going to the doctor for depression

Hi there, when I went o mine about 2 months ago, I sat down and told my doctor "I have been feeling really upset but not knowing why, and been sleeping much more thanI normally do, and my hand started shaking." And then she started to lead the conversation. Be expect to be asked about if you drink, smoke or take any drugs. Then he/she would probably asked you abt when did it start and maybe a few other questions about what has been happening recently etc. And at some point in the apoointment, you would do a test to see how depressed you are, it's just a piece of paper with a few questions, pretty straight forward, I think it's a bit too straight forward in a way...

Normally the first line treatment would be counselling, and you could possibly do it at your doctor's or you woudl probably have a counselling team at your college anyway. My doctor asked me if I want any meds when I was mildly depressed, which I of cause refused... she then todl me to try the counselling and go bakc in a few weeks time to have another check up.

I then went back to her after 6 weeks, which should have been a bit earlier, but I kept forgetting, anyway. She asked me how am I, and I just said "Bad, I cant handle it anymore." Then I gave her a list of symptoms I have been having (which I found quite useful, coz then it woudl ensure your doctor knows all your symptoms). Then we did the same test again... and bingo, I mear hit the top mark (the higher the mark, the more depresed you are.) (sorry, I think my pill is making me feeling high...). So then she gave me some AD, which again I refused, but she said I have to, and then she told me to take time off work/uni, and gave me 2 weeks off. I now have to go bakc to her in 2 weeks time to adjust the meds and she said if I don't feel any better, then she would give me some more time off.

So if your doctor think you are depressed enough, they would give you AD anyway, butI would never ask for it, coz it is not fun at all, mine one at he monment makes me feel extermely high and low, and I cant sleep... so if you are not really depressed, don't start the meds. About the statement, if yuor doctor doesn't intent to give you one, then just be honest and ask for it, explain to him/her your situration, simple...

Anyway, good luck with it and let us know how you get on.

Reply 2

Shockley

OP

Thanks so much, its really helped to hear about your experience. I've got an appointment with a counsellor at university tomorrow morning aswell. I'm hoping that maybe this will help me understand what causes my anxiety and sadness, sometimes I have a week of feeling really down, crying for most of the day, feeling like a failure etc and Im thinking of keeping a diary of my feelings.

Reply 3

starchild

The problem for me is that I cant get anti depressants from the doctors as I am not 18...sorry to deviate off the topic slightly, but does anyone know if I can get any somehow, because I am feeling really so dreadful. :frown:

Reply 4

starchild

The problem for me is that I cant get anti depressants from the doctors as I am not 18...sorry to deviate off the topic slightly, but does anyone know if I can get any somehow, because I am feeling really so dreadful. :frown:

Well, as I said DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT THE AD UNLESS YOU HAVE TRIED OTHER OPTIONS, as far as I know, there is AD available for people under 18, and I think the reason your doctor refused to give you any is because he/she thinks you will get better without, AD isn't happy pills, it's not gonna make you recovery process any quicker, all it will do is give you a little push to hold yourself together to deal with the everyday life. But to be absoultely, I have been feeling even worse so far with the AD, the wonderful side-effects ain't fun at all... sometimes I feel like I am on durgs...

Reply 5

Shockley

Thanks so much, its really helped to hear about your experience. I've got an appointment with a counsellor at university tomorrow morning aswell. I'm hoping that maybe this will help me understand what causes my anxiety and sadness, sometimes I have a week of feeling really down, crying for most of the day, feeling like a failure etc and Im thinking of keeping a diary of my feelings.

Your counsellor is not gonna tell you why he/she thinks you are depressed, they work as a kind of "mirror" to reflect how you feel, and you wil have to be to one who find out all the answers and ways to solve your problems...

Reply 6

starchild

P for Photographer

Well, as I said DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT THE AD UNLESS YOU HAVE TRIED OTHER OPTIONS, as far as I know, there is AD available for people under 18, and I think the reason your doctor refused to give you any is because he/she thinks you will get better without, AD isn't happy pills, it's not gonna make you recovery process any quicker, all it will do is give you a little push to hold yourself together to deal with the everyday life. But to be absoultely, I have been feeling even worse so far with the AD, the wonderful side-effects ain't fun at all... sometimes I feel like I am on durgs...

I have tried other options. My counsellor wants me to consider it. I just dont know what to do :frown:

Reply 7

Well, then I suppose you have to do some research into AD before you make your decision. So you won't be surprized with the side effects you might get.

