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Archive for November, 2007

Our Son has Schizophrenia and is Starving Himself. Help!

Thursday, November 29th, 2007

Q. Our 31 year old son who lives with us and has been in and out of Psychiatric hospitals is now in his room 24 hours a day and not eating or talking other than to say "I'm busy", "I need my privacy", "please don't bother me again" and "I AM EATING." We are not sure if he really thinks that he has eaten or if he is trying to end his life intentionally. We have called the crisis center, his Psychiatrist, and most recently the police. All of this to no avail. The police came out and determined that he does not qualify for a 5150 which would have forced him to the hospital for evaluation. Meanwhile he has not eaten a solid meal ...  
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Mom wants son to be less inhibited.

Wednesday, November 28th, 2007

My dad recently passed away. My mom and I live by ourselves for the first time and she begged that I no longer hide anything from her. She asked me to show her my penis, if and how I masturbated, what my sexual history has been. My mom is an angel, but I am 21 now and grew up very repressed sexually. Apparently that's was my dad's way, not hers. I kind of want to do this. Would this has any negative consequences? She clarified she doesn't want to have sex with me, just uninhibitness

A: What your mother is asking you to do is highly inappropriate. Maybe, in her grief, she wants you to in some

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Is Suicide the Answer?

Wednesday, November 28th, 2007

Q. Hi. I've been suicidal for the past couple of months, but it's recently become a more realistic issue. Before, I had suicidal thoughts and ideations, but only thought seriously about them on occasion, whereas now, it seems to be the only way to end everything. I find i spend the majority of the day thinking up ways to kill myself, and am waiting for the right moment (ie. when family would be less hurt.). I have many different plans — they're sort of separated into 2 columns. One column: what i deserve. Second column: What's more likely to be successful. Thing is, my mood goes up and down — sort of like Bipolar, but the majority of the time, I'm depressed. when i'm ...  
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His sister is dating his friend.

Tuesday, November 27th, 2007

I have been having an issue with my little sister for the past year now. She started dating a good friend of mine and I was against it right from the start. In the very beginning I made it clear I was not ok with it and set down some guidelines to make sure that if they did date that it wouldn't affect me too much. The guidelines were mostly about my sister not coming around to where I was with my friends and my friend not coming around to things I was doing with my family.

Every second week or so they manage to forget what I said that and show up at places I ask them not to. After over a year of

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His wife no longer will have sex.

Tuesday, November 27th, 2007

My wife and I have been married for 4 years. In the last 3 years of our relationship, the frequency with which we had sex tapered off very gradually; we now have had virtually no sexual contact in the last 6 months.

We have had a few bad fights — one in which we hit each other (I spent a night in prison for this). This was several months ago now, and we had virtually no sex for months leading up to this fight anyway.

I've been unemployed for about a year but have been steadily paying the majority of our bills from my savings and severance package; I've also been raising our daughter (she's 2 1/2 years old) as my wife is working full

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Husband off meds for four weeks. Is that okay?

Tuesday, November 27th, 2007

Q. My husband stopped taking his medication for psychosis. He has really never been diagnosed. He began to act bizarre a few weeks after his sister passed away. He was put on Risperdal 3 mg and then was changed to Abilify 10 mg but has since not taken anything. He seems to be fine actually better since he stopped taking the meds. The meds had him not being able to sleep. He was always worried about death. He had really bad headaches. We have been married for 5 years and he has never had an episode like this until after his sister’s death. He was very deeply depressed over the loss of his sister. He stopped taking his meds himself is that OK. Will his ...  
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I’m turning 50 soon and really want to end it.

