Worse thought processes

[Rapier]

Couldn't think of a better title.

I'm not sure about what exactly I could do, or which professional I could seek for help, in this case.

My thought processes seem worse than normal, I think. Learning and retaining content has become harder, focusing has become harder, thinking about things coherently and taking into mind every data I need to consider has become harder, making decisions became harder, my reasoning is slower, I've been missing out more details, my mind becomes tired quickly when going through mental works, I'm forgetting about stuff more easily. That's even when I get enough sleep.

I think these handicaps came from procrastination, and they've been issues for years, but forcing myself to grind through these tasks alone isn't helping me progress much. I've read that exercises for the mind help with these things (by improving our reasoning processes), but I've also read that these effects only last as long as you keep doing these exercises - afterwards, your thought processes return to their previous state.

[Ertrick36]

I'd say a more apt topic title may be "Worsening Thought Processes".  Gives folks a better idea of what the thread is about.  I almost thought this was gonna be one of those "have you ever had bad thoughts" threads.

 

Anyway, I'd recommend just finding a clinic that deals in mental illnesses and the like and going from there.  If they can't help you, they may point you to someone who can, or else you can just find a different clinic or facility (of course, only do this a reasonable amount of times unless you're really in a bad way).  If you don't know where to even start, you should ask people you know who live near you or have lived near you, as they'll have a better idea of what clinics deal with mental problems in your city/town.  It may be good to tell someone else anyway, just so the people around you who care about or work with you know what you're going through.  If all else fails, just look up stuff like "mental health [your city name]" on Google; it'll give you facilities, their locations, and phone numbers.

A lot of those mental exercises are derived from treatment plans.  Though they're only just a part of full treatment, which is why they don't really work as permanent solutions on their own.  The only surefire solution is seeing a psychiatrist/therapist/counselor.  And don't skimp/procrastinate on it; if you need to, call and set up an appointment.  I know going to a medical facility is never fun, but your problem is almost certainly not gonna get better on its own.

And be sure when you do visit a facility you have your identification and (if you have it/if it's relevant in your country) insurance information.  And obviously that you remember your name, your date of birth, and social security number.

[Rapier]

On 02/09/2018 at 1:09 AM, Ertrick36 said:

I'd say a more apt topic title may be "Worsening Thought Processes".  Gives folks a better idea of what the thread is about.  I almost thought this was gonna be one of those "have you ever had bad thoughts" threads.

 

Anyway, I'd recommend just finding a clinic that deals in mental illnesses and the like and going from there.  If they can't help you, they may point you to someone who can, or else you can just find a different clinic or facility (of course, only do this a reasonable amount of times unless you're really in a bad way).  If you don't know where to even start, you should ask people you know who live near you or have lived near you, as they'll have a better idea of what clinics deal with mental problems in your city/town.  It may be good to tell someone else anyway, just so the people around you who care about or work with you know what you're going through.  If all else fails, just look up stuff like "mental health [your city name]" on Google; it'll give you facilities, their locations, and phone numbers.

A lot of those mental exercises are derived from treatment plans.  Though they're only just a part of full treatment, which is why they don't really work as permanent solutions on their own.  The only surefire solution is seeing a psychiatrist/therapist/counselor.  And don't skimp/procrastinate on it; if you need to, call and set up an appointment.  I know going to a medical facility is never fun, but your problem is almost certainly not gonna get better on its own.

And be sure when you do visit a facility you have your identification and (if you have it/if it's relevant in your country) insurance information.  And obviously that you remember your name, your date of birth, and social security number.

The problem with searching for a clinic on mental illnesses is that I don't show any justifying symptoms. I spoke with a psychologist about this once and they said I was just "being too hard on myself". It's possible that I'm being biased by my own standards and goals, but I also notice that I've becoming less attentive, more forgetful, worse reasoning etc. If anything, it'd reassure me if I knew what is going on exactly through a method/test I can trust.

While I think my issue could have something to do with mental health, comparing it to a mental illness and going to a clinic that treats people with definitely serious ones is a bit too extreme, no?

[Ertrick36]

1 minute ago, Rapier said:

The problem with searching for a clinic on mental illnesses is that I don't show any justifying symptoms. I spoke with a psychologist about this once and they said I was just "being too hard on myself". It's possible that I'm being biased by my own standards and goals, but I also notice that I've becoming less attentive, more forgetful, worse reasoning etc. If anything, it'd reassure me if I knew what is going on exactly through a method/test I can trust.

While I think my issue could have something to do with mental health, comparing it to a mental illness and going to a clinic that treats people with definitely serious ones is a bit too extreme, no?

Well if it actually is debilitating you in a significant way (or you feel that it is), the least you could do is at least get it checked.  Were you speaking with the psychologist to actually get an official diagnosis, or were you just talking to them in an informal setting?

The alternative is you may be exaggerating the problems you're having in your own head, but you can't determine that on your own or through casual conversation, even if the person on the other side of that conversation is knowledgeable.  Also, some psychologists look at things differently; what one psychologist might neglect, another one will delve deep into, and some are just simply better at what they do than others.  If it's a friend, they will have bias clouding their judgment as well.  Like I said before, you should check with multiple professionals.  Don't be swayed unless you have a few of them saying the same thing.

And never, ever compare your woes to those of others, because you'll make those problems even worse for yourself.  Believe me, I know from personal experience, and I know of people who do the same; I know so many people who have depression or general anxiety who once thought it wasn't worth checking, and many didn't even think they had illnesses until diagnosis.  Your problems are just as valid as those of other folks.

 

For the record, I'd say what you have said about your problems is at least a start to justification; they sound at least a little crippling.  Unless it doesn't affect you at work or school, which in that case it may be simple exhaustion (that has a tendency to make your mind sluggish, so much so that depending on the severity you could be classifiably drunk in terms of motor functions).  But again, check with a few experts.  Don't settle on just what one expert has said, see a few of them.  And under the roof of an actual clinic, with an official diagnosis.