# Nardil & MCT for social anxiety disorder



## Lou Fern (Jul 17, 2012)

Hello everyone! I believe I signed up to this forum many years ago but only I recently rediscovered it as I was searching the interwebs for nardil experiences. 
I am currently in therapy with Dr Costas Papageorgio for severe social anxiety disorder. The therapy is meta-cognitive therapy (Adrian Wells) and believe me this is the therapy that every one of us needs to be in. 
It's not easy but they have taken CBT to the next level in which we absolutely move away from the maintaining factors of social anxiety disorder i.e Pre and post event worry/rumination, in situation self-focused attention (Self-consciousness, hypervigilance, threat monitoring) and safety behaviours.
Now this is just my understanding of the therapy I have gone throughs so far, so please do not take my explanation literally, but we have to take away the reasons for WHY we behave like we do and then we can slowly let go of the strategies which keep the disorder going and enable our brains to recover from the disorder that we unknowingly keep ourselves in. 
For example, why do I feel that I have to constantly ruminate about my problems? Why do I feel the need to worry about who is going to be at the party? or what am I going to say? Where can I feel most safe? 
Why do I focus all of my attention on myself? on the way I am feeling, how I am coming across and on 'perceived' threats in social situations? My answers were to figure it all out, protect myself and attempt to avoid the 'perceived threats' We aren't aware of this because its counter-intuitive, but none of these strategies that we employ to 'figure it out' or 'protect ourselves' work. 
Worry, rumination, self-focused attention and safety behaviours KEEP THIS DISORDER GOING! 
So as I became aware of this I was asked 'where is the evidence?'
Where is the evidence that worrying, ruminating, self-focusing my attention and employing safety behaviours work to 'Figure it out or keep me safe? There is no concrete evidence, only perception. It works against us, in fact it contaminate the whole situation and keeps the disorder going. 
What a moment, right!? 
So this message begins to sink in and I realise that everything I have been doing to protect myself actually works against me and its not only that conscious understanding, it works on a deeper level that takes away your reasoning for WHY you do it. 
I realise that I'm writing a lot but I think this is helpful to me and it will be to you guys... And so I digress... 
My perceived benefits of self-focused attention before and during social situations were to assess the situation and protect myself. You all know that your imagination runs while as soon as you start to think about a social situation and from this point onwards anxiety increases, so do the thoughts and so does the worry and so does the anxiety and before you know it you are in the situation and you are on the verge of a panic attack and so in kicks the self-focused attention and safety behaviours. 
Self-focused attention and safety behaviours are like walking into a situation with earmuffs and a blindfold on. <--- (Really think about this)

Anyway, I am way offtrack here. This was supposed to be a post about Nardil. I have just started taking it (7 dyas in) as my depression was getting in the way of moving onto the next step of therapy (Situational Attentional Refocusing) and so we looked at the new NICE guidelines for social anxiety and atypical depression and Phenelzine was the evidence based number 1 drug of choice for both conditions so I was sent to the priory in Manchester to get it prescribed. 
I don't know why Iv even posted this, I guess its going to be a log for me to tell you all about the treatments that I am going through so that WHEN they work it will give people hope and send them in the right direction because Iv been searching for those answers for over 10 years now. Im not better by any means, I know how disgustingly terrifying, embarrassing, dark and lonely this disorder is and if I am on the road to recovery I want people to know about it so that they can follow in my footsteps. 
I think the Nardil must be having some effect already, but I can't be sure. I just feel a little less 'foggy' and proactive which is an improvement from having a skipping rope around my neck 4 weeks ago. 

So hey, nice to meet you, I hope this may help some people and I'll be back with significant updates. 

Lou x

:banana


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## Sacrieur (Jan 14, 2013)

I think you mean CBT in the title? MCT is a kind of oil extracted from coconuts.


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## Lou Fern (Jul 17, 2012)

yeah, sure :boogie


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## Lou Fern (Jul 17, 2012)

I have to say it is quite concerning how there isn't more interest in my post. MCT is literally, in my honest opinion a game changer in the treatment of social anxiety. I hope the people who have view this post have researched the therapy, I really do.


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