430- Psychotherapy online 2020-04-28

My last psychotherapy session in early February was still in person. I was to have my following on 27 April, but due to current covid19 lockdown, my appointment was moved to 28th, and from his office, to an online version. 

In view of content, Trigger warning applies. 


After a few lost minutes figuring out how to use the dedicated website, my session was thus shortened as the slot was only half an hour - so I didn't get to talk about everything, but did manage to discuss and answer the main topics at hand.

Thus, after my therapist's question about my reaction / response to the antidepressant he'd prescribed last time, I explained that barely a week after I started the treatment, we had two consecutive grief periods - the first after we learned of a friend's death, and then a second after our hamster getting ill, and put to sleep at the vet as it was most probably a cancer, and that due to her tiny side and advanced age, it wouldn't be treatable, nor operable. I felt that I was struggling during the first few weeks, but at the end of my second box, and almost 2 months, the main effect of reducing my depression had kicked-in and thus, helped alleviate these struggles with grief. I thanked him and said that it was an 'opportune' time to have started, since I felt more able to cope than in previous occasions of grief, and I attributed this to the medication. 

I only summarized the side effects to him - the same ones I detailed in entry 429. He took notes, and after that, we discussed coping in covid19 lockdown, and overall activities since our last  session - from my book reading, gaming, spring cleaning, the weekly grocery shopping, watching tv shows and movies, alleviating spirits with sitcoms and staying in touch with family and friends over phone and social media. I did mention the art session I did yesterday with my wife, and that I'd resumed more regular meditation - though I recognized that I haven't managed daily sessions until recently. 

With the advice to continue these varied activities and the delivery of renewal prescription for my antidepressant straight into a pdf file on the website, we parted but without fixing appointment for next time. I've to call back at the end of May and ask for a July appointment, that will either be in person at the best scenario of post-covid19 lockdown and return to normal life, or another online session if the conditions haven't been met by then. 

Until then, however, if I have any urgent need or change/worsening in secondary effects, I can and invited to call him back, so that's good, because I felt I needed the full half hour slot to really cover everything - I'll take more notes for this so I don't forget things again as I hate the pressure of passing time and tend to get flustered and forget stuff.

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