Trying to get perspective of people around here when it comes to this.

This post has been edited by TsubakiKira: Aug 30 2025, 12:24 AM

wait till they hit u with this question

-what do u want ?

-what is your goal ?

-what do u expect from the result ?

then pay money

then follow up again

x365 days repeat

I'm just asking a legit question man. You want to discount their services as money making from asking questions only, then that's up to you.

You might experience painful emotions or memories which can feel difficult to cope with.

Using dupe for obvious reasons, but i did. What do you wanna know?

its normal. sometimes we need people to help process our thoughts.

don't listen to the negative view here.

i been to counseling myself.

if u know u r gila, go take meds.

mentally illness is controllable/cure with meds.

If you 'think' U are one, then is confirmed U are not one.

No 'siau' person will know he is 's0r'

This post has been edited by mini orchard: Aug 30 2025, 05:21 AM

Brother, I just went last week. I don't have to think when I already know what's bothering me, it's just a matter of having a psychiatrist tell that to my face instead of me deliberating with myself until the day I die.

How long have you been in therapy and how has it been helping you? Meds are subject to invididual experiences so the effectiveness can vary wildly from person to person.

I foresee myself at this for at least a few years.

Is in your mind, bro.

Spend more time outdoor, esp in places where you see nice things to have a clear mind. Go hiking,

https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/5537388

Even without that, I've already scheduled my appointment with one and went last week.

2 years follow up so far with psychiatrist general hospital. It's been great. They know their shit, got prescribed a drug that actually works. Although I have to say, for the medicine to work, you have to work with the doctors. Probably have another 1 year of medicine before they will start me with talking to therapist session. I wish I had done this sooner and save me years of anguish because I thought I can man up and live life like normal people.

If you're a talkative person, you can try chatting with other patients while waiting for your number to be called. You will realize that the problem that you're having is real and more than just "it's all in your head" problem. It is unfortunate that regular healthy people can't relate to our problem - and to be frank, it's better to just ignore all those 'just go out take a walk it will heal you' type of comments. It doesn't work that way.

just go to public hospital instead of private

it's very cheap

Nothing wrong with seeing a shrink. Ignore those who say waste of time & money. The main thing is that you have to be honest with your psychiatrist so that they can correctly identify the source of your problems. No withholding info because takut malu.

It will also take time for therapy/meds to work. Most people don't realise that it's not.just a one shot visit like seeing the GP for the flu.

Knowing what is bothering you is one thing. Getting professional advice on how to handle it is what you need otherwise like u said it will keep.on bothering you nonstop disrupting your daily life.

Also ignore those that tell you to pray & go out for walks,.man it up & it's all in your mind type of advice. Those who advocate such advice do not understand that this isn't something that will go away on its own over time.

The mind can be a very complex thing & there's nothing wrong in seeking professional help.

Early this year, I don't know which house nearby at first started playing prayer verses loudly at 12am. For the first few days it was for about an hour.

After that it was slowly getting earlier until.last early hours of the morning. Went on for a few months until after raya I think the family finally.cave in get professional help.

Before that I think neighbours complained after that 1 or 2 ight's stop playing then back to playing prayer verses & getting longer each time.

At least lucky the family cave in take the family member for professional help if not can obviously tell that the fellow is going to get worse over time.

This post has been edited by arkasi: Aug 30 2025, 10:41 AM

i went sunway hospital for psychiatrist consultation, i have anxiety disorder, every session 30 mins or so.

every session is like rm500 with prescription of lexapro and xanax

just ask how u feeling and tell me how i need to overcome this, which i clearly know i need to overcome and less overthinking but that i unable to do so lol. blahblahblah and there goes my rm500

i think i feel more stress paying rm500 every month for this so i stopped going after 2 sessions.

u can cut your expenses by 900% by going to the public hospital.

Only RM5 per session.

This post has been edited by Blofeld: Aug 30 2025, 11:04 AM

I do have private coverage so am leveraging on that. For personal reasons am avoiding medication until later, the psychiatrist did tell me that I can try them in a few months.

Dear TS,
i don't know about other hospital but government hospital shah alam the got psychiatric unit.
if money is an issue for you getting treatment, please go this hospital.
mental health & stress will affect your body. my colleague even need to early retirement due to kidney failure & need to do dialysis

How long in advance to book for sessions? Looking to maximise my coverage this year in case I'm not good enough to be retained next year with all my bungle ups.

It's severely crippling my personal life, unable to think critically which resulted in me getting scammed to hell and bearing this guilt on my own. Family members is family members, but I don't want to share anything with my partner until I get something concrete back from the banks. Doesn't help that you are already pointed out as being more useless than trash.

I guess if there are people who have it alone, they feel the crushing weight all the same, but at least they don't bother others.

