Postings from December 1-31, 2004
Date: Dec 25-26, 2004
Season's Greetings
Dear Happy Shrink,
Thanks......K***** Dear K*****, Difficulty having an orgasm is not listed as a common or even rare side effect of Klonopin. In fact, in some cases Klonopin may actually increase one's sex drive. Having said that, it still may be possible for a Benzodiazepine medication that effects the central nervous system such as Klonopin to make it difficult for someone to have an orgasm. No two people have the same identical reactions to psycho-active medication and some women may find it difficult to have an orgasm while taking Klonopin. While your physician may choose to give you another medication for anxiety or panic attack, Klonopin may have less side effects than other medications. Talk to your physician about exploring other options but be careful and report any other side effects that you might encounter from another medication. You are on a very low dosage of Klonopin. If you have been taking it for only a short time, I would wait and see if the difficulty achieving orgasm doesn't diminish over the next month or so. Let me know. happy(andsedated)shrink Dear Happyshrink, What does it mean when a man who gives you his apartment key, texts you almost everyday, takes you to meet his friends, sleeps with you, and does things to please you, keeps telling you about his bad past relationships with his ex-wives? He does the things above, yet he says he doesn't love me. What's going on in his mind? Confused, F***** 
Dear confused. The pertinent question should be, "What's going on in your mind?" Why are you in a relationship with a guy who has a string of failed relationships with women and is telling you he doesn't love you? His messages are not confusing. Your denial is the problem. He's letting you know that he's had it with love relationships. He will be a companion to you until such time as he gets bored or becomes interested in something or someone else. If that suits your needs, then you may want to continue this relationship until you get bored. If you want something deeper, you need to look in another direction F*****. Get yourself unconfused....better yet, get wise. happy(don'tbeavictim)shrink I'm waiting to hear from JeWitch, Edna, Mildred and Gind on how they spent their holidays. I do have a poem sent by a friend of WindNWillows, who, by the way is making a speedy recovery from surgery. Another year has
passed happy(there'snothingwrongwithstayinghomeanddoingnothing)shrink
Date: Dec 18-19, 2004
Hi Happy, Well, it’s been 6 months since the therapy session
that I thought was so life-changing, and I still consider it a major
event of my life. I had a
couple follow-up visits with the therapist in that month.
At the last one I told her I felt like that chapter in my book of
life had finally been finished. We
had a very nice session to bring things to a very nice end.
Since some of the work I’ve done with her is marriage therapy
we did leave it open to my calling her if necessary.
But all the work we’ve done over the last few years has given
me the tools I needed, so I really don’t feel any need to call.
You know how I’ve said talking to her felt like getting a hug
on the inside? After that
one remarkable session I feel like I was able to give myself that hug on
the inside, and that feeling has never left. So, why am I writing you?
I miss seeing my therapist.
I have friends and family to fill intimacy needs (ha! Can you
believe my Spock nature just said that?) and to have good conversation
with feedback, so I’m not really missing something she provided.
But I’ve known her 9 years, it’s almost like having school
friends then graduating and going separate ways.
Maybe it’s the time of year that makes me miss her more.
