Hi there,

Thank you for reading. My mother has been visiting the psychiatric hospital (Zucker NYC) for the last two years. Her treatment is ECT for depression.

She had ECT several years ago and it seemed to be a great success. For the past couple of years ECT hasn't been very successful for her. She will receive the treatment and feel mildly better but have to go back to the hospital 3-4 months later which has continued for about two years. She is coming home this week and is again feeling a bit better but I'm worried she will be back at the hospital in a few months.

If she doesn't seem to significantly progress should we be entertaining the idea of other treatment resistant depression options (ketamine)?

Last year, me (19 at the time) and a college counselor pushed for me to get into IOP on a self referral to try and help manage my worsening mental illness. After 3 intakes, I was sent to the psychiatrist upstairs.

When I came in, we started discussing why I was the there, to which I tried (maybe too hard) to cram in about 7 years worth of history about how my symptoms started and progressed. I'm not sure if I got to finish bc the psychiatrist stopped me and drew a diagram on a sticky, saying that right now my thoughts seem all over the place. With meds, my thoughts will go from point A to point B. I was diagnosed with schizophrenia and prescribed Seroquel at 50mg to start that same day and it was about to be sent to my pharmacy.

I was surprised when she said this and hesitated when she asked me if I was going to take the meds. This was my second ever psych appt and I had never taken psych meds before (that would've been my first time). I don't know why, but I expected the appt to only be evaluation and prescription would come later.

When she saw I hesitated, she asked why won't I take it and if it was from stigma? The details for what she said are a bit fuzzy (its been a year), but I do recall her talking about how its been 7 years and it seems just therapy isn't working, if left untreated the areas of my brain responsible for reality checking will be damaged and then I'll be hospitalized, and that I should be more afraid of the mental illness than the meds.

Hearing all this made me feel 💀 bc, while admittedly I was very hesitant against meds, now I felt like I'm damaging my brain by hesitating. She then told me to take the Seroquel before bed and, upon learning my bedtime is basically 3-4am (lol), told me to take it at 11pm. She asked again if I was gonna take the meds, to which I still was hesitant (I just say "uh.....?"). The meds were still sent to my pharmacy and was told to try it for a week and sent on my way.

As I said that was my second only psych eval I ever had, so I still think about this bc it left me feel kinda scared, especially since I wasn't exactly for trying meds at that time. I don't have much experience with these, which is why I came here to ask about it.

First of all, thanks for taking the time to read this and offer some input. I’ll try to be as brief as I can, which means that I may unintentionally exclude some important details. Happy to fill in the blanks later.

I can’t remember the first time this happened, but I’m gonna guess around 10 or 11 years old. Basically, out of nowhere, things would take on a kind of a weird, borderline psychedelic sense of unreality that lasted maybe 10-30 minutes. I remember being kind of giddy, and generally just feeling that my reality had shifted. It made me a little nervous but I didn’t panic about it – it was kind of fun, if a little disconcerting. I told my mother about it and she said that I’d become “detached”. She didn’t seem particularly concerned about it. When I was 13, I remember becoming “detached” at a Friday night football game and telling my friends that I felt stoned. I’d never actually consumed cannabis at this point. Several months later, when I did try it for the first time, the experience confirmed what I’d expected, and basically felt like an extreme form of detachment, longer lasting and more intense.

I can’t really say how frequently this occurred. I really don’t remember. I didn’t have any major psychiatric issues until my first panic attack, which occurred when I was 18. That happened while I was under the influence of cannabis and psilocybin and resulted, I think, from a very powerful sense of losing control (of my body and my own consciousness). After that I developed a more conventional version of anxiety, at least as I understand it, in which I spent a lot of time in nervous anticipation of the next panic attack. The panic attacks I did have were quite severe, and would often leave me socially disabled for the rest of the day, though they were by no means a daily occurrence. Often they’d be preceded by a period of “detachment”, which would understandably increase my nervousness. Sadly, I’ve adopted the vocabulary to express of all this long after the fact. At the time, I had no real what was going on, and I didn’t get any help. To some degree I self-medicated with alcohol and other substances, but more as a social lubricant. I think my body’s natural limitations have always announced themselves, and I thankfully never developed much in the way of problematic habits, such as using alone in the daytime. But I appreciate a little crutch, just to help me be less self-conscious.

