When Self-Advocacy Faulters: Reflecting on My Psychiatic Journey

The Dysregulated Podcast

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5d ago 29:28

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In this episode, I share what came of my latest psychiatry appointment and honestly, it left me feeling pretty frustrated. Again.

I talk about what it’s like trying to navigate the mental health system while dealing with anxiety and depression at the same time. When you’re already running on empty, self-advocacy feels almost impossible. The system wants us to be proactive, but how do you do that when you can barely get out of bed?

I open up about:

Why the mental health system feels reactive instead of preventative
How depression and anxiety pull me in opposite directions — one shutting down the future, the other making it terrifying
My mirtazapine being pushed up to 30mg, moving me into the therapeutic range
Juggling around eight medications, even though my original hope was to taper down and start again
The double-edged sword of “insight” - it looks good on paper, but in reality, it often just feeds my depression
The short, surface-level appointments in public psychiatry that leave little space for the real stuff
And at the heart of it all - the fact that I’ve lost my ability to laugh and smile, and how deeply that hurts

It’s an honest, heavy one - but I think it’s important.

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Chapters

1. When Self-Advocacy Faulters: Reflecting on My Psychiatic Journey (00:00:00)

2. Introduction to Psychiatry Appointment (00:00:10)

3. The Reactive Mental Health System (00:01:15)

4. Depression, Anxiety and Future Planning (00:03:28)

5. The Challenge of Self-Advocacy (00:07:02)

6. Medication Changes and Therapeutic Windows (00:11:43)

7. Final Thoughts on Medication Regimen (00:18:22)

212 episodes

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