Dear Sam, Ive been struggling with internal voices for a long time now , as many are, it has got to the point where I am battling really intrusive thoughts and Im getting so tired of them . I am not taking any medication at this point in time due to exams and i didn't want any side effects hindering my performance.I really need to reach out more , open up and solve this internal struggle ! Ive been in counselling/CBT therapy for quite a while now and finally had enough of it . I really need some help , what do you suggest ?
Many Thanks
Sam
Hi there,
There are many different types of mental health issues. Mental health is connected to the way that you feel about yourself, how you feel emotionally and around people, and how you cope with challenges in your life. Anyone can be affected by mental health problems and everyone is affected differently.
Sometimes people with certain mental health problems hear and see things that others don’t. It may not be an everyday thing for some or it could be that these things are there all the time. It can be very scary at first. This is different than having a big imagination or pretending things are there - everybody does that sometimes.
Sometimes some of the things that you could hear can be helpful, comforting or even funny – while at other times they could be scary and the voices could be telling you to hurt yourself. It can be helpful to try to see if there is anything specific that triggers you to see or hear something that isn’t there. This could be tiredness, difficult emotions and certain situations like exam stresses, places or even times of the day. It can help to have more of an understanding around what can help you when you are experiencing intrusive voices and thoughts. We've got advice about hearing voices.
The best thing you could do, if you feel you may have a mental health issue is to talk to a health care professional, like a doctor or school nurse. Talking about what you are experiencing could be an opportunity to get some form of diagnoses, medication and counselling.
Taking control of your own medication is not something that we would encourage you to do unless it has already been discussed with your doctor, who should be able to tell you any possible side effects of the medication that are sometimes prescribed. If there are still questions about your medication that you feel were not answered there is a website called headmeds that can give you more information.
Whatever the reason, it's important to feel you have the support that you deserve and talking and reaching out can make the whole experience a lot less isolating. It can also help to gain a different perspective on things too. Try to talk to someone you trust, this could be someone in your family, a friend, or someone at school like a teacher.
Our Childline counsellors are always here to listen and to support you whenever you feel you need to talk.
Take care
Sam
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