Sunday, November 25th, 2007

Q: I am getting ready to turn 50 in the next month, and ever since I can remember I have set this date to die. I no longer feel wanted or needed by anyone and no one can understand this. Not only this, but past memories of abuse, sexual, physical, and mental are coming back to haunt me and the depression is getting worse and worse. I was put into foster care at age 10 until age 12 and this is where this happened. I am not a rich person and cannot afford to see a therapist. I will look at a family in a store and remember my family—both my family of kids I gave birth too, and my birth family, and then start ...  
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Depression and suicidal thoughts

Sunday, November 25th, 2007

Q: I'm scared just writing this. I'm confused and lost and I don't know what to do. I self-harm nearly daily on my arms,wrists,neck and legs, sometimes deep, sometimes not. I'm only 13 years old and have tried to commit suicide 3 times. I also sometimes make myself throw up and haven't been eating much lately. I don't seem to be able to sleep much anymore either and I get extremely tired during the day.

I know you must get loads of messages like this, but I am in real need of someone as this has been going on for more than 1 1/2 years. My parents seperated when I was 7 and it hurt, but neither of them have talked to me about it.

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Please help me put an end to my people-pleasing ways once and for all.

Sunday, November 25th, 2007

Q: I am a 27 year old woman, who is often overlooked or treated like an imbecile, because I let people walk all over me. My parents praised me as a child because I was always polite and said things like "please" and "thank you". I rarely misbehaved in public and even let others cut in line just so they wouldn't be upset.

Well, that may have been cute as a child, but now as an adult, it's just ridiculous. I have no friends, I guess, because I don't have much of a personality. I'm always polite to people and try to "mind my manners" at all times. My own husband admits that when we were dating he sometimes took advantage of me because he

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Children and studying

Sunday, November 25th, 2007

Q: Hi, my step son is 11 years old and fortunately is a very clever boy, however every day is a constant struggle with him having to do homework, projects or studying for assessments (exams). He refuses to do none of the above (on a daily basis) and gives my husband and us a very hard time about these issues, we have explained the importance of having to do this in order to achieve well. The fights he gives us is now causing severe problems for the family. Please can you suggest what we can do and if a child has this problem? Should we look at sending him to a "special school" that can assist with this sort of problem. We have tried ...  
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Using Illegal Drugs and Bipolar

Sunday, November 25th, 2007

Q. I have been reading about bi polar disorder and noticing that I can relate to some of the symptoms. Some times I can barely talk because I am thinking so many thoughts, but most of the time this happens after I smoke marijuana. After a night of heavy drinking and possibly smoking too sometimes ill feel braindead, not say what I really want to say, and may feel depressed.

I have been smoking quite frequenly for the past few years. Certain things can trigger more and more stress, and then what I say doesnt come out right. Some times Ill get really depressed over little things and I cant help but be in a bad mood for maybe an hour or so. I have

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Help Making the Right Choice

Sunday, November 25th, 2007

Q. MY PROBLEM STARTED MANY YEARS AGO.I FELL OUT A WINDOW ON MY HEAD WHEN I WAS LITTLE.YEARS LATER I STARTED HAVING GRAND MAL SEIZURE'S.I FOUND THE OLDER I GOT THE LESS I HAD.I HAVE NOT HAD ONE IN MANY YEARS.

I STARTED HURTING AROUND THE AGE OF 8 OR 9.MY LEGS FIRST.THE OLDER I HAVE GOTTIN THE WORSE IT IS.NOW I GET BIG KNOTS IN MY MUSCLES.I HAVE HAD MANY BAD EXPERIANCES WITH DOCTORS.I DO NOT GO TO PUBLIC PLACES I REALLY JUST DONT LIKE PEOPLE.I HAVE FOUR CHILDREN AND I SEEM TO BE OVER PROTECTIVE BECAUSE OF MY TROUBLES THRU OUT MY LIFE.I DIDNT DO ANY BAD THINGS WHILE I CARRIED MY CHILDREN AND I DO SCREAM AND OVER REACT VERY BADLY.I WOULDNT

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The time when you need to do something is when no one else is willing to do it, when people are saying it can't be done.
-- Mary Frances Berry