As long as I have this private coverage, I'll use it to the max before I consider gov hospital. Yeah it's affecting my appetite a lot actually.
Thanks for letting me know.

This post has been edited by TsubakiKira: Aug 30 2025, 11:09 AM

Excluding the referral letter you have to bring, probably up to 1 month waiting? Depends on which hospital you went. I think they did quick checkup on you before deciding if you can wait or need immediate attention.
Sometimes the clinic is so jam packed, they put 3 patients in one consultation room. The doctors looked so overworked feels like I'm not the actual patient in the room. This was my experience in large hospital in KL. Just last month I went to the counter thinking I could change appointment date by 1 week on September, they said the earliest date I could move to will be on mid November.

Back then I went to smaller district hospital, there was like probably 5 people waiting.

go to any nearby Klinik Kesihatan, see any doctor and request for referral letter to Psychiatry dept in a govt hospital

just say you have mental health issues, depression, suicidal thoughts, etc. They will definitely write you a referral letter.

Take the letter to your nearest govt hospital but please check if there is any psychiatry dept in that hospital. Bring the letter to that hospital and make an appointment.

I mean if it's 3 patients who are on the same wavelength, can't fault the gov actually. And yes from my experience, gov hospital will reschedule to next month. But same for private also ya.

Does it work if I get a referral from private hosp for gov hospital?

No

They will definitely ask you to get a letter from a doctor in a Klinik Kesihatan

Then not for me at this juncture, sorry.

I feel bad for you man. Can I DM for more info on this?

You just need to conquer your mind, make it your slave. All of us go through ups and downs. Anxiety and depression are completely normal feelings. OCD, ADD, PTSD and ADHD are completely normal behaviors.

Those who go to physiologist and psychiatrist take the easy way out and get stuck in labels.

Everything you said is completely valid, it's just that it's reached the point where I am in the segment of being "dysfunctional enough" to not function in terms of familial and society's expectations. Can't even remember what i was supposed to do 5 mins ago, consistently failing to cultivate tasks, general lack of motivation and so on so forth.

personally just gave up as i doubt its efficacy for my case. i've come to realize im the oil in water, its not gonna be fixed over a talk. later just waste time like anthony soprano and melfi

Agree with what Arkasi and Steponlego shared and it's great that you've "man up" to see either a psychiatrist or psychologist for it. Honestly, don't listen to those advice that say you need to be more positive, have a walk and it'll be fine, toughen up yourself and own your mind kind of nonsense.

I've had depression and later on anxiety with it for 4 years and even got admitted to hospital when it got too serious. I did see a few psychiatrist and psychologist along the way, but only felt at best 60% through a lot of different med combinations cos different ppl react differently to the side effects. My goal that time was to always try to cut off medications asap once I get better.

Then I switched to another psychiatrist and got diagnosed that it is probably genetics where my brain chemicals cannot generate enough chemicals like the normal person to be happy, manage stress etc so I need meds to boost it to a healthy level. After getting the right combination of meds, I recovered completely in 3 months but I no longer feel the urge to cut my medications off like last time. Cos now I feel as good as I was back in college like as if no worries, I can handle stress and problems much better and with a clearer mind. I just treat the meds like some high cholesterol meds or diabetes medication only.

Depression and anxiety have many types of manifestations and causes. The fact that you acknowledge that you need help and are willing to seek for one is the best decision. People who say why are you so weak etc. probably didn't experience actual depression and anxiety before. When they ask you to be positive or conquer your mind, it's like asking a temporarily handicapped person in the wheelchair to stand and walk straight away. They also need physio before they can stand back up on their own.

Sometimes it's fine to just admit we need help at some point in our lives. No need to worry about ego so much. Ego cannot feed us also. Just be patient with the medications, it's quite trial and error one. For me, psychiatrist work better than psychologist but that's also because I don't like CBT work. When the medications begin to work, you'll see things a lot differently and easier. Cos you can't walk if you can't stand. Take it one step at a time.

This post has been edited by alwy11: Aug 30 2025, 03:58 PM

Meeeeeee I’m seeing psychiatrist in public hospital.

First of all lerh, highly recommend to visit public hospital because psych meds is a long term thing, not something you eat for a day then you feel ‘ok’, so going to public hospital can keep meds cost to minimal.

Second, I think meds are beneficial if CBT is not working or you’re experiencing symptoms that are hugely negatively affecting your life. For example, shaky hands, no focus, excessive ruminating etc etc, meds are there to help take the edge off.

There’s no shame in taking SSRI.
Do you know? SSRI can be used to treat premature ejaculation too! Therefore you shouldn’t think that psych meds are for mental people only, you should see that meds are for treating symptoms, not the illness.