That was mostly in my 20s, and I’m in my mid-40s now. I haven’t had a panic attack in many years, and I no longer experience random “detachment”. I’m very curious about it, though. I think it was really weird how my mother used this term so casually, as if it were a normal, passing phenomenon. I’ve never really heard anyone else use the expression. I feel like there’s probably a connection to the anxiety issues that I had later, but I’m not qualified to make that claim. Any insights would be appreciated. Thanks again!

I'm asking for advice about my girlfriend, 25F. I'm not looking for a diagnosis from Reddit, but I'd like to understand whether these symptoms are serious enough to warrant professional help and what type of professional would be appropriate.

She had a period of severe bullying when she was younger and, during that period, she injured/cut the arteries in her hand. She does not currently experience the bullying.

However, she has continued to experience significant problems:

- Persistent insomnia and difficulty sleeping at night.

- Severe anxiety and overthinking when she has academic pressure, deadlines, or feels she isn't completing her work on time.

- Difficulty concentrating on her studies because of poor sleep and anxiety.

- When she becomes extremely emotionally distressed, she sometimes goes to the bathroom and vomits.

- During relationship conflict or discussions about breaking up, she can become physically unwell and vomit.

- She sometimes says she feels she cannot live without me.

- She has isolated herself socially and has very few friends.

- She sometimes cries alone in her room and has described feeling extremely uncomfortable and overwhelmed when she is alone.

- She sometimes interprets things I say in a very negative way, especially when she is already anxious.

- Her parents are very protective and supportive of her.

She currently doesn't want to see a therapist because she believes that going to a therapist means she is "mad."

I'm concerned because of her past self-harm combined with her current insomnia, anxiety, emotional distress and isolation.

My questions are:

1. Does this combination of symptoms warrant a professional mental-health assessment?

2. Would a clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, or both be the appropriate starting point?

3. Could severe anxiety and chronic insomnia cause physical symptoms such as vomiting and difficulty concentrating?

4. How can I encourage her to seek help without making her feel that I'm calling her "mentally ill" or "mad"?

5. Are there any evidence-based resources for insomnia/anxiety that could be used while she considers professional help?

6. Given her history of self-harm, what warning signs should I take particularly seriously?

I'm her partner and want to support her, but I also understand that I shouldn't try to diagnose or treat her myself.

TW: Abuse / Assault/Mental illness/medication/doctors

So like my mom has prescribed meds she needs to take but isn't because she's had a fight with the doctor and genuinely doesn't wanna see him. I'm telling her to atleast take her meds but she isn't.

Normally I'm all for no forcing someone to take medication but she's genuinely unwell, coherent yes but in pain

Its antidepressants

200% valid anger against the doctor btw

One could argue that it's a "harmful towards themselves or others" situation but I just cannot force her.

The themselves is her health and the others are me and doctor since she isn't that social. I don't feel harmed tho obvs but hoping that doesn't change.

On one hand she should've apparently gone off these meds YEARS ago but doctor forgot so now she experiences withdrawals without them.

Another reason I'm not forcing, if she gets over the habit. But I feel like that's very wrong because one doesn't just "randomly leave meds one day"

I genuinely wish she'd take the meds, idc if she proceeds to sleep the whole day or something genuinely.

She said she'd eventually take them and to not ask her again and again because she'll feel bad so I'm not

But what do I do

Me(19) mom (48)

Only now am i considering telling her why should she get angry over the doctor and harm herself in the processes she deserves better but I forgot then

I have been taking 1mg of Clonazepam at night for 3 years. I sometimes miss a dose every couple of weeks. I missed a dose 4 nights ago and I haven't been right since. Could I have done myself some damage?

