Mental Health Thread • Page 461

yeah that’s what I think MIGHT be happening right now

 

No, these required a hearing test to properly set the levels. I kinda have tinnitus, comes with the territory of being genetically hearing impaired but it’s not loud enough to really affect me too much.

 

My bf has tinnitus and he listens to things SO loud I can't handle it because I get so overstimulated. And he always needs some level of background noise which took me a lot to get used to because I sit in silence a lot. No answers but I def feel for anyone who suffers with it

 

Sounds like my relationship with my fiance, but I feel like I just need things louder to break through my ADHD haha. She is convinced I'm deaf though and I drive her up the wall with it

 

Straight up advice here, go get a hearing test if you can. We’re all in the age range where we need to start looking after shit and hearing is a big one, as hearing loss can lead to health problems down the road, particularly dementia.

 

Had no idea there was any link to dementia, good to know!

 

Basically the idea is that as that sense starts to deteriorate over time, that mental stimulus suffers and it affects our brains in a way that can lead to things like dementia as we age.

 

I know it's been said that services like Betterhelp aren't viable long term replacements for therapy, but what's the consensus on using it as a jumping off point?
My anxiety is getting worse, and I've been telling myself for years to start therapy but I always chicken out. Its also overwhelming just searching for the right therapist and who's available quickly. I was thinking of trying out Betterhelp or Talkspace for a month just to get my feet wet. Seems like low effort; they match you with someone, you do it virtually from home, kinda takes some of the beginners stress out of it.

My insurance is supposed to give me 3 free in person EAP counselor sessions per year, and trying to book that just made my anxiety worse lol. I called like 15 therapists, and I eventually got the sense that they avoid EAP sessions as much as they can.

 

I’ve heard nothing but horror stories about BH. I found my therapist on SonderMind which matched my insurance info along with my demographic stuff and what I wanted help with the most and then a few therapists reached out to set intake meetings the next week. Do you have any insurance from work? A lot of insurance companies provide mental health in even the most basic plans and I only pay $25 per session through United Healthcare.

 

Oh wow only $25 per session, that's even cheaper than BH. I have Cigna insurance, I gotta do some digging today and see if I have any basic coverage for that. I'll also look into Sondermind. Thanks for the tip!

 

Woah, surprised you have $25 through United. Is that even before you reach deductible?

I have them with a CDHP plan. Have to pay full costs until I reach my $1600 deductible, so usually $80-90 per visit, and then I think I pay like 20% of the sessions from there until my $4000 out of pocket max.

Someone did recently mention that I may have 12 free sessions per year though as a perk... Gotta look into that. I haven't had a therapist in way too long and definitely need one

 

Could’ve sworn I read sometning about BetterHelp being awful about selling user info and were Zionists? I’ll have to look that up again when I get a chance.

 

Today was not good. Been feeling really anxious about school starting again and never knowing where to start with setting up my room and what to plan for. Always makes me feel like a failure and not equipped to help the kids. These feelings usually subside when they come and get settled but right now I’m a nervous wreck.

 

I seriously dislike people so much.

 

Don’t use better help. There are better jumping off points. Particularly graduate students who charge very little if you can’t find anyone your insurance covers

 

Yeah I’m gonna do some more digging. Sondermind sounds like a great resource but unfortunately it isn’t available in my state yet.

 

yes, i never reach my deductible and it's $25/session. I have the "Navigate" plan and on the MyUHC portal, this is what it shows under coverage & benefits in the mental health section:

 

I had a rough day yesterday. I forgot to take my morning meds and didn’t realize until it was the afternoon and I was at work. When I miss my meds, I start feeling really off in the afternoon, and this was probably the worst it’s ever been. It was a real fight to make it through the work day but once I got home and was able to finally take them (and a nap), I luckily felt much much better. I need to figure out some strategies so that doesn’t happen again, I’m glad it happened during training rather than out in nature leading a bunch of 5th and 6th graders on a hike!

 

Had some shit happen to me that really makes me want to say fuck it all and use. Fighting that plus cravings is hard as fuck.

 

Wow, nice. Just checked mine for mental health. 15% after deductible, or 50% out of network after deductible

I certainly miss the days of copays. I do tend to have medical issues though, I'm like $120 away from my $4,000 out of pocket max

 

Man I need to find a new psychiatrist and try to wean off my meds.

I feel like my psych nurse practitioner isn't that knowledgeable. She just diagnosed me with bipolar 2 based on a 1 page questionnaire and she says weird things sometimes. I'll say "oh yeah, my dad has X disorder" and she's like "oh well you don't have to worry about that because you only inherit from the opposite sex parent". Like uhh no that's not how it works.

I'm on a very high dose of lamictal (300mg) and gabapentin (800mg), and a small dose of quetiapine (25mg). I still get depressed and anxious a lot. And if anything, it has changed my personality and I'm just more numb to certain things. I'm not as fun and outgoing as I used to be, and I just lose a lot of desire for things I used to love. My memory is trash. I'll watch a movie and forget a lot of it a week later. Or forget what I was talking about mid-sentence.

My fiance has said that I'm very different from when we first met. At one of my anonymous peer reviews a few years ago, one of my coworkers said "I don't know how to describe it, but Ryan seems different."

I've gained an insane amount of weight and idk if it has anything to do with my meds, but I have very low testosterone and high estrediol these days and have to take daily testosterone now. I have zero sexual desire these days. Haven't had sex in a long time.

Idk, I don't like it.

 

Cut my hair and idk if I like it or not bc I just hate my face soo. My mom said it looks nice but idk. It’s so hard to tell if something actually looks nice or not bc I will never have on objective opinion about myself bc I just always hate my appearance. I cut it into like a long layered bob but I feel like I look like a little girl. That’s another thing I’m super insecure about. I look like I’m 16 when I’m in my 30s and I hate it. Everyone tells me how much I’ll love it when I’m older but I just want to look like a woman. I feel like I always look like a little girl playing dress up in an adult’s clothes. I wish I could stop fixating on my appearance so much but it’s just never ending. Like I can’t go anywhere without seeing another woman and instantly comparing myself to her and then I’ll spiral into negative thinking about how gross I look compared to everyone else. It’s exhausting!!

 

you got this brother there’s a million other things you can do that won’t fuck your life up

 

I’ve used as a reaction to horrible things happening and I’ve been happy about that decision 0 times it’s not worth it I know you know this but sometimes it helps to hear :)

 

Anyone ever forget that they're in their 30s now, and then some store employee calls you "sir" a few times and you go spiralling at the reminder of your own mortality?