And yea this as well ^. Toxic positivity is a thing too.

*ps: not medical advice Kek, just from my experience*

This post has been edited by KekTart: Aug 30 2025, 04:15 PM

I'm actually tired of being told that I can do it, I'm still young, I can learn, etc. To me it has always been about finding that elusive motivation to actually get anything done. Intrinsic motivation is insanely difficult for me to picture, what more work towards. Everything that I have ever worked for is either tied to money, or dopamine and that is the truth about myself, which makes me suspect of who I truly am as a human being in turn.

From experience, caffeine makes my mind clear up for a bit. With chicken essence it is a few hours. Relating this to my psych, he told me that taking medication would be like switching to another OS altogether.

There is always that stigma of having to disclose your psych history to your employers in Malaysia, and unfortunately I was in a damned if I do and damned if I don't thing. I told them, you can see that with structure in place, I can do a lot better. I can actually perform well at work, and keep myself up with the tasks at hand. Let's just hope that is how they choose to see it.

I will not discount CBT but I am in a place where I am too far down in terms of self esteem to even think that I can start correcting my own thoughts in that manner, I would rather stick to the grounding methods to prevent myself from spiralling for now.

Thank you so much for hearing me out.

When I do stop getting the coverage from private, then gov hospital is the only option for me haha. There is a lot of impulsivity and reactionary behaviors from my end that have come across as rude to many people, including my own family. You can say that it really does affect how they perceive you, and in turn how they choose to treat or even acknowledge you.

Any meds are go for me but I'm holding off for personal reasons for now, thanks. Yeah my family is very much in that category but I don't fault them. I can't because it's not in my control. Better to just do what needs to be done.

Ts, please ignore that fellow advice of it's all in your mind rubbish. He clearly hasn't experience mental health problems before & is the old you are a man so tough it out,.man cannot cry mentality.

Otherwise he wouldn't have said going to see a shrink is the easy way out. That is pure bullshit. Fellow clearly doesn't know for quite a number of people it takes a lot of courage to openly admit they need to see a psychiatrist and thededication to make it work.

I have ocd & believe me it does not go away over time. If I didn't see a psychiatrist. It would.have spiral out of control. When it started getting worse & I didn't know what was ocd. I thought it's all a matter of.being strong willed & not.controlling it.

Believe me it does not work that way. I have to take medication so that I can get it under control. The mind like I said is a complex thing & sometimes you need professional counselling, other times u need medication to help your keep.your brain chemistry in balance.

Saying don't need to see a shrink is frankly irresponsible. It's like saying I got a fever but I don't even need panadol even though i have it at.home. Just toughen it out & the fever will subside on its own. Imagine the potential brain damage the.fever can cause.all because want to be macho

Bruh I'm a lady and I think we don't give enough credit to ourselves to not admit. Like how women are expected to be 100% experts at juggling tasks, responsibilities, all while remaining fashionable enough to get a guy and so on and so forth. Just like how men are supposed to be stoic without having any emotional outbursts.

Sorry for the fact that you have OCD, but thankfully you know how to recognize that you need help. It took a lot of undoing my gaslighting by the people around me that I do have a serious issue. Even more so now, when it is my default to deny that I need help. Patterns are to be established, and support is very much needed (which I know I won't get much of).

I mean it is up to the naysayers what they want to preach, all I can do is justify my own path and my own way of dealing, since everyone else is either too busy judging to understand, or too busy for empathy.

Just use your private coverage as long as you are able to. At this stage, it's important that you get to see your psychiatrist on fix regular basic.

One thing bad about public hospital is if you need to reschedule like Steponlego wrote. Next available slot can easily be 2 months away from your original schedule & that is a big no when you are just starting out.

Private hospitals normally won't have any problem reschedule to next day or next week. There are a few times when I had to reschedule & there's no problem with the new date that I wanted.

Later on when you have seen improvement in your treatment & you need less visits. You can consider public hospitals to minimise cost

Based on my experience during my ordeal, motivation was a big issue as your motivation levels drop when you have depression and like you, I was motivated by success by climbing the corporate ladder and dopamine. Actually, it's a common thing for a lot of us to think and behave that way. Especially our generation cos we are so wired through our gadgets that we chase dopamine through it as well. Over time, our brains adapt to needing to have these videos, shorts, stories to fill the gap or silence. So we chase these kind of things more. It's just one downside of technology advancement. You might want to watch this video on Youtube - "You Need to Be Bored. Here's Why." by Harvard Business Review. Just a quick 6 minutes video.

