceptive pill that prevents me from having a period. This means that I don’t have the emotional rollercoaster that is usually my time of the month – which helps.

Psychology/Counselling Wise:

  • Childhood Sexual Abuse Counselling (as an adult). This was helpful in that it validated me, what happened to me and all of the aftermath, mental illness and everything. It was very effective in helping me come to terms with what happened to me and that they way I am is normal after being abused. It was also a great way to vent out my thoughts and feelings without being judged. But I must say I don’t think helped me move past it all. It wasn’t a pro-active therapy, it was a listening and validating therapy. It was also not a diagnosing therapy so at this point I didn’t know I had C-PTSD and therefore I didn’t understand how my mind worked.
  • Seeing a Psychologist/CBT. This is what I’m doing right now. First of my Psychologist is extremely patient and understanding. She is helping me to understanding C-PTSD, in order that I can do CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) to change the way my mind works to reduce and/or overcome the symptoms of Trauma. I’ve only just started CBT with her, but I’ve discovered I’ve used CBT before myself – without knowing it – to overcome most of my OCD. So I do know it’s a great tool that works for me.

Coping Methods:

  • Avoidance. This is not a good method to use to move forward with your life. If something is too much for me, I avoid doing it. As much as it’s not a good method, it’s the only method I’ve had up until now to deal with situations that I simply cannot cope with at all.
  • Distraction. If flashbacks start, or anxiety, or a really low bout of depression – I try to distract myself, to steer my mind away from those things. Do I need to deal with my issues? Of course I do, but I also need to be able to keep some control so I that I don’t end up at rock bottom. It doesn’t always work but I try.

Off the top of my head (well sort of, it’s taken me hours to write this out cus my concentration is pretty crap!) that’s what I can think of right now.

– Vin