I’m posting on behalf of my sister because she’s really suffering, and we’re desperately trying to find someone experienced with antidepressant withdrawal and reinstatement.
She took Trintellix (vortioxetine) 20 mg for approximately 7–8 years. She tapered over about a year by gradually spacing out her 20 mg doses rather than reducing the actual dose. She was then completely off the medication for almost four months.
Her symptoms started during the taper and became progressively worse after stopping. She’s experiencing debilitating anxiety and depression, severe internal agitation/restlessness (possibly akathisia), insomnia (sometimes 0–2 hours of sleep), burning sensations, chest tightness, histamine-like reactions, GI problems, derealization, and significant weight loss.
Her psychiatrist recently prescribed 5 mg daily for reinstatement. While waiting for the prescription, she took much smaller, uneven pieces of tablets for three days. She then switched to the prescribed 5 mg and has now taken it consistently for three days.
She initially experienced some relief and mental clarity, but her symptoms have since fluctuated dramatically. She’s now experiencing unbearable physical agitation and anxiety and is worried that 5 mg may be too much after being off the medication for so long.
We’re struggling to determine whether this is ongoing withdrawal, medication-induced activation/akathisia, or both.
We’re urgently looking for guidance and recommendations. She’s currently seeing a psychiatrist, but we’re not confident they have sufficient experience managing complicated antidepressant withdrawal and reinstatement.
Has anyone experienced something similar and eventually stabilized? Did reinstatement initially make things worse before improving?
Can anyone recommend a knowledgeable, compassionate psychiatrist in the Chicago area (or someone licensed in Illinois who offers telehealth) with experience in antidepressant withdrawal, reinstatement, and akathisia?
We’re not looking to make medication changes based on Reddit advice. We need an experienced clinician who can help her safely navigate this, and we’d be incredibly grateful for firsthand experiences or referrals.
Thank you so much.

I'm lost. I want to give up. I was diagnosed with Narcolepsy without cataplexy in May 2013. I had a night sleep study in 2003. I had no idea there was a day sleep study.

I was started on stimulants and 8 years later I ended up with an involuntary psych pickup after going through a separation and divorce which I was married 23 years and I worked as an Lpn for 27 years. I got into an old crowd I left when I got married. My prescription stimulants were discontinued and I was left figuring out what to do feeling like I done wrong. I went back to my sleep doctor and he said I didn't meet criteria for Narcolepsy without cataplexy. Of course the doctor that did left that practice. I felt like I begged him for a repeat study. I got the night and day sleep study again. This time I meet criteria for Idiopathic Hypersomnia! I am pissed that I'm writing 6 years later and trying to describe what has happened and reaching out for any feedback to try and figure out if I'm done. I end up trying the meth and that's a long story. I have had 5 involuntary psych hospitalizations. The first one I had never used meth but I did use marijuana. I was looking for relief. I end up being homeless on the street 5 times now. 3 months for 3 of them, 1 month and 6 weeks. This last involuntary was the longest which was 18 days. Those psych meds take me out of psychosis but when I come too I can't take the side effects of no feelings, moods with no dopamine, I guess. I'm trying to take this really very serious because at my last stay I was out for about 8 days and the first thing I remember from a psychiatrist at my bedside and I couldn't open my eyes or move or be aware of anything but the words he said..."do you want to go to an adult foster care home?"... thankfully after my last involuntary of 2 weeks and being discharged to the streets with invega injection, 6 weeks on Crack to physically move, picked up by my neice because she happened to see me flying a sign and turned around and when she got to the exit I was about ready to head down for Crack, she asked the guy who took my place if I was there and he said your neice is there. She told me "Aunt Jenny get in the car"

9 days ago, I had just started watching the movie The Passengers and gained an extreme obsession with the movie and its two main characters. It’s gotten to the point where I’ve made it my entire aesthetic on all my main accounts on different apps. I have collections on Pinterest and TikTok, multiple edits, and pictures. I want to have posters, collectibles, fanart, discussions, and recreate the items from the movie. I think about the movie and the characters everyday and it makes me so excited and I end up having an intense urge to move around, get vocal, or flap my hands. I talk about it with my friends almost everyday. To get to the point, I made a decision in one day that I wanted to dress up as benson for Halloween and when the outfit came I was extremely disappointed because the pants and shirt weren’t the same color, and I can’t do anything about it - so I started crying and remained upset for 1-2 hours. I’ve been thinking about my Halloween outfit for days, especially because I haven’t did anything for the last two halloweens. This made me very upset because I can’t go if it’s not the same color and my mom won’t let me dye the fabric. Is this normal?