Regarding caffeine, it's not bad but you need to be careful with that consumption if you have anxiety. If not, it's ok but if you have anxiety, it can make it worse. You might feel more nervous or jittery cos of it. Well, in terms of taking medications, I told my psychiatrist when I was getting better mood wise, that I lacked motivation and I also had low self esteem as I had to quit my job due to depression. However, after her change of meds, my motivation levels drastically improved and you would be surprised, I was very risk adverse previously but now I'm about to start a business myself. So sometimes, it could be the chemical imbalance that we have in our brains, which is very complex that affects this part of us at THIS POINT IN TIME only. You may feel demotivated and have low self esteem now, but that may not define who you are when you are better.

CBT works for some people and it's good that you are open to it especially if you have trauma related or negative behaviour thought process being reinforced. However, based on my experience having a good combination of medication helps provide a solid foundation to recovery and then when you supplement it with CBT, it can be the total package/ gold standard. So the right medications can really help prevent you from spiraling down, as for my case it did. I was suicidal at one point and had to undergo Spravato treatment in UMMC to negate those thoughts. When I was admitted there, I befriended a lot of people with different backgrounds and there are so many successful people there like Ivy League C-Suite patients there. So depression and anxiety can happen to anyone regardless of how successful they, or in K terms, RM20k salary or not. That guy was probably earning RM60-80k per month based on his position, making big decisions in his company but it still happened to him. It could be genetics, upbringing, trauma or environment that cause this.

Your colleagues or boss may or may not understand depression or provide you the support you need but that's understandable as I was probably like them too before I had depression. So I choose to be open about it and share my experience when I need to, due to the stigma around it. Grounding techniques may help and I did try that out, but for me, it helped sustain my depression for a bit, but not improve the situation. It helps more for anxiety symptoms but depression not so. If you can afford a private clinic, I would recommend Introspect Clinic at Sri Petaling. The doctor there was a former lecturer and her medicine prescription method was very helpful for me. Also her method of documentation helps save time during consultation as she knows what to follow up on straight away during each visit. I have tried other doctors, and their dosing and medication choice didn't work that well for me. Maybe I got lucky but I sort of owe it to her for my drastic recovery after 4 years of drifting in and out. I take about 3 medications now (1 for depression, 1 for sleep/ mood stabiliser (not sleeping pill) and 1 for motivation/ energy-ish) and I pay about RM600+ per month but if cost is a concern, you can try UMMC out. It's just that their method may take a bit more time as they are a bit more prudent in dosing style i.e. they give you one med by one med.

Anyway, if you need anyone to talk to, feel free to PM me or just continue in this thread. I'm sure the others here are happy to help provide a listening ear.

This post has been edited by alwy11: Aug 30 2025, 09:08 PM

Good, don't listen to the naysayers. Like.i said, those haven't experience mental.health problems easy to say man it up bullshit & doesn't matter.if u are a lady. The.man it up.mentality applies to both genders.

Our grandparents time, adults were expected to not admit that they have mental issues for fear of stigma & losing face. Like u said.men were expected to be stoic & be the breadwinner while woman were expected to do the housework, take care of the kids, prepare.meals all with a.smile on the face.

The main thing is you recognise you need professional help & are willing to take the necessary steps. That's a very good sign.

how was your experience?

i wanna see one as I am in pressure

Med and counseling from psychiatrist is just temporary solution to relieve you while you find and solve the real root of the problem. Otherwise, you gonna have to take med for the rest of the life.

Well, you're not wrong entirely as it is always good to tackle the root problem where possible. Counselling however does not come from a psychiatrist, it's provided by either a psychologist or a counselor and it's not really a temporary relief. It all comes down to what type of situation a person is in.

TS, there are many types of treatment aimed at a long term fix in counseling to solve the root problem which can come from CBT, talk therapy, DBT and mindfulness (mbct).

These medical professionals are not just temporary solutions but of course, we ourselves need to be receptive and make an effort at recovery. But sometimes, even if we make an effort it might not work due to chemical imbalance such as mine, genetics. Then there's where we need a psychiatrist to help solve the "root cause" or sometimes, we need a temporary relief/ foundation to allow our mind to be a stable/ good state before we tackle the root cause.

Yes exactly, besides that I find relieve more effectively with pet like my cat, sometimes root cause cannot be solved, you need to stay away from it cuz if once triggered, TS mind will lose control and might affect your whole day or even your sleep

I quite liked my psych, haha. Very straightforward and told me that we don't have to sort everything out today. Focused on what exactly are you looking to achieve whether in long or short term. Of course my first suggestion is for you to see a psychologist first, if you're unsure about your symptoms and so on. At least when you see a psychiatrist after this you don't feel as lost.

If you're not happy you can always see a psychiatrist but they have the tendency to try and prescribe one med after another to find which suits you best.

how much? why you wanna see? related to your scammed case?