People send cards and catch up with old friends and family they
don’t see often. I think I will
send her a card, she encouraged me to do that. Dear Cnot, It's nice to hear from you and I am glad you are doing well. While therapy is not a friendship, it is an intimate relationship with someone who you grow to care about and who also cares about you. As a therapist, I look back at many clients I have seen over the years and wonder how they are doing. I have many warm feelings about my former clients and miss seeing them. I realize that it comes with the job and moving on is just as much a part of my process as it is for the people I have seen. I think a card this time of year is appropriate and I know it will be well received by your therapist. I occasionally get a letter from a former client and it always makes me feel good. Unfortunately, therapists need to allow for their clients to move on and can't respond to such correspondence. You always have the option to see your therapist if you need to (as long as she's still in practice). Right now sending a card and letting her know how well you are doing should serve your needs at this time and also be a nice gift for her. I am always glad to hear from you Cnot and many other people who have written me over the past 7+ years. The great thing about my role on the Internet as an advice giver is that I get to write back. You can always write to me and I'll always write back. I wish you and you family a very joyous holiday season and a happy and prosperous New Year. happy(yourowntherapistwouldhavesaidsomethinglikethattoo)shrink Dear happy, Here's the deal. I've been having issues with a giga-complicated depression for the past year, and it's been getting worse and worse recently. I tried Zoloft last April, but it made me hypo-manic. I've been on Effexor since September and it doesn't seem to be doing anything. I'm a freshman in college and this is NOT THE TIME for me to be having meltdowns so often. I really like school and the work's not too hard or anything and I have great friends...but my brain chemicals have it in for me and I just couldn't keep going, despite how "well" I think everything should be going. anyway I'm home now on an indefinite medical leave, not scheduled to return until I'm stabilized. I really really really want to go back for winter quarter (which starts on January 3) but my parents and doctors say "we'll see." I will be really really really mad/upset if i can't go back in January, because that would mean I'd have to wait till March, which would screw up my schedule a lot because all of my classes are in sequence. Also, I've only been home for a few days but I miss school really badly. Do you have any suggestions on how I can get it together really fast? I have a month with no obligations to devote entirely to my mental and emotional health...so what should my plan of attack be? I know it's ridiculous to expect to solve everything in a month, and I don't aim to be perfect, just stable. That's the only requirement for my return, that I be stable. (or at least seem so?) I would appreciate any advice you have on composing myself in my time frame. thank you kindly. a**** Dear a****, Before I make any suggestions, it is important for me to state that I do not know the nature and/or degree of your depression. I am not sure if it is a mood disorder that is due to a chemical imbalance or something that is related to your past. My suggestions are general and apply to many people who find themselves suffering from some form of mental illness. I first want to suggest some obvious things that you may already have done. Have you been diagnosed and prescribed medication by a psychiatrist? Many people are treated for anxiety, depression and other mood disorders by their family physician and I believe this can be a big mistake. If you haven't already, get a referral to see a psychiatrist. If you have been seeing a psychiatrist since you started taking medication in April, I would be interested to know what he or she has told you about your condition? Have they suggested any other kinds of treatments besides medication? Even if you condition is 100% chemical imbalance, support groups and counseling can be very helpful in reducing your symptoms and preventing melt-downs. What have you been doing while you have been at home. If you are doing nothing, that's not conducive to your getting healthy and I would suggest some activity and interaction with others. My last suggestion to you a****, especially if you are seeing a psychiatrist and do not feel that there has been any improvement over the past 6-9 months, is get a second opinion. See if you can get another psychiatrist to review your case and make further suggestions. You are right that everything can't be solved in a month, but during that time, you should have a comprehensive treatment plan that includes medication, counseling, physical activity, nutrition and mental stimulation. I like your term "plan of attack." To me it says you want to be proactive and not wait around until you get better. Find some mental health professions who support that idea and get the help you need. Good luck and let me know how you are doing. happy(Carpediem)shrink