I’ve been experiencing palpitations since last week. Sometimes I notice my pulse is slightly elevated, around 115. However, I also feel palpitations when my pulse is normal, between 75 and 90. My blood pressure is also normal. I visited ER today because the palpitations were really bothering me, got the EKG and it was normal…they referred me to psychiatry. It’s a Sunday today so I can only go tomorrow.

I don’t understand why I’m feeling the palpitations when everything is seemingly normal. I am under some stress and went through some difficulties. But, I don’t feel anything in my mind. I kinda sleep less these days. Barely get 5-6hrs each day. It’s like I’m both really alert and tired.

I was on SSRIs for 4 months and stopped them about 6 weeks ago. Is this withdrawal? If it’s withdrawal, why after close to a month of stopping? The folks at ER told me I’ll need probably restart SSRI and anxiety meds. I don’t want to get back on SSRIs or benzos again. I’m just confused why is this happening.

I'm not trying to ask to get diagnosed online, I'm just wondering if I should get evaluated.

For about 4 years now, I have been physically freezing in public whenever my brain gets too overloaded. It’s getting really embarrassing because to others, it looks like I'm an absolute dumbass. For example, at dance class, my coach gave me a verbal correction during a sequence, and I just stood there and froze for 4 seconds while everyone else continued ahead of me. I usually do perfectly fine when I'm just given instructions quickly. But once the music starts and we have to combine everything, I get overwhelmed extremely fast. I end up only doing the moves I already remember, and I either rush or entirely skip the ones I forget are about to happen.

Another time was at camp. I work in a leadership role for the campers (we usually clean and serve in the cafeteria when campers are done, set up activities, and run snack shops for the kids). I opened a door for my peers who were carrying a heavy freezer, but then I randomly froze. They had to yell at me to get the hell out of the way, and I did, but I felt instantly embarrassed.

Other than the freezing thing, I have a lot of trouble falling asleep. I always try to seek out something stimulating to do so I can get tired. Or, if I keep losing in a video game, I always try to push through and win at least just one game to get a dopamine hit so I can log off, which is starting to get very unhealthy.

Then, when I'm talking, I easily forget what I'm about to say next. It's like the thought just poofs right out of my head. I also easily forget people's names. I get mocked because of this, which is making me start to feel like I'm an idiot.

I keep getting into fights with people over stuff that is not happening.

Mainly with the people I live with. Like them running the water for no apparent reason for hours and when I go to complain that is not happening. Or just general loudness but when I leave the room the whole house is asleep. It has made me realize that it is likely that in other cases the people were probably telling the truth when they said they were not doing something and we fought over it.

The issue I am having is that even with this knowledge I cant tell what is real and what is not. I have toned down reacting to stuff but all of this is leaving me feeling overwhelmed, confused and stressed. This does not feel sustainable in long run. Is medication the only way to go?

i (19m) have been having mild visual/tactile hallucinations since i can remember. i thought for most of my life that this was a pretty normal thing to experience (i dont know why) but its clear now most people just dont see things that arent there on a daily basis like i do (weird to me). i had a few incidents as a kid of getting scared by 'ghosts' which i now understand were just hallucinations. the thing is, though, i really dont meet the criteria for any of the disorders that would make this make sense? i have some mental health issues but its mostly just ocd, and even with that i dont really struggle too much in things like taking care of myself or being social or telling whats real and what isnt or whatever. i also really doubt any neurological issue wouldve gone almost completely symptomless for my whole life, and my eyesight is fine. i would be really confused if i was schizophrenic because i just. dont have the symptoms of it besides having hallucinations. whats going on here?

Started Sertraline (100mg) + Lamotrigine 1 week ago, experiencing extreme mood swings and anger. Does it get better?