The root is always tied to how we develop maladaptive coping mechanisms towards our past experience (I sound like a therapist, fuck) and for myself, definitely genetics (based on observation on how my parents were very much the same, the only difference being that back then there isn't much they can do, except what is expected of them, hence workaholics who were really engrossed in their work).

My trigger is when I start lamenting about how I'm lazy, how I'm useless, and then that spirals and in the end I'm just numb to everything. I was told to look up mindful breathing for when I'm about to react and start from there.

Which is why I was told by my psychiatrist to see the psychologist first, and if needed, set another appointment with the psychiatrist.

How much what exactly? Meds? Sessions? I'm covered, I didn't take note of that.

I had arranged for this psych long before my scam case, please. The scam case did make it worse but you make it sound like it was the trigger for me to see the psych.

I don't know mah.

Ooh seems like frequent rumination, yea mindful breathing can help. Anyway, good la that you're in the process with your psychologist. Hope it all goes well!

I've stopped going and off medications for about 5 years now. I was seeing psych and on meds probably nearly 10 years or so? From my perspective and experience, psych and meds are just tools to help you get back to a baseline. You then need to do the work yourself, fighting your own internal demons, which to me is the hardest fight. Some people with much serious issues might need to rely on meds longer, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. To me personally, I didn’t want to rely on it (and my issues aren’t that extreme) hence I started working on myself after I reached that baseline of sorts.

In terms of experience with psych, I went to gov. Different doctors at each appointment, until I met with one that matched and he told me to ask for him on my next appointments. Finding the right psych that matches you is important.

In terms of meds, I went through several types and dosages before finding the right cocktail for myself. It was pretty gruelling too tbh due to the initial side effects. And it takes a while for them to work. But once it works and you find the one that matches you, it works wonders.

They helped me a lot, I’m probably no longer here if it weren’t for therapy and meds. Despite no longer being on both, I am still a work in progress and I am okay with that. My advise would be knowing what you want out of the meds and therapy. If your private coverage ends, I can suggest Cara2, I think it’s pretty affordable. Not sure if they can prescribe meds tho, I only went for a session or two when I had a short breakdown. There are other affordable options too, but of course the cheapest is always gov.

Good luck

Paiseh haha. No worries.

I still couldn't find an answer if government kliniks will issue an MC to get my recommendation from KK to the pshy unit for diagnosis, and if the therapy sessions can issue MC as well. For months I haven't been able to visit the government klinik as i highly suspect I have Anxiety disorder

KK I don't know. But the hospital psy clinic will be more than happy to give you MC should your employer is being an ass about taking one day off for the visit (like my previous company only approve annual leave request at least 1 month in advance, when my appointment is every 2 weeks).

KK normally 'cure' patient first B4 referring to specialist. When kk dr refer patient to a specialist, he has to rite loads of reasons and what treatment was done. Otherwise kena tembak by specialist.

My refer letter to see a specialist contains 2 pages of writing. Not sure about those terms used.

Seldom gip mc just for referral. Patient won't have the chance to see specialist on the day. Referral letter is only for future appointments.

This post has been edited by mini orchard: Sep 1 2025, 10:14 AM

Will be honest, "cure" before specialist is something that I don't want to put myself into first. referral >> schedule appt >> take leave. I also wish can get MC just for referral haha.

Assuming that U are lucky to get referral to a specialist without any medical records from kk, he will start the same treatment as kk cases. Basic medication for few months to see your progress.

In my case, the specialist told me the medication he prescribed is the same as kk unless my conditions warrant something else.

how to get a session at gomen hospital for anxiety and all?

basically just see a GP in Klinik Kesihatan first and tell the doc everything

use AI or chatgpt for free psychiatrist feel

i read very popular nowadays and free

To everyone, ignore this bloody rubbish advice. That is totally irresponsible & plain stupid to use any ai for such serious issues involving.mental & physical health.

This is akin to asking ai whether you need life saving surgery & after all the specialist said you need otherwise will be fatal. Ai say u no need surgery & you follow ai advice instead of specialist.

Already there is a disclaimer stating that chatgpt/ai may include.mistakes& not to use for medical advicelagi want to use it for such an important topic.

About 2 months back, a guy inquired diet change & end up getting hospitalised for bromism.

This post has been edited by arkasi: Sep 3 2025, 03:12 PM

if you are male, talking based therapy are not effective.
more and more physical movement are more effective.

this is how i addressed my anxiety disorder.
somewhat related:


This post has been edited by zerorating: Sep 3 2025, 03:51 PM

self diagnosis and self help therapies are not replacement for real.... but it give you a point to narrow or gain another opinion quickly so you can ask your physician or psychiatrist.

