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Answers to AMA Q&As in SubForum FAQ and posted at end of this thread

soulsings February 15th, 2021

Hi there. My name is soulsings, the Community Mentor Leader of the 7cups online therapy subcommunity. I am thrilled to introduce an AMA [Ask Me Anything] form that can allow you to ask questions and get answers from Parvathy and other 7 cups online therapists. If anyone is already enrolled in therapy and has any subscription-related issues, please email support@7cups.com

This format gives you a Google Form so you can ask your questions and read the answers of selected questions that the therapist answers that I will post in the AMA subforum.The AMA is a way that can help you better understand how 7cups online therapy can help people cope with mental health issues that you also might experience in your life.

In your questions, please do not ask for advice or directions as the therapist cannot give people advice or options whose situation they do not know well.

Parvathy is a licensed therapist that provides online therapy services for 7 Cups. They can answer your questions about different mental health challenges in your life, but their primary area of expertise is Anxiety and Depression. See their bio at the end of this post!

Thanks for participating in this AMA. I look forward to your questions and the therapist's answers.

For the bio of Parvathy https://www.7cups.com/therapists/profiles/Parvathy-Venugopal-ParvathyVenugopalMSc/

CLOSED for February: do not post your questions in this thread.

AMA Q&As can also be found here organized by category https://www.7cups.com/forum/7CupsOnlineTherapy_157/FAQfrequentlyaskedquestionsabout7cupsOnlineTherapy_2181/

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Onlyonefollower February 15th, 2021

This is awesome!

blueKitten5708 February 15th, 2021

How much does the online therapy cost?

1 reply
Oxenbury February 15th, 2021

Hi Kitten it costs $150 USD a month :)

1 reply
calmPond4563 February 16th, 2021

Oh my God! It's really a big amount. I am unable to afford it as I am a jobless fellow 😔

1 reply
soulsings OP February 17th, 2021

@calmPond4563 if you have health insurance, check with them and see if they might cover whole or in part.

LeadWithLove February 19th, 2021

Wouldn't it be fantastic if they participated with our health insurance?!

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SilenceisSolace February 15th, 2021

Thanks for doing this guys it's a really great idea, one question how will we see their answer to the question we submitted?

2 replies
soulsings OP February 16th, 2021

@SilenceisSolace selected answers will be posted here in this thread.

Please submit questions on the form.

1 reply
SilenceisSolace February 16th, 2021

Thank you!

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grayandblue February 15th, 2021

My therapist wont respond. Not even an automated message.

3 replies
RarelyCharlie February 15th, 2021

@grayandblue I suggest you Submit a request in the Help Center.

Charlie

soulsings OP February 15th, 2021

I am sorry you are having difficulties @grayandblue I will forward your message to the Director of Clinical Operations at 7 Cups, Lisa De Regt. Hope you will get a response soon.

LisaMeighanMScGMBPsS February 16th, 2021

@grayandblue

Hello there! We would love to look into this for you, please email support@7cups.com and we will ensure this issue has been resolved for you.

Want more personalized guidance? Check out my profile
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BipolarInWonderland February 17th, 2021

@soulsings

This is awesome!! Is there a fee to speak with a therapist on here?

2 replies
soulsings OP February 17th, 2021

@BipolarInWonderland the AMA is free.

7cups online Therapy is $150 USD per month.

To speak with a listener is free. You can even specify particulars of which listener you prefer to talk to https://www.7cups.com/BrowseListeners/

2 replies
BipolarInWonderland February 25th, 2021

@soulsings

I am actually a listener. This is my member account. I rarely use this account. I use the forums using my listener account because I am always ont that account talking to people so that is the account I ended up being active on the forums with. I just wasn't sure if there was a fee to speak to a therapist or not. I actually have Medicaid & Medicare so if I do end up getting counseling I need to go somewhere that I can use my insurance because I can't afford the $150. Is the $150 one session a week or what? Do you know? Maybe I can save up & swing the $150 but not right now that is for sure. I wish I could though!

1 reply
creativeShip8033 February 25th, 2021

@BipolarInWonderland

I believe some therapists have a $50/mo option if I'm not mistaken.

But how it works with therapy here is that you can message your therapist as much as you like. You will receive 1-2 asynchronous responses back from them during their scheduled days (generally Monday-Friday I believe but some may differ). This scenario is available with the $150/mo subscription.

Therapists here only communicate through text based messaging on the 7 Cups platform. There is no voice or live sessions like with other online therapy sites. But as far as I can tell, 7 Cups is the most affordable because of that.