Dear Happyshrink, I'm sad that I didn't find this sooner! Not many folks online brave enough to use irreverance to beat mental illness right on the head. Thank you. eeyorena Dear eeyorena, Thank you for your kind words and I love your name. Is that the female version of the Pooh character Eeyore? My wife is a big Eeyore fan and we have a guinea pig named Eeyore. It's a girl guinea pig and I'm going to propose we change her name to Eeyorena. happy(thanksagain)shrink Dear Happyshrink, My best friend Edna and I were both patients in a mental hospital. One day while we were walking past the hospital swimming pool, Edna suddenly jumped into the deep end. She sank to the bottom and just laid there like a lox.. Did I ever tell you what a great swimmer I was ?? 3rd place in Florida swimming the mile !!! But anyway, back to my story. Without giving it a second thought I jumped in and saved her. I dove in, headed to the bottom and pulled her out by her hair.. After all .. she was my best friend .. that's what you do when a best friend is in trouble. When the Director heard about my "heroic act" she gave orders to have me IMMEDIATELY discharged. She considered me to be mentally stable. When she came into my room with the news she said, "JeWitch, I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first. . I said, "The good news, of course." And the Director said. "You are being discharged. Since you were able to rationally respond to a crisis by jumping in and saving the life of another person, I have concluded you are of sound mind." "And the bad news?" I asked. "The bad news is, Edna hung herself with the belt from her bathrobe right after you got her back to her room. I am so sorry, but your friend is dead." "Edna didn't hang herself, I hung her up there to dry." I told the director ... "SOOOOOO ..... When do I get to go home?" I asked. And for some reason, I am STILL HERE .. writing you from my room. JeWitch PS .. OK .. I never really rescued Edna from drowning .. in fact .. we were never in a mental hospital .. not the same hospital at the same time any way ... but it was fun adding this chapter to my life story and if Edna's gotta die to make it a best seller, Que Sera Sera ... That's French for TOO F***ING BAD .... Dear JeWitch, I knew the story was bogus when you first said that you and Edna were in mental hospitals in Florida. I know for a fact they don't call them mental hospitals down there. They call them "nervous hospitals" just like in the movie "Sling Blade." happy(UhHUH)shrink Hello Friends , I was so totally wrapped up in election news, war news, white house news and with all that going on I couldn't [or didn't want to] leave the internet and get out of the house. A week ago a friend suggested I take all my energy that I have been devoting to the Election and do something worthwhile with it. I didn't have a clue where to start, so I got out of my pajamas and out of the house. WOW !!! The holidays are here ... And the holidays and getting back to being my OLD SELF is why I am writing this email. I want share with my friends how and what I am doing with all that energy and my anger. I drove over to the Post Office near my house and asked the postmaster, "Do you have any letters addressed to Santa Claus?? I think I might like to volunteer to answer some of them." He handed me this HUGE SACK and said "Help your self." and that's exactly what I did. I grabbed a handful - hurried home - and started writing the kids. Great idea "good friend" ... take the energy that I am using to write all those hate filled emails and write children letters as Santa Claus. By the way, the postmaster said to tell my friends ... every post office in the USA is loaded with them. I got all these done in less than an hour. I am going back for more soon as I click send. LETTERS TO SANTA: I wud like a kool toy space ranjur for Xmas. Iv ben a good boy all yeer. YeR FReND BiLLy Dear Billy, Nice Spelling. You're on your way to being a career lawn care specialist. How 'bout I send you a fucking book so you can learn to read and write? I'm giving your older brother the space ranger, at least HE can spell!! -Santa Dear Santa, I have been a good girl all year, and the only thing I ask for is peace and joy in the world for everybody! Love Sarah Dear Sarah, You're parents smoked pot when they conceived you, didn't they? Hippie Bastards. -Santa Dear Santa, I've written you for three years now asking for a fire truck. Please, I really really want a fire truck this year! Love Joey Dear Joey, Let me make it up to you . While you sleep, I'm gonna torch your house. You'll have more fire trucks than you'll know what to do with. -Santa Dear Santa, I don't know if you can do this, but for Christmas, i'd like for my mommy and daddy to get back together. Please see what you can do. Love, Teddy Dear Teddy, What, and ruin that hot affair your dad's still having with the babysitter? He's banging her like a screen door in a hurricane, son! Let me get you some nice Legos instead. -Santa Dear Santa, I need more Pokemon cards please! All my friends have more Pokeman cards than me. Please see what you can do. Love