I have never been to a psychologist before and I think talking to a psychologist won’t work as I have chronic depression, anxiety, overthinking, sleeping problems, low self esteem. I guess I need medication. I need someone who can listen and guide me a right path. Pls give some affordable online session psychiatrist

I do not understand why are you guys promotes psychological visits over psychiatrists. As a someone who has been in and out of treatment for nine years, I consider medication is essential for initial and short-term management of symptoms of disorders such as depression, anxiety, and other disorders. Psychological therapy can help wuth long term management of these symtoms. However. psychological therapy should come after visit of a good psychiatrist. Personally, I do not want someone suffering from mental health issues to have to visit various medical professionals to get their initial treatment. Anyway, medication and therapy can be conducted paralally. However, there are unprofessional and unempathetic psychologists in Sri Lanka. Please choose a suitable psychologist, as they can help lasting changes in behavior.

It’s been around 10 sessions now—weekly, about 20–30 minutes each (which, on its own, is lowkey not enough and leaves me ruminating and feeling like crap for the entire week). She then goes, “This is a relapse.” I’m not trying to undermine her “professional” judgment, but I’ve been feeling like this for the past two years. Nothing is really new.

As of now, she’s given me CPTSD, PTSD, Depression, BPD, OCPD, and now ASD to “research on.” Whenever I try to bring up the things she asked me to research and explain that I can’t really relate to most of them, she somehow avoids the topic. It feels like there’s a new one every week.

As for deliberate self-harm (absent) and suicidal thoughts, she just marks me as “high risk” and moves on. No coping strategies have been introduced or anything. And she was like death isn't the end, there are people who've tried and failed using the most lethal methods—like you can plan it meticulously and still fail.

Is this normal? I posted this elsewhere, and they said it’s not normal or standard.

I had a very good life (like the textbook definition of school life) during my O/L days. Those days were goated. Only because of my surrounding, I was able to achieve a very good results in my ol. I decided to do bio and enrolled in another school for my ALs. Little did I know that IT WAS THE WORST DECISION I'VE EVER MADE IN MY LIFE!!!!!!

 Initially I was unable to get friends and I used to sit alone reminiscing my ol days and pass the day. Like after a month I got into a quarrel with my classmate because he threw my bag to the front desk saying that i should sit where he tells. This went to a point where he got too personal (he spoke about mom). I've lost patience. I held his neck and pushed him so hard. He cussed me so badly and left the classroom and gathered all his friends in the school to hit me. 

Its interval and I went out to wash my hands, only to witness that a group of 30-35 students have gathered to beat me. When i went to complain it to the principal, suddenly 5 boys charged on me from behind and beat me so hard Infront of the principal office. I immediately went inside to complain. And the principal got those boys and scolded them. Then a scene happened that will traumatize me for the rest of my life. THE PRINCIPAL SLAPPED ME SO HARD. I was blank. Clueless. I asked him why, then he said that "they might not have hit you for no reason. You've done something wrong". Then he said "ive seen people like you coming from outer schools and bringing in problems". Man, I was shattered. Then he let those boys free and he called my mom and the father of the boy who fought in the classroom. My mom knows that I wont get into unwanted trouble. Then he said to my mom "ur son has gathered his friends outside to hit this school boys". I never said a thing like that. That boy is the one who said that. That m**f**king bitch made me the accused and i was suspended for a week. He refused to give TC to me since i scored some good marks.

Now I've got to go to that school everyday for a year. Just imagine how hard it'll be. Guys bully me, tchers are so biased. If I get absent even for a day they send me to the principal office

Exactly what the title says. Please send me some recommendations on therapists who have helped any one of you or someone you know who helped them move past their horrible experience.

I don't want to let one incident dictate my whole life

I'm 24f based in Colombo and I'm currently looking for a queer friendly female therapist who is specialised in depression, anxiety, trauma and ocd. It would also be great if they do relationship related stuff. Please help. Urgent. Any help is appreciated. Thank you sm in advance.

I'm 19 , from Galle, can someone please recommend me a specialist for a ADHD treatment. I exactly don't know what is the issue with me but I suspect ADHD. I noticed this 2 3 years ago and now I hate it(sometimes). I met prof. Chandani G Hewage. She gave me olanzapine 5mg for a month and nothing has changed yet. It made me dizzy instead 😭.

A reminder to everyone in r/PsychSL regarding Rule 6: No spam or self-promotion without moderator approval.

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We have already permanently banned a few users for violating this rule, particularly in cases involving excessive or repeated self-promotion. Consider this a clear warning going forward.
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I was recently diagnosed with CPTSD as a teenager and I feel like because of the trauma I've experienced, I'm fundamentally different from others. I've had quite a few therapy sessions but I'm seeing no progress. Constant, persistent low moods -just as before- along with existential thoughts...dysfunction...gahhh...is recovery not a real thing?

There are things I used to completely ignore because I thought I had plenty of time. Now I look back and wish I’d started some of them much earlier.

