Have doing Ph.D, unable to concentrate on my thesis and am fatigued. What should i do?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a Ph.D. student. I am struggling to write my thesis. I am trying hard to get it done and have progressed only a little for many months. I am all time anxiety driven and I feel fatigued. Every day, I start with the hope to make progress but cannot take a single step. I lie on the bed, feel like sleeping, or just waste time on social media or anything but do not do my thesis writing. I am tired of myself now. No one can understand this. My mind is full of negative thoughts the whole day and I feel guilty. I have already spoilt my relations with my supervisors as I have not been able to adhere to the deadlines. In short, I have anxiety, fatigue, feeling lethargy, and lack of concentration. What should I do? Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

From the available description, it appears that there is a primary anxiety disorder associated with amotivation. Other symptoms such as fatigue, loss of interest in activities that require consistent attention and concentration, lethargy, excusing yourself, and spending time on activities with the least importance are symptoms of anxiety as well as maladaptive behavior arising from anxiety. First of all, I like to assure you that it is a treatable problem and there is a need to see a psychiatrist in your city without delay. In addition, you need to develop more healthy choices like regular exercise, healthy eating, avoidance of junk foods, plenty of fluid intake, use of steam inhalation, and deep breathing exercises to control anxiety symptoms. Although it is not possible for me to prescribe medication I feel Prozac (Fluoxetine) with Modafinil will solve most of your symptoms. Both medications are prescription only. Consult your specialist doctor, discuss with him or her, and with their consent take the medicines. I hope this helps you.

Thank you.