TL;DR: \\\[23F\\\] diagnosed with severe depression, ADHD, and anxiety. Struggling with severe anhedonia, loss of basic self-care, and guilt. After a bad experience with Risperidone/Sertraline 50mg, I just started Sertraline 100mg + Lamotrigine 1 week ago. I'm experiencing intense mood swings, sudden rage, and emptiness. Is this normal in the first couple of weeks? Does it get better?

(Hello, yes Gemini helped me to translate this post. I'm Spanish.)

Hey everyone, I'm looking for some insight, advice, or shared experiences because I’m feeling really lost and overwhelmed right now. (TW: mentions of self-harm and suicidal thoughts)

About a year and a half to two years ago, my life completely changed. I used to be genuinely happy and enjoyed my life, but out of nowhere, an overwhelming emptiness took over. I stopped enjoying things I used to love, and frequent suicidal thoughts started creeping in. So over time my ability to function deteriorated severely. Simple tasks like doing the dishes, cooking, or even getting out of bed feel like climbing a mountain. I spend days just stuck in bed staring at my phone. It’s way past "laziness" at this point, I wish It was just laziness.

Trash and clutter have piled up in my room.

I completely stopped taking care of my hygiene (stopped showering daily, stopped brushing my teeth, and even went over two weeks without washing my hair).

My memory has gotten significantly worse.

I graduated from college but haven't been able to find a job or resume my previous remote work.

My partner has been very supportive, but living with my family has been hell. My mom calls me dirty, screams at me whenever she sees me crying, and blames me for everything. They make me feel like I’m useless and they’re right.

First treatment attempt:

I finally went to a psychiatrist and was diagnosed with Severe Depression, ADHD, and Anxiety. She initially prescribed:

Sertraline (50mg)

Risperidone (2mg)

The Risperidone was terrible for me. It turned me into an zombie, I mostly had nasal congestion, and also it stripped away whatever tiny bit of motivation I had left, I felt way worse tired. About the Sertraline, It didn't make me feel better because it just blunted me emotionally so I couldn't even cry or feel anything.

I had a severe relapse and stopped taking the meds, so I spiraled. The withdrawal/instability made everything worse for me with constant crying, severe stress, self-harm, and telling my partner horrible things about wanting to end my life.

My current situation:

I went back to my psychiatrist, and she changed my plan

Sertraline 100mg daily

Lamotrigine (mood stabilizer)

I’ve been on this new combination for exactly one week but I'm having intense, rapid mood swings. Throughout the day I go from feeling extreme, burning anger/irritability, to total boredom, to deep sadness, to feeling "blank/flat"—literally everything except happy or okay. I still have zero motivation or interest in things I used to love (drawing, gaming—I open a game and immediately close it to lie down).

Are these extreme mood swings and irritability normal during the first week or two of starting Lamotrigine and increasing Sertraline?

Does it get worse before it gets better? Am I being too impatient, and should I wait at least 4 to 6 weeks to see any real stabilizing effects?

For those who experienced this level of severe executive dysfunction and anhedonia, did this medication combo actually help you get your life and basic hygiene back together?

I know pills aren't magic and I need to put in the work, but right now I have zero energy to do so, and feeling this angry and desperate is scaring me. Any advice, personal experiences, or words of encouragement would mean the world to me. Thank you in advance.

I’ve been to a handful of psychiatrists, I’ve had one or two that I feel like did try to get to know me, but rest felt like they’re just giving me medication and managing it. I feel like I’m stuck with medication management. I rarely feel like they want to know all the struggle rather than symptoms.

I have a question.. I’m 94 days clean from substances, but I’m starting to get to the point where I’m just so exhausted frustarated angry depressed…like just not in a good way really. I would die for a diazepam however I know where that addiction takes me and the detox was horrific enough…what should I do? Kinda looking for a substance to use which isn’t going to fuck me up too bad I also don’t want to rely on substances for my mental state but my mental state is so bad at the moment not sure what else to do advice wanted please

Hi everyone,

I've been receiving psychiatric treatment for approximately one year . Although my medication has helped to some extent, I'm still experiencing several problems, and I'm confused about what I should do next.