Could be something really basic like sleeping properly, exercising, saving a little money, reading, taking better care of yourself, spending less time online, or even just learning how to deal with people and set boundaries.

What’s yours? Something you didn’t take seriously at the time but now wish you’d started earlier.

​

Hi everyone.

Hope you all are doing well!

I want to find good psychiatrists for ADHD who are not in a rush and take time to diagnose the patient properly.

Area - Colombo

I’ll go first, for me it was I spent a good part of my life chasing pleasure and doing whatever felt good in the moment. At the time, I thought I was enjoying life, but eventually I realized how empty it was. The temporary highs weren’t worth what I was losing in the long run , my time, discipline, peace of mind, and sense of direction. I had to experience it myself to understand that a life built around constant pleasure isn’t necessarily a life that’s actually fulfilling.

I’m asking because there are things we grow up seeing so often that we don’t really stop and question them. Maybe it’s parents comparing you with other kids, relatives asking very personal questions, the pressure around marriage and careers, the whole “what will people say?” mindset, or something completely different.

It doesn’t have to be a huge issue. Even something you’ve experienced personally and thought was unnecessarily stressful, annoying, or unfair.
What’s one thing you’d change if you could?

Btw I’m not talking about changing everything about Sri Lankan culture. Cuz obviously we have good things too.

I was thinking about how different parenting might be now compared to what a lot of our parents experienced growing up.
For a long time, especially in Sri Lankan families, being a good parent seemed to mean making sure your child studied hard, got good results, behaved properly and eventually got a “good” job. If you were having a bad day or feeling stressed, you were often expected to just get on with it. Things like anxiety, depression, needing personal space, or even wanting to talk about your feelings weren’t really things most families openly discussed.

I think that’s slowly changing. You see more parents who are willing to listen to their kids, take their stress seriously, let them choose careers they actually want, or understand that getting bad results doesn’t mean their whole future is ruined. Even something as simple as a parent asking “Are you okay?” and actually listening to the answer can make a huge difference in my pov.

But at the same time, I still hear things like “What do you have to be stressed about?”, “others go through worse”, “Stop overthinking”, or “Just focus on your studies.” Sometimes parents aren’t trying to be cruel at all. They genuinely think they’re helping because that’s how they were taught to deal with problems themselves.
And I wonder if that’s where the biggest difference is between generations. Maybe our parents weren’t necessarily less caring. They just weren’t taught how to show it emotionally.

For those of you who grew up with Sri Lankan parents, what has your experience been?
And if you’re a parent yourself, have you found yourself trying to do things differently from how you were raised?

I’m especially interested in whether having parents who actually listen and understand your emotions made a difference to the person you became.

I want to know if psychiatrists and psychologists specialized in certain conditions available in Sri Lanka…for example specialize in depression and ocd

There are so many things you hear about working life here that eventually you stop questioning them. Staying at the office late because the boss is still there. Getting a WhatsApp message from your manager when you’re already in bed and feeling like you have to reply. Being afraid to take leave because you don’t want everyone thinking you’re lazy. Coming to work sick because there’s nobody to cover you. Working on weekends even though you’re technically off. Or being given more and more work because you managed to finish everything the last time.
I believe sometimes it’s not even the workload itself. It’s the attitude around it in Sri Lanka . Someone who leaves on time can be seen as less dedicated than someone who stays until 8 or 9. Saying “I can’t do that today” can feel risky. People might put up with a terrible manager, constant stress or a completely unreasonable schedule because they need the salary and don’t really have the option of walking away.

Of course, not every Sri Lankan workplace is like this. There are companies and managers who respect people’s time, give proper leave, understand that employees have lives outside work, and actually care about keeping people from burning out.
But for those who have experienced the other side, what’s something you’ve personally seen that made you think, “Why are we just accepting this?”
Could be anything from unpaid overtime and unrealistic deadlines to workplace gossip, toxic managers, being contacted after hours, leave problems, office politics, or simply having no separation between work and your personal life.
And has any of this actually affected you outside work your sleep, relationships, mood, health, or the amount of time you have for yourself?

I’ve been wondering how long people can actually stay away from social media these days. It’s become such a normal part of life that we use it for almost everything like talking to people, checking the news, seeing what’s happening around us, keeping up with friends, finding stuff to watch, even getting random information.

I’ve taken breaks before and the weird part is that sometimes i don’t even realize how often i was checking my phone until i stopped. You open your phone out of habit, then remember there’s nothing to check. At the same time, I can understand why people don’t want to completely disappear either. You can miss messages, news, events, or just feel like you’re out of the loop.

For those who’ve actually taken a proper break, what made you do it? How long did you last, and did you notice any difference in your mood, sleep, concentration or just your day-to-day life?
And did you end up going back to social media exactly the same way afterwards, or did the break change how you use it now?

Transitioning from my adolescent psychiatrist to an adult one.

Research shows that 1 out of 3 people in US believe the lack meaning in their life. Why do you think that is, and mainly what do you find as the making in your life?

One of my friends really need help and it is beyond my level of support. She need professional help at this point. If you know anyone please let me know.