Should i go to the psychiatrist?

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I've been depressed for a while now: i often get disabling panic attacks (nausea, very high heart beat like its going to explode, headache, can't think) or rage attacks (i usually break things, but not hurt people) with small triggers; i've getting recurrent ideas for suicide, even though i don't want to do it; and i'm extremely obsessive about certain stuff (for example when i like a girl i get overly obsessed which gives me panic attacks at the slightest trigger as seeing on my fb main page she added a new friend).

The depression, panic attacks and suicide thoughts have been tormenting me for months, and its getting worse. I don't understand why, my life is going relatively well. I don't want these suicide thoughs as deep inside i know i can change it somehow, but i can't control being always sad and i don't want to break things and i don't want to be disabled by a panic attack.
I know i'm obsessive and i know that when i think about the things that give me a panic attack i know the reasons are ridiculous, but it doesn't matter how much i rationalize it, it doesn't work. I have already been to plenty of psycologists and they haven't been helpful. I never tried medication, so i'd like to try everything i can and go to a psychiatrist.

I don't think i'm a bad person, but sometimes i get scared at my reactions.

I have a few problems though...
1. I'm afraid of being considered crazy because of the recurrent and inevitable suicide thoughts and rage attacks and sent to a mental hospital. That would make people have a thousand of prejudices on me, make my career delayed, and ruin chances of getting a girlfriend or friends. It would destroy every single chance i think i still have on being happy.
They might misunderstand me that i do like helping people, i like when someone has a smile after speaking to me, but on the inside i'm sad and can get agressive easily.

2. I study medicine, i know a bit of some psychiatric illnesses, and i don't classify in any of them. Its not major depression (because my thinking is not slow, even though i can't think during a panic attack; i don't have sleeping problems; and i can have fun with friends even though my basal state is "sad").

3. Because i study medicine, many of these doctors will probably know or work with me in one way or another in the future, and i'm scared it could give me trouble in the future career (Even doctors, and psychiatrists have prejudices, i know it from being on the "doctor's side").

Should i go to the psychiatrist? I really can't stand this anymore, i can't even study because panic attacks get worse and worse, and my grades get low, i get stressed and make a vicious cycle. I don't know what to do.

I would make San appointment first with a psychologist, before seeing a psychiatrist. In my experience, a psychologist will at least take the time to figure out what's wrong mentally with you. A psychiatrist will, most of the time, prescribe you medicine, which, according to the research I have seen, is no better than a placebo. If, after the psychologist, determines you would be better off on medications, then have him or her refer you to a psychiatrist. I would still be hesitant about the medications, since most of us on the spectrum have had serious side effects from those meds.

Yes. Worrying about how you appear to others isn't worth your mental health.

I've been to psycologists already, and they never told me to use meds. But they haven't been of help either. Just standard therapy with no results. Psycologists have basically tried to make me rationalize about my problems and solve them by thinking of them as nonsense. But i know the problems are stupid, i still can't avoid all this. This is why i think i need medication, at least to try. If medication was a placebo they would allow psycologists to administer it and it wouldn't give side effects. Also psychiatrists wouldn't exist if their only job was to give people placebos.


The problem is, if i appear as crazy to others i won't have any kind of real relationship with people or job, and that will just make my mental health worse.

The problem is, I am seeing one right now. And she is totally useless. My sister is panicking, probably from stress, and she thinks she needs to see one and telling mum. I told her not to, and my brother remained silent about it (He didn't want to interfere or make her more upset)

if you have anxiety problems, they can be treated medically by a psychiatrist.

if you want insight into your problem and tools other than pills, find a good therapist.

or do both

it isn't an either or proposition.

after my psychiatrist diagnosed me with generalized anxiety disorder and put me on medication, I did some research and found some psychological tools to help me deal with anxiety. the pills and the psychological tools both work. the same thing goes for depression.

one thing I would advice against is trying to treat yourself. reading the dsm is not the same as understanding mental illness or its treatment. both psychologists and psychiatrists have specialized training on top of years of schooling. this specialized knowledge makes such a huge difference.

Last edited by em_tsuj on 04 Apr 2014, 10:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

if you aren't imminently suicidal or homicidal, you won't be hospitalized. try to find a psychiatrist that doesn't work at your hospital. if you can't, please be reassured that doctors are required by law to keep your treatment confidential. psychiatric medication saved my life and continues to save my life. it may be worth a try for you.

My current psychologist, who I haven't seen in a while, no thanks to this persistent hack and cough I'm still dealing with, no thanks to the bout of bronchitis I had back in January, and there's a large field of ragweed right behind the house that's just beginning to bloom, wanted to call my psychiatrist to put me back on medications, after he also diagnosed me with seasonal affective disorder. As I said on several other threads, those medications have caused more than enough trouble in the past. Believe me, you do not want to be taking Prozac and work at the Pentagon. As I told my caseworker yesterday from the PA Bureau of Autism Services, it took all I could muster to keep from decapitating a 3 star general.

Anyhow, have you talked to your psychologist or a psychiatrist about being evaluated or tested for an ASD? Once you've been evaluated, and are diagnosed, you can ask for a referral to a professional that specialize in treating ASD.

use a full-spectrum light for seasonal affective disorder. SAD is about not getting enough sunlight. I literally slept 20 hours per day, barely graduated high school because I was so severely depressed, and wound up in a psych hospital, all the while being heavily medicated, too the point of being a zombie.

A couple of years later, a therapist told me about SAD. I got a full-spectrum lamp. I have NEVER gotten back into the winter blues after I started using the full-spectrum light. I can function all year round.

Nothing obligates you to say everything you're thinking to a mental health professional. If you think something will sound bad, skip it, and let them take care of you for the problems you are comfortable sharing.

I would just be concerned if you think you have ASD about thinking through what you need and what you want to say ahead of time. The majority of people are neurotypical, so there is a tendency to think it's something worse when professionals see problems with eye contact in a patient who seems to be struggling to communicate. There's nothing in what you wrote that makes me think you have ASD, it's just that sometimes that would be a reason someone looks to Wrong Planet for information, and I've had people act like I'm crazy and weird because I don't quite relate the way they expect, even though it's subtle. And that's not a good feeling at all.

Another choice would be asking your primary care provider, if you have one. Especially if you have one who has known you awhile. They know it's hard to find psychiatrists and that a lot of people don't want to see them. They'll likely spend less time digging for what might be wrong with you and more time just addressing the problem. So you could try that.

Medical and pharmacy records are everywhere, though, so it's understandable to worry. Thing is, once one medical professional starts looking at someone else's medical records they shouldn't and letting things out, no one is safe. And that's illegal with severe penalties. Someone does that it would be awful but there is no reason to acknowledge they are right with anything they say. And plenty of professionals have some kind of mental health treatment at some point in their lives. You can choose to keep quiet about it, generally speaking.