Anxiety Support Group
Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...
I have quite a few linked together mental issues that run in my family and I am seriously considering counseling. I have rather bad paranoia and anxiety and see "shadows" when I am really really stressed and/or scared. So with that said I would think that counselors would want to drug test me, can they make that mandetory? I am not some big druggy but I occasionally smoke with my friends every now and then and my parents don't know.
So what I would like to know is, what is counseling like? I have never been the type to talk but I feel it is seriously needed. Do they drug test? And is it expensive in general?
So what I would like to know is, what is counseling like? I have never been the type to talk but I feel it is seriously needed. Do they drug test? And is it expensive in general?
Next, no, your counselor will not require or mandate drug testing. I do want to educate you a bit...pot is actually a hallucinogen!!! This is a true story...So, smoking could actually be making your anxiety worse, and in my case, it is what brought on my panic disorder!!! (Not preaching, just sharing some education with you.)
Counseling is what you make it. I, personally do not care for it. (Go figure, I am a psych major, and I am not a fan of the whole counseling thing). At any rate, I am just not one who likes to share my feelings, and thoughts and so forth.
You say that you are not the type to talk...you don't have to talk when you don't want to talk. You can sit there for the hour and not speak. You may get there and see that you are in an element where you feel comfortable talking, and you let it all out. You may get in there and think it sucks.
My outlook on counseling is that it works for some but not all. Just like any medication...what works for me may do nothing for you. It can't hurt to try it and see how you feel during and after.
As for cost, insurance does cover it in most cases. If you are uninsured, you can go to county run agencies, they work on sliding fee scales, meaning they have you pay what you can afford based on how much income you have.
Are you a minor? If so, talk to your parents about their insurance plan and find out what is covered.
Hope I've answered your questions!
Also, bear in mind, that if you are a minor, you can talk to your counselor about anything and they can't share it with your parents unless you are threatening harm on yourself or others!!!
Yes, I am aware that weed is a hallucinogen lol I have smoked it going on 3 years and the paranoia and hallucinations started almost 2 months ago, I am not saying that it has nothing to do with the problems I am experiencing, it very well could, and you are very right, some types of the plant do irritate those problems, but one type seems to not bother it at all. haha I dont do it much at all though.
I think I need to break out of my "no talking" shell and get some help, I am an minor, and I think my mom is starting to get the hint that I really could use some counseling