Even seeing psychiatrist, you will need to find psychiatry is right or a good fit for you, as not all are the same. some you dont feel comfortable opening up, etc.
then factor in cost involved.

hence I mention do AI for "free psychiatrist feel"

ie test water before diving in deeper and find one that is suitable since TS didnt mention anything serious

if you are bodoh enough to follow AI or forumer advise blindly without thinking thru, I cant help you there

tried using chatgpt, really helps for me.

Help me to get different perspective

Popular, there are apps on this as well, but honestly they are just a bunch of echo chambers and I don't trust them one bit.

those apps are nothing compare to the those AI like chatGPT, crock, etc...

however there is a downside with AI as well

Asalkan ko jangan bodoh pergi cari chatgpt bila you rasa mcm nak mati, then ok. AI will paraphrase and reaffirm the hell out of your statements without providing any tangible feedback, from my experience anyway.

Sigh, the reason I got triggered because looked at your earlier post. You just simply said use ai or chatgpt without putting a disclaimer like in your second post where you warned that self diagnosis is no replacement for professional consultation.

What u said is correct that finding a right psychiatrist is not easy. My aunt/uncle basically destroyed their son's life with their foolish pride & stubbornness by openly ignoring the big red flags & refuse to listen to others who.have first hand experience.

This is serious kopitiam & we have a social responsibility to write in detail warning that ai has severe downsides & should it be used for medical consulting. It is at best only for general reference & we still need to see a professional

Regardless, ai is very much to be use inly for trivial matters like how popular is a series type & not for serious medical, financial, etc matters.

This is a public forum where anyone can read the replies & there are plenty of vulnerable people who.might think, yea it's a good idea I consult with chapgpt save money.

You want to give advice in serious kopitiam must think of the.potential repercussions. If you are too lazy too explain in detail then don't bother. It's like you see your colleagues very depressed. Either u don't get involved because u feel it's too much trouble or be prepared to spend some time listening to their problems. Don't just butt in & say everything will be ok then walk off. That is a totally irresponsible move.

This post has been edited by arkasi: Sep 3 2025, 04:46 PM

TS just ask for the sake of curiosity, hence I answer based on that.

If TS ask for a specific problem that could lead to more serious consequences, then I would have probably answer based on a more serious note.

A while back, I had a bit of a panic attack and felt some anxiety creeping up on me, so I went for a 'charity' counselling.

Its where they help with the first few sessions via a 'donation basis' and if you really have a case, they refer you to more formal help.

So... it does feel better, if anything, talking it out, expressing feelings into words makes me see things more objectively, and telling it to someone trained to help cope with these feelings? even better.

Life is hard as it is... getting help is not a weakness, but strength.

Sigh, this.is my last reply to you. It seems you have reading comprehension problem & also the type die die must insist u are right.

Ts posted on serious koptiam asking those who.have actually seen psychiatrist/psychologist how are their experiences as ts is curious.The title itself says it all.

Your post does not indicate that you are using the service of one hence irrelevant. If.you have no actual experience then please do not comment unnecessary.

It's like people asking anyone ever use the service of this surgeon. Then you must butt in & say try this other surgeon instead eventhrough you have never need to use the services of said surgeon but just read that the surgeon is popular.

In your case you are recommending chatgpt/ai as an alternate without disclosing that it is a trial product with errors & can be very dangerous to those who are vulnerable & must still see professional.

Lastly, what do.you mean if ts had asked a specific problem, then I would have probably answered in a more serious note. This is serious koptiam where if you want pitch in. You are expected to give more serious reply.

If too lazy then please stick to casual kopitiam where we can bs whole day also no one care.

This post has been edited by arkasi: Sep 4 2025, 06:59 PM

To me serious Kopitiam is not a place for trolling and joking around but to discuss or post constructive and helpful comments.

I am recomending ChatGPT to get a feel of it.
People also commented that they use ChatGPT and to get a different perspective.

You are just too up tight about it.

How is it like to follow up at Govt. psychiatry clinic?
How often have to do follow up? How many sessions? How is waiting time?
I saw people said long wait time, not that I expect fast public service but worry it might cause even more stress to a depressed patient.
For adult working far away from Govt. psychiatry clinic, taking leave, travelling, waiting is already tiring.
Thanks.

I can't help you with government psychiatry clinic procedure as i.went to.private sorry.I can telp you with your follow up question/session.

You have to be realistic & realize from the start that there is no quick fix for mental health issues. This isn't like going to a GP & get meds for the.flu. Take meds & finish antibiotics then fever subside. Ok all settled. Nor is it like going for surgery then after maybe 2 -3 followups ok. No need to see surgeon anymore.

Each patient condition is different & no psychiatrist will say ok you just need to follow up 5 more times then sudah settled, tak payah datang lagi. Doesn't work that way.