I am not an expert but if you would like my two cents...strictly text-based therapy is void of many essential connections that are made through therapy. Some of the interactions that are experienced in talk-therapy can be crucial for more serious cases. That is up for you to decide, and perhaps speaking to a professional first before you make a decision could be beneficial.

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courteousSpruce6409 February 18th, 2021

Hello good people,I have a very big problem with people spreading bad rumours about me. Worst off all,when I confront them it becomes like I'm the wrong person .So how do I over come this problem

2 replies
soulsings OP February 18th, 2021

@courteousSpruce6409 hi thank you for your interest in the AMA. Unfortunately, the therapist cannot give advice or directions. Thank you for participating.

RarelyCharlie February 18th, 2021

@courteousSpruce6409 If you Google how to stop rumours you'll find a lot of advice about this problem. Here's just one step-by-step guide I found: How to Stop Rumors: 10 Steps (with Pictures)

Charlie

BipolarInWonderland February 25th, 2021

@courteousSpruce6409

Have you spoken with a listener about this?

BipolarInWonderland February 25th, 2021

@courteousSpruce6409

I was just thinking that it mgiht help you more to speak to a listener. If it were me it would make me feel better anyway. Everyone is different though. :)

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FrozenGhost February 20th, 2021

May I ask, where is this AMA subforum where we can see answers from the therapist?

1 reply
soulsings OP February 21st, 2021
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soulsings OP February 21st, 2021

AMA CLOSED to further questions

Q&As will appear in this thread in next few days

soulsings OP February 24th, 2021

Member: What are some harmful effects of stopping your mood stabilizers for bipolar cold turkey?

Therapist Parvathy reply:

Quitting your medicine cold turkey can be very dangerous. When you take mood stabilizers (or any medicine) for a period of time, your body adjusts to the presence of the drug. Stopping your medicines abruptly may develop an imbalance in your body which can lead to dangerous withdrawal symptoms. You may also experience a 'rebound' of your bipolar symptoms and find them returning with more severity. It is very important to consult your doctor before making any changes to your medicines. For more info and bio of Parvathy see here

2 replies
RarelyCharlie February 25th, 2021

@soulsings Disappointing to see that this question was not answered. The question was: What are some harmful effects…?

The reply mentions "dangerous withdrawal symptoms" but doesn't say what they are or provide a reference. I've not been able to confirm this advice. For example, this summary of 91 research papers on withdrawal from mood stabilizers doesn't mention anything dangerous, as far as I can see: Withdrawal from Mood Stabilizers

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in California confirms that:

With mood stabilizers, the withdrawal effects are generally mild; the greatest risk with stopping these drugs is the return of symptoms.

Also worth noting that mood stabilizers are not all the same. Some of those 91 research papers mention rebound mania mainly from lithium, but I didn't see any evidence of serious rebound from lamotrigine, for example. And those papers don't seem to mention rebound depression (which could be more dangerous) at all.

Overall, research does not seem to show that withdrawal from mood stabilizers is harmful, as long as returning symptoms of bipolar disorder, particularly mania, can be managed in some other way.

Charlie

1 reply
soulsings OP February 25th, 2021

@RarelyCharlie thank you for your concern. The therapist did answer the question, albeit in a manner which may disagree with your beliefs.

If someone asks me that question, I would tell them to talk to their prescriber before making any changes.

In my own sphere of friends, I have seen people get hospitalized multiple times from the effects of going off meds cold turkey.

If you feel otherwise, you are free to try on your own, if you care to, but anyone advocating people go off meds cold turkey, without being a doctor or prescriber, is doing a disservice to others. As listener we are told to refrain from talking about medications.

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soulsings OP February 24th, 2021

Member: My depression has reached a really high level and I think i suffer from some others disorder alongside with depression but I can’t pinpoint which and it’s ruining me. I have read books and books and different online sites and so much more but it has only made a doubt a possibility. So what do you suggest I should try?

Therapist Parvathy

Self-diagnosis can be risky. There is always a danger of misdiagnosing the health condition. Even though books and internet resources do have a lot of information, a formal diagnosis should always be made by a qualified mental health professional. A mental health professional goes through years of training in the field and can thus provide effective help. You can use the screening tests or the information as aids to formal therapy. So, if you feel that you are suffering from mental health concerns, do speak to a qualified mental health professional. Want more info on Parvathy, click here for bio.