YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

Yup, caffeine certainly can cause anxiety, especially for those of us who already struggle with anxiety without the caffeine. High amounts of caffeine, such as more than 6 cups of coffee of three energy drinks, can actually create tachycardia (fast heart rate) which can trigger a panic attack. If yo...

Wow. I can't believe I made this post over a year ago. I wanted to update. I still pick but I was able to tell my PCP that I suffer from dermatillomania. She gave me a prescription of Fluvoxamine which I have now been taking for about two weeks. And guys... I have finger nails. I wasn't sure it was ...

Hello One and All, So I wanted to start a thread where we could discuss our medications we have tried for OCD, what has helped, what hasn't helped, current struggles,and successes. So, I have done cognitive behavioral therapy for years. When I am stress free CBT alone can often manage my OCD to a le...

Hey Oak, Wow. Reading your original post your thoughts back at the beginning of the year are exactly my thoughts now. I really heard my story in your words. I made some big mistakes in my life, ended up homeless, pulled my shit together, and worked my way back. I now have my own apartment and am fin...

Sometimes I wonder if there are really people out there who don't think suicidal thoughts. I tell people I don't, but that is a lie. I'm not actively suicidal, I don't have a plan or a date. I also have this little fur ball of a dog that I love more than any person I know and I can't leave him to th...

Hello Jitterz, I have definitely struggled with cutting back on caffeine. During college I used to drink coffee in the morning and energy drinks at night. You know, I hear all the time about caffeine isn't harmful, but people who say that clearly don't struggle with anxiety or addiction. I kept tryi...

Hello Imissmysun, I wish I could be of more help, but I haven't been able to really control my picking either. I have struggled with OCD and I have been able to cut back on some of my other compulsions with the help of CBT and have successfully stopped my counting and pacing and a lot of my thought ...

Hey Y'all, Booknerd, that is so interesting that you also don't bring it up to your therapist a lot! I wonder what it is about the picking. It is odd that something that is right on the surfaces is so hard to talk about. After reading your responses I realized after reading that I haven't ever reall...

Hey Ovoce, Thank you for sharing. I know this post was actually a little while ago, but I wanted to reach out and see how you are doing. I know that no two people grieve the same way, but your story touched a part of me that has really struggled with my own grief and I wanted you to know you are not...

Hey Oak, Thanks for the thoughtful reply. Yes, I think that is something very similar to what I experience, but you put it in a much much more positive light than I have been viewing it. I have tried a lot of different things all with in the healthcare field. I worked a few years as an allied health...