The psychiatrist will have to diagnose & determine how severe one's condition is & whether meds is needed for treatment. After that, will have e to carefully monitor the patient for any potential side effects as each patient react differently to the meds.

Some are lucky & don't experience any or very mild side effects. Others may find they can't sleep, weight gain, drowsiness, etc. If the reactions are too severe, then.may have to try a different type.

Even if just need counselling, it will take time as need to find out the root of the problem & the necessary steps to help overcome it.

Most relapse happened because the patient thought that after taking meds & recover or got improvement. Then can stop taking medication & no need to do.follow up. Unfortunately, doesn't work that way.

My aunty/uncle at one point sent their son to gh & after a week he was acting normal.so the hospital discharge him & the silly fools instead of.monitoring making sure that he take his meds as it was obvious that he wasn't taking his.meds before that.

They were more keen on pretending that all ok sudah settled & because the fellow wanted to go to bible college immediately. They just sent him.off without consulting a psychiatrist whether is it a good idea & worse they let him stay in the dorm by himself.

Barely a month at dorm, fellow relapse & tried to.commit suicide.

I am not trying to be pessimistic & I know no one wants to see a psychiatrist long term due to costs, time & want to.move on with your life.

But it's important to realise that seeing a psychiatrist is.not just a quick fix & requires long term commitment. Even if you decide you want to be off meds. You can't just stop like that. You have to consult with your psychiatrist first & depending on your condition. They may agree or.not & even then may have to slowly taper off.meds not.just suddenly cut off.

You can as you get better especially in the later stages slowly reduce the number of sessions needed. E.g. instead of once every 2weeks, can be once a.month instead. But it.takes time & cannot be done.overnight. Both you & your psychiatrist will have to discuss about reducing the number of.visits.togather & you have to.monitor & be aware if.your condition deteriotes.

This post has been edited by arkasi: Sep 6 2025, 04:35 AM

Appointment set 9am. I usually arrive at clinic floor 8-ish. 5 minutes to get number. Waiting for my number to be called for registration around 40 minutes. Pay RM5 fee.
After that I go to the actual clinic front desk. Get another number to meet doctor. Wait max probably 2 hours, depending on how much people that day.
Talk to doctor, earlier when I'm not quite okay is 30 minutes to pour out all my problems. Now is like just 5 minutes because I'm quite okay, not much trouble.

Depending on your case, next appointment ranging from 7 days, 2 weeks, 1 month, 2 months or 4 months. Early case they want to see if you're okay with medication, probably they ask to come again in 2 weeks. How many sessions is also up to your case. The doctor will give you suggestion of what kind of approach you can take. Based on clinical guideline for my case, earliest is 2 years with medication, they said they will refer a patient to a therapist when the patient has become mindful. I'm not clear what they mean by mindful - I think it's like when you know your problem and you know how to live with that problem.

Right now I come follow up every 4 months because I got no problem. If there is any problem during the 4 months, can call hospital general line, get them to call psy clinic to figure out to arrange earlier appointment. If emergency just walk to ED, they will call psy to see you.

If boss didn't give you leave for the appointment, just ask for mc or time slip. The doctors are very helpful.

I agree
psychiatrist and certified psychotherapist they do a different job
there's also something like CBT or trauma healing that require deep diving. But I also heard if the patient is very stubborn there's no effective procedure being carried out no matter how professional the therapist is

Only medications are highly recommended for those who have delusion in sightseeing or hearing something out of nowhere

AI is excellent at articulating or gathering logical data quickly, but it can be overemphatize and can't specifically tackle certain Blindspot of human psyche

me , went to hctm @ hukm psychiatrist before .. but now no more as the doctor told me my case not that serious but i can come to get a treatment if i need it in the future

Ok, it's a peaceful nice quiet saturday evening so I'll be sharing a chart ONLY FOR THOSE INVOLVED but haven't seen it before for their better and clearer understanding. All credits to reddit..

https://i.redd.it/i3k2e04t5vha1.jpg

If a person has a disorder will they give medicine to try or will they talk with you for a long time before deciding to prescribe anything? Must show extreme panic, discomfort or stress only they believe?

Er, bro better don't spread misinformation if you do not have a deep understanding in how medications work and to whom it should be given to. I don't mean to be rude but this kind of advice can actually prevent people from taking the medication route when they are actually in need of them to get them to a baseline level.

Medication are meant for people with anxiety, depression etc. There are various type of medications that work differently such as SSRIs, mood stabilisers, atypical, SNRIs. Some to tackle symptoms, some to tackle the root cause. Medications however like what another forumer pointed out is not like a flu medicine and not like you get healed within 5-6 sessions. Once a person starts on medication and even if they get better, the process to taper off will take at least 2-3 months per medicine depending on dosage. (Not directed to you but for general forum info).

