Depression and Anxiety

Response to Leslie

Leslie (who has a really cool blog, www.healthdiaries.com/tummyache-blog.htm) wrote in a comment to my Tuesday Oct. 5 post:
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Hi there:O)I am seeing a therapist for my first time Friday, I have anxiety/panic attacks. So bad I pretty much don't want to leave home and I hate driving....Any advice on what I should expect at my visit with the therapist? Just thinking about this appointment is making me really nervous....Bookmarked ya :O)
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Hi, Leslie, loved your blog. My brother has IBS. I am a therapist and quite a number of my family members are. I have been to a number of therapists and psychiatrists over the years. Find out the background of your therapist (social worker, doctor, psychologist). This is just good to know. Haggle about the price if your insurance doesn't cover (most therapists will go down). Find out what kind of therapy they practice. For instance, is it anything weird or very specific? Most therapists will say "eclectic" (e.g. a combination of modalities depending on the client). Trust your instinct about whether or not you like the therapist. There are tons of therapists out there so be picky. A good question to ask yourself is, "Do I feel good as I'm leaving?" (e.g. hopeful, better, etc.). Expect that the therapist will ask you why you are coming for therapy. Sometimes they start out not speaking, just staring at you (this is an old-fashioned technique that I hate). I like a therapist to say, "Hi, how are you?" It feels more natural to me. After you tell the therapist the basics of why you want help, you could ask, "Do you think you could help me?" and, assuming the therapist says yes, ask, "How?" These are a few suggestions. Another consideration is whether or not the therapist believes in medication. Know that only a psychiatrist (a doctor) can prescribe meds. A therapist may or may not be a doctor but I personally would only like a therapist who is agreeable to working with a psychiatrist to use meds as an option (just in case you want them). Even if it is an addition to cognitive work or other treatment that doesn't involve meds, I think it is important for a therapist to consider meds as one option/addition to "talk" therapy and other anxiety reducing techniques. On a more personal note, I have had anxiety and panic attacks since I was a child (I'm 31 now). They come and go. I also hate driving. I live in NYC so I don't have to drive. I will drive when I am back in Ohio with my family but I avoid it. Here's a quote from Woody Allen: "I have a license but too much hostility" :-). I also tend to stay home when I am anxious. Crowded, loud places are the worst for me. I feel myself start to relax when I get back to my apartment with my cats. I relate to and feel for you, Leslie. I hope you will return to my blog. Please let me know how your appointment goes. Consider yourself as interviewing the therapist more than the reverse. And take deep breaths in the waiting room...I always get anxious there!

posted by Jayla @ Tuesday, October 19, 2004