Nervous

Hello all my family is kinda forcing me into group therapy type situation and Ive done it in the hospital but going there as an outpatient really makes me nervous. What to do? What have been your experiences with going to groups as an outpatient?

..it's been kinda cool Clint..

(hey good to see you bro!)

I'm always a nervous wreck whatever and I play it cool and thats what I'm afraid of cos I'm a crap actor!

but it's still been kinda' cool...cos

funny thing!

everyone else is just as scared!

you are way ahead of me Clint

I let my nerves control me for too long...now I'm ..

not sure...very honest...(maybe thats ok?)...still not sure...

but the truth is that nobody is ever really an outpatient....once they been in...

but thats ok...thats the way it goes...

Hi Clinte,

I've done it and was nervous at first but after going a couple of times it went away.. and like dubble said everyone else is nervous too.

You learn a lot just by listening to the other's stories. You don't even have to say much if you don't want to. See how you feel when your there.

thats it right there buddy!

you don't have to do anything...

until you feel compelled to..

and even then?

nup!

hehe...don't gotta say nuthin'....

but just imagine you might wanna!...

I went to this group CBT for depression. I didn't last more than one gathering. I found the others in the group talked so slow, whined too much and never got to the point. It was rather depressing really. I guess that's what happens when you've got a psychologist who refuses to interrupt a depressive's boring tangent, a dimly lit room and 8 depressed people. I wasn't depressed when I went, it was supposed to help me prevent future depressions. I suppose it helped because after sitting in a room with a bunch of depressed people I realized just how negative their thinking was and decided to continue to work towards being aware of myself.

Well it depends on the group in the end. When I was a kid I did 2 different group therapies after my mom died. One was more of an "arts and crafts and watch videos on grief." It was at the hospital and for kids who just lost a parent. So there were like 40 kids there of all different ages, and not really any sharing.

But at my school we had a grief group because about 7 of us had all lost people that year tragically. So, they made us into a group. That one was really good and we did a lot of sharing. But I didn't really share, not really.

The other group I went to was after having my middle son, the hospital pdoc wanted me to get into see a pdoc on the outside. But I was on medicade so I had to wait a month to be seen. In the mean time an intern put me into a "group" which was actually a court ordered group for anger managment. I went a few times. Those people were scary. One lady beat up another lady for taking her seat on the bus. One lady, (who looked like a sweet grandma,) had actually been physically abusing her disabled, bed ridden mother.... yeah... there were others but I can't remember now... Where me, I was just a total mess.

I stopped going when the group leader (who was extremely nice) realized I needed actual therapy and a pdoc. But then medicade stopped paying for me (they only paid one month after my son was born,) and that was the end. I never got in to see a pdoc....

Well it sounds like its worth a shot anyway. I signed up for the initial session with the psychologist to see where I fit so we'll see from there

It is worth a shot. And you know, you can meet other people face to face and it's a good thing.

Yes, worth a shot. The worst that could happen is you think it's boring and useless so you don't go back. Oh! Unless you meet a psychokiller that manipulates you then chops you up and serves you to his dinner guests but, that ain't likely. I go with worst case scenario number one Bob.

Lol well I would be the psycho killer, so no need for me to worry

make sure you serve me up on a nice clean plate!

hate the dis-organised hosts that scatter my cooked bits all over with dis-regard!

Ok I'll make sure to serve you up properly.

cool indeed...

I want serviettes...neatly folded !

and my distorted imaginary head on the dish...

cos no-one is ever gonna get it!

see what I mean ?

but apart from that...
I get the nerves real bad too Clint

I can't explain it?...I already know I'm a tosser!..

so it can't be that?

must be some other critical emotional deformity?



whatever it's ok

I have GAD (generalized anxiety disorder.) So I get really, really nervous about things. I get so nervous I actually get physically sick. It's terrible. I get nervous about everything, too. It's annoying, actually.

I don't take anything for it. I just kind of try to calm down. When I can't calm down, and have a panic attack, I'll call my husband because he can usually talk me down.

i went to groups as outpatient recently. i hated it. mostly cause i was around people and so nervous. but i wouldnt say im depressed a lot but so many people were and its just like...i cant stand the talking. i mean 5 hours a day in 1 seat talking. couldnt handle it. i didnt last but maybe 3 days.

5 hours?! Holy hell Im looking for like 1 hour once a week. Thats all I need.

hah thats all i wanted to. i had nooo idea what i signing up for.

Heheh hahahaha

Same here. But I have no one to call.

that's when a side of me takes over, a side that is ready for the doom that is sure to happen. the doom never actually happens, but it's hard to come down from the side of me that takes over.

i can tell you everything you need to know about outpatient, i was in one since 1985 for 8 years at one place and another since 1997 untill now and i met alot of people and they were all outpatients and we seemed to all know when any of us was having a good or bad day, helped each other out, we could relate to each other and had a therapist session, along with meds and pschiatrist. is this an all day care center like mine or just therapy. either way, i wouldn't admit it then, as i fought it, but looking back i loved it. you'll meet all kinds, and can even see yourself in others. i also was in the hospital first so the fact that you experienced the hospital ward should make you feel more at ease, since it's alot better than the hospital. well i hope that helps

it is harder face to face, talking instead of typing. it kind of takes away all the safety that online support groups offer. but in a way, it is better. more real. more personal. you just have to get used to the fact that there are no safety nets and be honest.

This is upsetting. My husband may not always "get it" but he will at least listen and then say things in a logical way that will cut me out of the loop of doom. It's too bad your wife won't do that for you... and I mean, he doesn't necessarily even know that's what he's doing. It's just his personality to point out the logical path, but at the same time, I think he does know even if he doesn't acknowledge it.