Luminita Rusu

Answers to patient questions

• General topics
  Where should I go for ADHD disorder. I have problems about concentration and focusing on a single task and also cant help thinkin of thousands thoughts and getting distracted

  • Hello there.
    Thank you for your message and for the courage to address this. Please allow me to write a general answer here, hoping you have received a more detailed one. In my role as clinical psychologist, I could give you some directions and as useful, to support during the diagnosis process.
    For me, an even better question would be ‘Who is in my team?’ as this is a psycho-medical condition that it is managed with a team around you. The first step is a correct diagnosis. Hoping that you have a (correct) diagnosis, I would look at the whole system around you: family - doctors (neurologist/ psychiatrist) - psychotherapist - work en...vironment - relationships. It starts with a hard work on Understanding and Accepting your condition. (with yourself, your family, your personal/professional environment). It continues with a close professional support and follow up: contact a doctor (neurologist or psychiatrist) for possible medication that will help relieve attention, agitation, impulsivity; work with a psychotherapist (a special guidance and / or behavioral psychotherapy or CBT could help you have structure in your life and manage your thousands thoughts ). There are as well various NGOs that can offer guidance and support - in Belgium the ADHD Association / TDAH in French, do a great job . (www.tdah.be ). At personal level, you could try to work with yourself: at home or work break the tasks in smaller tasks, set up a structure in everything you do and when you find difficult to focus, take a break and try to ground yourself - go for a walk, do some (even light) exercises/ sport; look around you with curiosity and observe the things, try any breathing exercises. Unfortunately, there is no ‘one rule fits all’ approach, nevertheless remember you are not alone on this journey – do not hesitate to ask/find support around you. Courage. Psychologist Luminita Rusu Read more

    

    Luminita Rusu

• Psychoanalysis
  Hello, Who do I approach to find out if I have ADHD, a psychologist or a psychoanalyst? I am 29 years old.

  • Hello
    
    Thank you for your message and for your courage to present your question.
    When it comes to ADHD diagnosis, there is a team involved in the process. The Clinical Psychologist can apply the specific tests to support the diagnosis, however, is the psychiatrist (in some countries as well /or neurologist) - meaning a medical doctor who confirms the diagnosis.
    Any other psychotherapist or psychoanalyst, although their support is important in the therapy process, does not have the role of diagnostician.
    Now of course, it depends on what you are looking for…do you need a confirmation for yourself, to better understand yo...urself and not ready for a more formal approach...in this case the psychodiagnosis supported by a clinical psychologist is enough to give you some directions. If you are looking for treatment and proper follow up (the recommended approach) then it must be done and confirmed with a psychiatrist/neurologist as the diagnosis involves not only psychological tests but as well EKG, EEG (heart and brain tests) and possibly any other medical tests to evaluate your overall health in the option of a possible treatment.
    As mentioned into a previous answer, for me, in the possible discussion about ADHD is ‘Who is in my team?’ as this is a psycho-medical condition – it is how your brain works, that it is managed with a team around you. The first step is a correct diagnosis. Then, I would look at the whole system around you: family - doctors (neurologist/ psychiatrist) - psychotherapist - work environment - relationships. It starts with a hard work on Understanding and Accepting your condition. (with yourself, your family, your personal/professional environment). It continues with a close professional support and follow up (neurologist or psychiatrist) for possible medication that will help relieve attention, agitation, impulsivity; work with a psychotherapist (a special guidance and / or behavioral psychotherapy or CBT could help you have structure in your life and manage your thousands thoughts ). There are as well various NGOs that can offer guidance and support - in Belgium the ADHD Association / TDAH in French, do a great job . (www.tdah.be ).
    Unfortunately, there is no ‘one rule fits all’ approach, nevertheless remember you are not alone on this journey – do not hesitate to ask/find support around you. Courage. Psychologist Luminita Rusu Read more

    

    Luminita Rusu

• Psychotherapy
  I am trying to get off my antidepressants paroxetine. I started taking them 2 years ago due to a burnout with a lot of anxiety. It helps for the anxiety but at the same time it gives an extremely sedative feeling that i cant deal with anymore. I tapered down and last week i tried to stop. I was off of them for 12 days and the sedative feeling was less but then around day 9 i spiraled into panic attack and took the medication again. But now i just cannot deal with the sedative feeling. I dont know what to do. I feel like i cant do anything, like someone is holding me back. I havent eaten in 5 days

  • Hello there.
    Thank you for your courage to openly present your experience.
    When it comes to giving up antidepressants, it is a more gradual process rather than just stopping them off. While antidepressants like Paroxetine can treat the symptoms of anxiety, burnout, they do not always address its causes. This is why they're usually used in combination with therapy.
    I would strongly recommend talking to your doctor before you stop taking antidepressants as it is important that you do not stop taking antidepressants suddenly. Usually, the process involve reducing your dose gradually over several weeks – or longer, if you have ...been taking them for a long time as this will help prevent any withdrawal symptoms you might get as a reaction to coming off the medicine.
    The role of the mentioned antidepressant is to increase the serotonin levels throughout the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter (chemical messenger) involved in many processes throughout your body, from regulating your mood to promoting smooth digestion…this is why a low level or serotonin would influence mood disorders, fatigue, digestion problems.
    A way to increase serotonin in your body, among the gradual process of stopping antidepressants and, as possible psychological support / therapy, would be to introduce in your program some activities that you need to practice for at least 2 weeks in row to see some effects in your mood and digestion. Those activities could be:
    1. Adjust your diet. (adapted to your potential medical condition , for a better digestion, time of your meals…etc..)
    2. Get more exercise.(even a 30 minutes walk per day would make a difference)
    3. Try vitamins – check with your GPst want is good for you.
    4. Try any type of massage therapy.
    5. Try breathing exercises.
    6. Manage emotions and stress levels (easy to write, difficult to apply 😊….all above can help and as well a psychological support would help you going through this more smoothly).
    Take good care of you. Psychologist Luminita Rusu, Read more

    

    Luminita Rusu