Michelle Dear Michelle, It blows my f***ing mind. Kids are forcing their parents to buy hundreds of dollars worth of these stupid J** cards, and none of you snot-nosed brats are even learning to play the game. Let me get you something more your speed, like "Chutes and Ladders". -Santa Dear Santa, I want a new bike, playstation, a train, some G.I. Joes, a dog, a drum kit, a pony and a tuba. Love Francis Dear Francis, Who names their kid "Francis" nowadays? F*** you. -Santa Dear Santa, I left milk and cookies for you under the tree, and I left carrots for your reindeer outside the backdoor. Love, Susan Dear Susan, Milk and carrots give me the sh**s. You want to be a kiss-ass? Leave me a bottle of Captain Morgan and some Toblerone. -Santa Dear Santa, What do you do the other 364 days of the year? Are you making toys? Your friend, Thomas Dear Thomas, All toys get made in China. I have a condo in Vegas, where I spend most my time squeezing cocktail waitresses t**ies and losing all my cash at the crap tables. -Santa Dear Santa, Do you see us when we're sleeping, do you really know when we're awake like in the song? Love Jessica Dear Jessica, Are you that fucking gullible? Good luck in whatever you do, I'm skipping your house. -Santa Dear Santa, I really really want a puppy this year. Please please please PLEASE, PLEASE could I have one? Timmy Dear Timmy, That whiney begging shit may work with your folks, but that crap don't work up here. You're getting a sweater again. -Santa Dearest Santa, We don't have a chimney in our house, how do you get into our home? Love Marky Mark, Firstly, stop calling yourself "Marky", that's why you're getting your ass whipped at school. Secondly, you don't live in a house, that's a low-rent apartment complex you're living in. Thirdly, I get inside your pad just like all the burglars do, through your bedroom window. Sweet Dreams! -Santa
That's all for now, I do a few more later, after I finish this bottle of Vodka, meanwhile, I gotta go check my email and see how the re-count is coming along. HEY .. WORKS FOR ME .. .TRY IT !! Happy Christmahanakwanzaka to All My Friends And Family. Dear JeWitch, It's nice to see that you are doing something as nice and healthy for kids as Michael Jackson is. Happy(morecoalforyourstockingagain)shrink
Date: Dec 11-12, 2004
Dear Readers, There will be no letters today as my wife WindNWillows is in the hospital. She's doing fine and is expected out later this week. I hope to have free time towards the end of the week when I take some time off to spend with her at home. I will try to put in an extra edition if I have the time or just have some extra stuff for next week. See you then. happy(abittiredbutverythankful)shrink
Date: Dec 4-5, 2004
HappyShrink, I
was just reading the post last week from toosoontobebrokeanddepresseddad
and have to say that I was touched by his sincerity for his wife's
illness. I would like to offer him some words of encouragement if
that is okay by you. (You did a great job. I thought I could
tell him from a patient's perspective. If you don't want to post it
I will understand as I am not a "professional.") T**** Dear T**** I did print it. Thank you for sharing. happy(likespeoplewhoshare)shrink Dear HappyShrink, I
was wondering if you would mind sharing a little of your knowledge on what
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is. I have been hearing more and more
about it lately, especially in the news and pertaining to our soldiers
overseas. Of course, I have also been told a bit about it in
reference to dealing with my depression. Any information would once
again be appreciated. Thanks. Dear T, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a condition that is precipitated by one or more traumatic experiences. The nature of these experiences as well as their time frame can vary greatly. Physically and sexually abused children are one large category of individuals who suffer from PTSD. Their suffering can last for a lifetime, Memory's that can be triggered by a variety of sensory stimuli can bring about symptoms of depression, anxiety, hyper-vigilance, paranoia, delusions, hallucinations, panic attacks and more. PTSD can also occur in adulthood as well. Victims of rape, assault, battering, disasters, and other traumatic situations can also develop the above symptoms. Police, fire fighters and trauma workers experience yet another form of PTSD as individuals who have witnessed and participated in horrific events. Still another category of people who suffer PTSD are soldiers who face death and see their comrades die in battle. The Vietnam War was the first time that PTSD linked to soldiers in battle however, this phenomenon has probably existed for thousands of years. There are a number treatments for PTSD which include medication and a variety of therapies. There is a lot of stuff on the Internet about PTSD. A simple search will yield a lot of sites and a lot of information. happy(hunting)shrink and here are a few road signs that I would love to see on my next Sunday drive:
happy(seeyanextweek)shrink Back to "Ask Happyshrink" Home Page Back to most current postings
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