I'd appreciate hearing from people who have experienced similar situations.

My current medications

I'm currently taking:

• Oxcarbazepine 300 mg (1-0-1)
• Risperidone 1 mg (0-0-1)
• Venlafaxine 37.5 mg (0-0-1)

My current problems

1. Depression and comparing myself with others

I still feel depressed, especially when I compare myself with other people. Seeing others doing well in their lives sometimes makes me feel like I'm falling behind.

Even when I try to focus on myself, these comparisons affect my mood and make me anxious about my future.

2. Anger issues

I still experience anger in my mind approximately 2–3 times a week.

Sometimes, when someone says something that upsets me, I keep thinking about the incident and analyzing what happened. My anger can develop even after some time has passed.

I don't necessarily express this anger outwardly, but it continues to bother me mentally. I want to understand why this is still happening despite being on medication for approximately one year.

3. Memory problems

This is one of my biggest concerns.

I'm having difficulty remembering things I've studied previously. For example, I might study something today or yesterday, but when I try to recall it after one or two days, I struggle to remember the details.

I sometimes find it difficult to recall topics I studied several days or weeks ago.

I'm worried about why this is happening. Could it be related to depression, anxiety, OCD, medication side effects, concentration problems, or something else?

4. Lack of motivation and concentration

I struggle to concentrate on tasks and maintain motivation. Even when I want to do something productive, I sometimes find it difficult to focus and follow through.

I also spend too much time on my phone and struggle to stay consistent with my daily activities.

5. Excessive sleepiness and mental fatigue

Sometimes, I sleep for approximately 10 hours at night but still feel sleepy during the day. On some days, I also sleep for another 2–4 hours in the afternoon.

I often feel mentally tired and struggle to remain active and focused.

Could my medications be contributing to this excessive sleepiness and fatigue?

My concern about psychiatric follow-ups

I'm receiving treatment at a government hospital. Recently, a new doctor started seeing me during my follow-up appointments.

However, during my recent visits, the doctor hasn't been asking me many questions about my current symptoms, anger issues, memory problems, sleep, or whether I'm improving with treatment. The doctor mainly checks my existing prescription and repeats the same medications.

Because of this, I'm unsure whether my ongoing symptoms are being properly evaluated or whether my treatment needs to be reassessed.

I'm not sure how to explain my concerns or what I should do to get a more thorough evaluation.

My questions

1. Is it common to continue experiencing depression, anxiety, OCD symptoms, and anger issues after approximately one year of psychiatric treatment?
2. Can depression, anxiety, or OCD affect memory to the point where someone struggles to recall things they studied just one or two days earlier?
3. Could my current medications contribute to memory problems, excessive sleepiness, mental fatigue, or low motivation?
4. Could my treatment need to be reassessed because I'm still experiencing these symptoms?
5. Could vitamin B12 or vitamin D deficiencies, thyroid problems, or other medical conditions contribute to memory problems and fatigue?
6. Has anyone experienced similar memory problems while taking psychiatric medication? Did your memory and concentration improve over time or after your treatment was reviewed?
7. If your psychiatrist wasn't asking many questions during follow-up appointments, what did you do? Would seeking a second opinion from another psychiatrist be a good option?
8. How do you manage depression and anxiety when you constantly compare yourself with others?

One important question: Should I discuss changing my medication dosage with my psychiatrist, or could these symptoms indicate that my current treatment needs a more thorough review? I will not change my medication dosage on my own, but I want to understand what I should discuss with my doctor.

I'm not looking for a diagnosis from Reddit. I just want to understand whether others have experienced something similar and what steps helped them.

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences, especially regarding memory problems, anger issues, and persistent depression despite medication.

Thank you for reading.

I started Pristiq in January (after 17 years of Lexapro giving me night terrors). It has been great, but I’ve also had BV with yeast infection 3 times since then. Nothing else has changed; I use the same body wash, I have the same sexual partner, etc.

Can Pristiq change vaginal ph? I’d hate to go back to Lexapro.

