How bad does it have to get before one needs to see a psychiatrist?

[kibbitz]

Odd question, I know. But well, it's easier to tell some of the time if you need to see a doctor rather than this. I suppose I might not be making sense, but anyway, the gist of it is this:

I felt tired around 8:30 pm, so I went to bed. Woke up two hours later after having a nightmare that makes me want to bang my head on the wall to get rid of it completely.

Now that I'm certain I'm awake, I am pondering this. Nightmares are nothing unusual to me, I still get them every now and then, and they always are quite intense. However, now that I sit down and think about it, there's a couple of things about my nightmare (that I'm afraid I'm unwilling to share at the moment, sorry) that is really bugging me, and the more I think about it and past nightmares, the more I'm starting to worry about it.

There might be a pattern or something but my head is fuzzing up now and I feel like eating or at least drinking something, so I'll step away shortly. I guess what I mean to ask is, am I overreacting? When does one tell when there's something wrong? Is it even possible to tell for yourself?

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

I don't know what you mean by "something wrong," exactly. If you are thinking there is something bothering you that is affecting your mood and giving you nightmares, a psychologist or a psychiatrist might be able to help you figure out what the issue is and dela with it. If you are concerned that you have a physical/chemical problem with your brain that is causing the nightmares, a psychiatist would be best to handle it.

No matter what, if things are causing you to be anxious to the point where it is affecting your behavior (Can't sleep, anger, wanting to hurt yourself), it probably would be a good idea to see someone. A psychologist might be a start, and if it is beyond their capacity to help, they might refer you to a psychiatrist.

 

[Umbran]

A medical professional (of whtever stripe) is called for when a condition is negatively impacting your ability to live a satisfactory life.

Many people believe the things we see in dreams and nightmares are significant, others don't. Personally, I don't think an image in an occasional nightmare is need for alarm.

 

[kibbitz]

Quite a bit calmer now after some refreshment and a walk in the cool night breeze. So far, I don't think it's affecting my performance or anything, I think that I'm probably more shocked by the content of it rather than anything else.

When I said "something wrong", well... you know how you usually can tell if you're feeling unwell physically and need to see a doctor about that? Same for mental stuff, though I suppose that it can also be just like how you may not know you actually have physical health issues sometimes.

I guess you guys are right, it is really occasional and it really isn't the cause of any problems I'm experiencing now, so I'll just make a note and get an appointment if it escalates. Thanks for the input.

 

[chakken98]

Dude, I know how you feel about the nightmare issue as I have night terrors. I'd say if you have alot of nightmares or feel that its causing you problems like the others have stated above you should seek some help. I did mainly so I can get something to allow me to sleep with out dreaming. But for the weird part...if you having been having a dream that means something to you maybe you should write them out and see if it does mean something. I tend to write out mine when I don't take my meds and who knows maybe after writing it down on paper you'll see that its nothing or something....

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

When you bang your head on the wall because it feels so good when you stop, it's time to call the head shrinker.

 

[Torm]

Do you mean the dreams are disturbing you as in, "I think I'm having unusual or scary dreams because I'm having a psychological problem or a rough time in my life," or as in, "I think I'm having unusual or scary dreams because something is trying to communicate with me and/or threaten me." Because it definitely makes a difference in the answer to your question.....

 

[GlassJaw]

If you are asking "how bad does it need to get before you should see a doctor", I would simply answer "yes".

 

[Simplicity]

If the problem is merely recurring BAD nightmares, I know a number of techniques which can help with that. I used to have bad nightmares as a kid, and so I picked up quite a few tricks.

When you go to sleep, there's a stage where the pieces of the story start to assemble in your mind. If you don't like the way things are going, roll over. You'll find that the dreams you have laying on your lefthand side are not the same dreams you'll have when you lay on your right. In fact, you'll find it hard to even REMEMBER what you were dreaming of on that other side. It's a great trick that I still use.

A slightly more advanced technique... is to modify those story elements and create your story as you go to sleep. You can basically set up the dreams you want to dream this way.

Once you're good at both of those, you could try full lucid dreaming, which pretty much feels like godhood, and is significantly better than bad dreams (but it turns out that being in total control of your dreams becomes quite boring after a while). Lucid dreaming takes some practice though. Some people recommend creating a dream journal (writing down your dreams right after you wake up)... But I personally found it easier to just cling to keep an idea of a dream "script writer" in my head as I slept.

If the problem is just a fear of being crazy though. Hell, everybody goes through that, don't they?

 

[Ostlander]

Well it's up to the person, but a good sign is when Dr. Phil begins to make sense...

Seriously though; it's a matter of comfort and IF YOU are not comfortable and have the means to see a specialist, by all means do so...especially if there is something offered at your place of employment. I work at a hospital and most of us are borderline nutts, so we get access to free shrinks.

1. Are you losing significant amounts of sleep regularly? (THAT can make a person kook-out quicker than most think)
2. Missing work, appointments, and social gatherings?
3. Mood changes?
4. Severe Headaches, hallucinations (Auditory or visual) (Those suck and accompany the sleep issues almost every time...if it happens while not intoxicated or well rested then, you may have issues.

Just some warning signs I can think of from when I lost my mind for awhile...I'm much better now though.