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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.