People with ADHD, depression and anxiety may not have delusion or hearing things out of nowhere. Mainly those with psychotic symptoms have those bro. Psychologist or counselors are no doubt great help for people with trauma, grieft etc. and agree with you that if the patient is stubborn then it won't be an effective treatment for them.

However, people with severe depression and anxiety (without delusions) are highly recommended to go to the medication route. Counselling is a long process and generally requires more than 6 sessions at least to see some results. So supplementing it with medication, helps to either reduce or prevent their symptoms from spiraling down further.

I'm not saying everyone needs to take medication cos it depends on their issues but I'm saying, advising that medication is only highly recommended for a selected small group of people with delusion is rather incorrect advice and may cause more harm. Just my two cents.

This post has been edited by alwy11: Sep 6 2025, 10:10 PM

Yeah. Temaning my closed one for schizophrenia. Hukm. Private side.

My loved one has been on medication of 25mg aripropazole. After 1.5 year taking it religious ly, we tot we could reduce the dosage. Went to the doc, roc ok to reduce it to 20mg. 2 months after walla, relapse. Start to hallucinate again. Now push back to 25mg, later go see doc if within 1 week no improvement.

hukm one of the best place as they got plenty of psychiatrists 🤒

Go talk to a therapist first before seeing psychiatrist
a lot of psychiatrist they lack interest to help you heal your case. They want you to keep addicted to medicine

Depression usually associate with lack of actions
it doesn't need medication for the most part
like I said, seek a professional talk through the problems rather than just relying on medication
visiting prostitutes or severe spending without control that lead to massive debts are also related to traumas and unresolved issues

Both psychiatrists and psychologists are medical professionals btw. And not all psychiatrists like to simply just prescribe meds and just earn a quick buck from you. However, like all doctors, accountants etc there are good and bad ones.

Look, you clearly don't have a complete picture of how depression is. You can go re-read your post and mine back again, if you have comprehension issues. And yes, although depression is usually associated with lack of actions, it doesn't mean a person don't need medications for most part.

This part here is again not accurate. Aside from personal experience, the reason why I don't agree is because someone I knew, committed suicide after deciding against medication and just did not pull through solely with counseling/ therapy cos of these false preachings about medications. You can say whatever you want, about what most part etc but don't simply give advice that can prevent other ppl from seeking correct help.

You don't have to play down medications for the wider group if you are pro-therapy. No one is saying therapy is useless. Instead, combined they are the gold standard. You don't have to create a barrier or make medications sound like they are only for a small group of people to take.

Anyway, I'm not trying to simply pick a fight. It's just that having lost someone cos of that mindset is a bit unsettling.

It depends on individual case. No one even the psychiatrist can simply made such a decision without seeing the patient first.

My advice is to be honest & tell the psychiatrist how you are feeling, when did you start having negative thoughts, any work family related issues that may be troubling you, etc.

There is no need to act up by showing extreme panic, stress, discomfort. Just be truthful & let the psychiatrist know the details no matter how insignificant it may sound.

Sorry to.hear.about your.friend. I agree that both medications & therapy are equally important & it's not right to.dismiss medication as money grubbing.

As mentioned, I have ocd & I need to.take meds to.keep.my.ocd.level.managable. otherwise it can get out of control. I also make sure that I get enough rest & don't do any important paperwork when I am very tired so as not to agitate my ocd.

Meds are needed as sometimes the patient's condition can be caused by chemical imbalance in the brain & no amt of counselling will fix that hence it helps stabilise the brain chemistry in my.case made my ocd manageable while.i also.take.care not to agitate it unnecessary.

I can understand why some people.may dislike meds especially if it causes severe side effects hence the reason why they don't take it.if they can. Unfortunately, they are some patients who do need meds regardless so it is wrong to downplay it's importance in a patient's mental wellbeing.

Sorry to hear that your wife had a relapse. Unfortunately this type.of situation does happen & main thing is.how.you handle it.

You did nothing wrong & took the correct steps from consulting with doc & then putting her back to original.dosage once the relapse.started & you are monitoring your wife's condition which is good.

The worst are those.that ignore the signs & pretend all is.well like my.aunty/uncle. Instead of making sure the son take his meds In front of.them.

They just say take it at face value they he took his.meds when ask & instead of facing reality that he is not taking & is getting worse. They resort to prayers whenever he has an attack.

I.only see.them at most twice a year in the past & can clearly see.his getting worse, yet the parents gila.have the nerve to say his condition improving.

I've seen from my relatives that someone had depression for decades and completely relying on medication, and their private life and money management is so fucked up. That's just based on pure observation

Medication can become a grudge for the most part

This post has been edited by -mystery-: Sep 7 2025, 06:22 PM