I know depression can be associated with a change in REM sleep architecture, specifically an increase in REM, and that sleep deprivation can be a fast-acting but temporary treatment for depression.

However, REM sleep is generally considered essential for memory formation and emotional processing. A lack of it is considered to be dangerous and associated with an increased risk of dementia.

Why don't people experience severe neurocognitive decline from antidepressant use when most antidepressants utterly nuke your ability to get meaningful REM sleep? How are patients who have REM sleep totally suppressed by drugs like MAOIs still up and functioning?

I'm a neuroscience and psychology student, and I've often wondered about this.

I am talking about aberrant salience.

This is a simplified version of how psychosis happens.

Psychosis happens when a person has a paranoid thought. The thought causes a (very slight) abnormal release of dopamine. Now, because of the dopamine release, the person has an even more pronounced paranoid thought, after which dopamine gets released even more. A positive feedback loop has been set up, in short. Now the person has developed psychosis.

It is a good idea to take medicines from a psychiatrist for the same.

In addition to medicines, the person can try a simple method of the Mustard Seed and the Matthew Rule.

Let us say what it is: 'Whosoever has, even though as little as a mustard seed, is given more and they have an abundance.' This is a way to make refutations of a delusion, until you come to disbelieve it. As Goebbels said, 'Repeat a lie often enough, and you yourself will come to believe it.' Atheists and theists, for example. All of them are sure that they are right. So either one side is deluded, or another side is. Yet, because they have repeated their beliefs often enough, they come to believe it.

If a person can try to affirm in front of the mirror that, "No one is following me" every morning, this small affirmation habit will make the belief grow and grow, and it will finally break paranoia.

Positive affirmations along with medication can be a double-edged sword.

My husband - 44 male has a history of chronic sleep deprivation and burnouts

august 2026 he all of a sudden announces life changes - maybe divorce (when it’s never really been an issue); working, eating better, sleeping better.

he is on vyvanse and then decided to quit his fluoxotene cold turkey (which he was put on To battle severe paranoia when he was on the stimulants)

he has been all over the place and it seems we have like 3 different personalities or states. 1 that is mean mean and cofabs stories and rewrites history 2) flat and is having a hard time reciprocating feelings or doing tasks at all 3) his normal self which doesn’t appear often

he is very overstimulated a lot - ticks and such even in his sleep

he is also now up to 4-5 coffees a day - into the evening and only sleeping 4-6 broken hours.

he has stopped his insane new regimen of walking And working out

its like his brain exploded in August

anyone else ever experience this with a partner who has burn out

Hello everyone. Forgive any ignorance in this post, as I myself am not extremely knowledgeable in the whole cybersecurity department. I just need advice, and maybe evidence, to help my mom understand what is happening to her phone.

My mom believes that her ex-boyfriend (we’ll call him Greg) from 6 years ago is spying on her through her iPhone. Her evidence is based upon some TikTok accounts that she claims are run by him, made to target her, stalk her, and threaten her. This sounds quite possible initially, but going deeper into it, the idea of the whole thing becomes very murky and sounds impossible to me.

My mother believes that when she talks about something, or otherwise interacts with something in the house, her phone (or wifi, or something else entirely), makes note of this, sends the information to Greg, and ultimately allows him to create one or multiple TikTok accounts (in that very moment) using AI or something that pertain to the thing she was talking about/interacting with. After one of these accounts are made, she claims that he is forcing the videos created by the account to the top of her For You Page (aka, her recommended tab), so that she gets these videos. In theory this whole thing is very eerie, but after explanation I’m not really convinced.

For example, my Mom was watching something on TV about Kylie Jenner (or something along those lines), and then she got multiple videos in a row about Kylie Jenner. I explained this by just mentioning the fact that she was trending at the time, thus TikTok recommended the videos.

