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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by sadlittlegirl on April 19, 2008, at 11:57:05
I've been seeing my current therapist for a 1 1/2 years now, but the last couple of months have been really difficult for me. My latest crisis began when I told her I wanted to try eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) to deal with the PTSD from being physically abused by my parents when I was a child. The main reason I wanted to do this is because one of my PTSD symptoms is pseudoseizures where I violently kick my legs and flail my arms. She's not trained in EMDR, so I started seeing a second therapist that was trained in addition to continuing to see her. My therapist told me to call her in between sessions if I need to talk.
Taking part in the EMDR sessions and facing the trauma of my childhood brought on depression and suicidal ideation. After about a month of depression that was making work and school difficult I saw a psychiatrist and began taking antidepressants on 4/2. The next day I was driving 55mph (the speed limit) on a main road when someone ran a stop sign and I hit them. I had internal and external bruising from the seatbelt and a sprained hand from trying to swerve around the other car. My car was totaled. A week and a half later, I started feeling a little better. The last time I saw my therapist was Monday, and she told me she would be out of town Wednesday through Sunday and would not be able to get any of my phone calls. At the time, I was okay with it. On Wednesday I saw my physician and found out that I have 2 fractured ribs from the accident, so instead of a few weeks of recovery, I have 6-8 weeks. Thursday my hopes that the pseudoseizures had stopped in response to the antidepressants were crushed when they resumed after coming off of the Vicodin I was taking for my rib pain. All the bad news all at once has brought the depression back as strong as it was before, with suicidal ideations, lots of crying, and wishing I was killed in the accident. I left a message for my therapist telling her that I am stopping EMDR indefinitely and would like to increase to 2 sessions a week. I called the national suicide hotline Thursday afternoon so I could talk to someone. This weekend my husband has plans for us to be out of town with friends, so I'll be distracted for the most part. It just feels like Monday is so far away!
Posted by Phillipa on April 19, 2008, at 13:33:46
In reply to My depression just won't go away, posted by sadlittlegirl on April 19, 2008, at 11:57:05
Oh so sorry for you good that your husband was there. May I ask a question you certainly don't have to answer but what is a pseudoseizure seen them but don't understand? Love Phillipa
Posted by sadlittlegirl on April 19, 2008, at 14:22:52
In reply to Re: My depression just won't go away » sadlittlegirl, posted by Phillipa on April 19, 2008, at 13:33:46
> Oh so sorry for you good that your husband was there. May I ask a question you certainly don't have to answer but what is a pseudoseizure seen them but don't understand? Love Phillipa
Pseudoseizures are like the seizures of epilepsy, except there is no medical reason for them. They're usually associated with PTSD.
Posted by Phillipa on April 19, 2008, at 19:30:26
In reply to Re: My depression just won't go away » Phillipa, posted by sadlittlegirl on April 19, 2008, at 14:22:52
How are they treated as saw one once? Love Phillipa
Posted by Poet on April 20, 2008, at 19:29:15
In reply to My depression just won't go away, posted by sadlittlegirl on April 19, 2008, at 11:57:05
Hi Sadlittlegirl,
I hope your T calls you tomorrow. My crises always seem to happen when my T is away, too.
I've never done EMDR, but I know my own mind and body and I'm sure that you know yourself, too, and if EMDR isn't right then your T needs to try another technique. I hope she's open to this.
Take care and post how it is going.
Poet
Posted by sadlittlegirl on April 20, 2008, at 23:41:10
In reply to Re: My depression just won't go away » sadlittlegirl, posted by Poet on April 20, 2008, at 19:29:15
My T called me back this evening to tell me what time she can see me Monday. My cell phone had no signal when she called, so I had a voice mail from her. She said she was very concerned about me, and I could hear the worry in her voice. She said she had been worried about me but she had been away and unable to call. I think she checked her voice mail messages while she was away. I feel terrible that I got her so worried during her trip. Another way I could tell she was worried, she told me two separate times in the message to call her back to confirm the appointment and told her phone number twice even though she knows I have it saved on my cell phone. Thinking about the stress I must be causing her makes me cry. I called her back to confirm it, but didn't really talk with her much because I was in the car with my husband at the time. I told her he was with me, and she understood, so she didn't ask me anything more than how I was doing. I told her I've been better.
Posted by Shadowplayers721 on April 21, 2008, at 1:20:19
In reply to My depression just won't go away, posted by sadlittlegirl on April 19, 2008, at 11:57:05
I am so sorry about the accident. I went through a bit of EMDR. It does bring out more trauma vividly, so it's understandable the depression has increased.
It's a wise decision to back away from the EMDR for now.
Accidents can trigger old feelings too.
This is the end of the thread.
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