hi

[e.decastro]

Hi, I'm Eric. I suffer from anxiety disorder and depression. Some days are harder than others, but my Dr. increased my medication as well as changed the time I take them so the past two weeks haven't been that bad.

I forgot to add the way I cope with my anxiety is I cut myself.

[Nowuccas]

Hey e.decastro,

Welcome to the forum. My previous post about self harm / cutting follows, and advice from a therapist with 20 yrs clinical experience, Opester* is also provided.

I'll provide my usual post on self harm/cutting, and you could try out the techniques shown, but if they are insufficient, you may well require residential treatment. One form of self help is to learn, and employ emotional distress tolerance techniques; read: Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook: Practical DBT Exercises for Learning Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation, & Distress Tolerance (New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook) by Matthew McKay, Jeffrey C. Wood, and Jeffrey Brantley. Self harm produces opiate like endORPHINs, which, like true opiates such as heroin (diacetyl mORPHINe), make you feel better, but are just as addictive, and you develop tolerance to them, needing to cut more, and deeper, later on, just to get the same effect. Practice a relaxation method, daily, and when needed, such as: (free) http://www.drcoxconsulting.com/managing-stress.html or http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/mind...Meditation.htm

Consider taking up amateur abstract, impressionist, or surrealist art, clay modelling, designing and/or making fashion, or jewellery. Journalling those thoughts, and feelings, poetry, or story writing are some more options.No-one ever has to see them, but you may well surprise yourself at how good you become, with experience. Even if not, and you are totally dissatisfied with every single effort, it will still have served its purpose. No-one ever has to see them, but you may well surprise yourself at how good you become, with experience. Even if not, and you are totally dissatisfied with every single effort, it will still have served its purpose. Use that emotional energy, and allow it expression, through an activity other than self harm. Keep occupied; multitask, like listening to music while surfing the 'net. Join a support group, such as http://dailystrength.org and go there when you feel the urge to self harm. Books: Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook: Practical DBT Exercises for Learning Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation, & Distress Tolerance (New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook) by Matthew McKay, Jeffrey C. Wood, and Jeffrey Brantley, & Self-Harm: A Psychotherapeutic Approach by Fiona Gardner, & Alive and Cutting: A teenager's journey in therapy to understanding her self-harm by Richard Bryant-Jefferies, & Scars That Wound, Scars That Heal: A Journey Out of Self Injury (Live Free) & Stopping the Pain: A Workbook for Teens Who Cut & Self-Injure by Lawrence E. Shapiro & Understanding Self-Injury: A Workbook for Adults by Robin Connors and Kristy Trautmann, from your bookstore, or enter "self harm" at Amazon.com for more media. Because of the association between Borderline Personality Disorder and self harm, view http://www.essortment.com/all/borderlineperso_rnmc.htm and pages G & X at Weebly, below.

It is a good idea to have an accountability partner; someone you trust and is available anytime, so when you feel like you want to self harm, you call them and talk about why. Join a support group, such as http://dailystrength.org and go there when you feel the urge to self harm. Advice from an experienced psychotherapist is here: http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question...nfo-iUKGAgRjaa (on page 2, by Opester*) 85% of people are suggestible, to some degree, so you could either preferably seek professional hypnotherapy, or, if not an option, more along such lines are at http://your-mental-health.weebly.com/a.html with alternatives, self harm hotlines, chat sites & forums. If self harming from depression, see pages 3, and B, at Weebly.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Previous relevant post/s:

GENERALISED ANXIETY DISORDER: http://anxietyforum.net/forum/showth...989#post223989

DEPRESSION: http://anxietyforum.net/forum/showth...510#post216510

Hoping something in the above helps.

[e.decastro]

I do need an accountability partner. I go to the gym every morning and seems to help. My psychiatrist has changed my meds and it seems to be helping a lot. also Know I'm 40 years old so treating me might be different then treating adolescents.