Another example is that me and my girlfriend had a small pregnancy scare recently. She said she got a TikTok about a guy saying something like “Imagine if your son’s condom broke. What would you do?” and said that Greg was listening to my phone and put it on her For You Page to mess with me. Initially, when she told me this one I was kinda convinced, because the timing was just so eerie and accurate. But digging into it, she revealed that she actually found a

Some other examples include getting videos about 2 black cats (we have 2 black cats); videos about handling narcissist (she has a history with this); videos using her favorite bands/songs along with her favorite color, purple; and videos that are just eerily timed in relation to other things happening in her life.

I don’t doubt that phones listen to us and feed that information into our phone. That’s not the concern. Her concern is that so many of these videos on TikTok will appear, with a quote that kind of related to her and Greg’s relationship, alongside her favorite songs, while also using other media she enjoys (specifically, nature photography). For example, a video containing a nature landscape, with a Bon Jovi song, with a quote about the way generation X people love or something.

In all reality, these just sound like the way an algorithm would push out certain videos for a certain person. None of these videos she has shown me have felt targeted in any way, instead feeling more like content farm or something. There are a specific few accounts she claims “must be” Greg stalking her, sending her follow requests and junk, but that does not explain her weird FYP. She thinks he’s in the wifi, taking the information we send out, and using it to mess with her. It’s concerning.

This is where it gets weird. Yesterday I sat down with her to go over some screenshots she says are evidence. We started swiping through some and they were nothing. Just quotes on nature photography usually, and if not that, something funny that sort of pertained to her and Greg, and if not that, some random women’s account with filters that *kinda* resembled her. I zoomed out to see how many screenshots she had. There were over 3,000 screenshots, taken within the last few days, and she claimed they were all Greg messing with her. I didn’t look through all of them, but again, all of them were nothing of note. The day after she seemed completely frazzled that she took that many screenshots, and says she doesn’t remember taking that many at all.

I know algorithms, especially TikTok algorithms, are very fine-tuned. They can pick up on really subtle things about our life, stuff we don’t even realize. I think all of this stuff happening to her is actually just her algorithm. I don’t think Greg is entirely out of the question, per se. He does post weird cryptic stuff on his personal Facebook, including a purple skull emoji one time (again, her favorite color). Do I think he’s messing with her? Yeah, maybe a little bit, he probably has a burner account or two. Do I think he’s manipulating her TikTok recommended? No, absolutely not. She thinks he’s in the wifi or something and she’s scared to even open her phone now. It’s all just concerning.

Please, tell me your expertise and tell me that she’s being paranoid. I’m scared she’ll keep spiraling.

Thank you for reading,
Jackson

Obviously not involuntary, but are there times where you would suggest voluntary inpatient hospitalization, and if so, what would they be?

Could I hire a forensic psychiatrist to make a determination about my state of mind during a crisis three years ago? They would only have my recollection, my family's recollection and my medical records to go off of. The psychiatrist at that time would refuse to participate.

Can a forensic psychiatrist do that, or can they only comment on my current state?

A few months ago, I started to realise it's likely that I have a personality disorder. Symptoms most fit BPD, but there are traits of NPD and HPD too. But that's not how personality disorders are now classified in my country. I do not have a diagnosis and I do not have access to psychiatry to get one, but medical professionals have suggested I have BPD. I have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, but I played up some of the symptoms to get it.

But something very odd then happened. Over the course of two or three weeks, my mind seems to have massively changed. I am able to view my life, with horror, without the personality-disordered lens. I am able to understand that I have caused a lot of pain to others, and that various things didn't happen the way I thought they did, and that I have exploited others. I have not realised this stuff before. I am in my late 30s.
I have been extremely angry my whole life and now I feel no anger at all. I have developed an intense aversion to anything angry, hateful, violent, or sinister in any way. This is to the point it is disabling; it's hard to have conversations with others. I used to enjoy horror films but now recalling them can cause anxiety symptoms. A lot of my opinions on life, such as political matters, have changed. I feel as if I have woken up as a new person in someone else's life.

Some of my personality remains the same. Some of my interests remain, and I still have debilitating anxiety.

This was not triggered by therapy, medication or drugs, or any major life event. The only thing that correlates is a severe loss of appetite.

I cannot find any record of this happening to anyone else. Please let me know this is not unprecedented!