Reply 8

hannah_dru

2

starchild

The problem for me is that I cant get anti depressants from the doctors as I am not 18...sorry to deviate off the topic slightly, but does anyone know if I can get any somehow, because I am feeling really so dreadful. :frown:

Afraid not hun, cos I told my doctor I was at the end of my tether and he ignored me because of the law.
I'm guessing that a lot of people wouldn't try it, but I say again: Acunpuncture. I was really scared before I did it, but it's great.

Reply 9

AverageGuyOnTheStreet

9

I've been to my doctor so many times because of my depression. He probably thinks I'm a hypochondriac for keeping coming back. In my first appointment I was too scared to say anything - not the best course of action. I just mentioned something to do with hating my course and I couldn't take that much any more and he gave me the questionnaire, which only took a couple of minutes to fill in, and asked me to get on the counselling waiting list.

Then on my next appointment (he asked me to come back in a week) I was a bit more honest but I did not feel too comfortable about this as he decided to focus on the bad stuff that had happened. He offered me antidepressants but I refused, wanting to see how the counselling went.

Things then got even worse for me so I returned after my holiday and that was when I went onto antidepressants. I was still not being completely honest (I always made the situation sound better than it was).

When I returned after Easter, I went back again for a problem that is kind of linked but I mentioned how bad I had been feeling over what was then the last couple of days so I was out on the waiting list to see the CPN.

My appointment that I had at the end of last week (my friend made me go to that one) was probably the one where I was most honest because I just handed him my diary and said that reading what I had written was the best way to describe how I was feeling. That was when I got kicked off the waiting list for the CPN.

Reply 10

Chris.

P for Photographer

Your counsellor is not gonna tell you why he/she thinks you are depressed, they work as a kind of "mirror" to reflect how you feel, and you wil have to be to one who find out all the answers and ways to solve your problems...

I have to disagree. I've been really depressed for a long time and started going to counseling around Christmas time. They seemed adament that my father dying when I was younger was the root cause of it, and said we should focus things around that. This didn't really help me at all. I don't want to go on medication so i'm at a loss really.

Reply 11

AverageGuyOnTheStreet

9

P for Photographer

Your counsellor is not gonna tell you why he/she thinks you are depressed, they work as a kind of "mirror" to reflect how you feel, and you wil have to be to one who find out all the answers and ways to solve your problems...

I disagree. It was my counsellor (and not my doctor) who told me I had PTSD.

Reply 12

Renal

17

P for Photographer

Be expect to be asked about if you drink, smoke or take any drugs.

Standard for everything. I asked a 70 year-old muslim women and a 26 year-old orthodox jew the same questions today.

Reply 13

yes, I disagree with what I have said abt counselling too... but that was what my 1st counsellor told me... anyway, I have started with anohter one on Fri, that was horrible... he spent half of the session telling me how bad have I been treating myself in terms of setting up too high targets, not giving myself enough rest, being too nice certain people etc... I just wanted to get out of the room as soon as I could, and I felt absolutely **** and guilty after that. I don't really need someone else to tell me how bad I have been and if I keep on doing it I would get more and more depressed, but without tell me how to change it... anyway, he looked realy scary and he wasn playing with his fingers all the way, so I don't think he was really professional...

About the AD, once again, don't don't don't don't don't, if can. Yes, it takes aways some symptoms for sometimes, so instead of havng them at all time, they come and go, but as a whole, it's making me feeling much worse...

Reply 14

hannah_dru

2

To the above poster- maybe he wasn't trying to be mean at all. It sounds like he was trying to change your thought patterns so that you wouldn't set yourself too high targets. I don't really think counsellors can tell you exactly how to change depression. Mine has offered small suggestions but on the whole she's left it up to me.

Reply 15

That's what I thought after as well, but his approaches were too strong, and I can't take it at the moment... and he just wasn't prefessional enough as he was playing with his finger al the wy throuht, so I was think if this is is actually listening to me... with his 'funny' and random laugh, I just couldn't take it...

Reply 16

Shockley

OP

Can I just ask, if you need to get a doctor's letter so your tutor can let you resit your assessments, what will the doctor's letter actually say on it? My tutor knows I'm going to be treated for depression.

Reply 17

Shockley

Can I just ask, if you need to get a doctor's letter so your tutor can let you resit your assessments, what will the doctor's letter actually say on it? My tutor knows I'm going to be treated for depression.

well, it's just a standard doctor's statement, and I dunno abt your doctor, but mine one asked me what do I want her to write. And I had a choice of mood swings, depression and something else... (I was like, wht? :redface:

) and I said write whatever you think is suitable, so she put Anxiety and Depression. I guess if you ask your doctor to not to write depression but something more indirect, he/she wouldn't probably do so, coz some people would want other people to know they are depressed, or some other reasons...

Reply 18

hannah_dru

2

P for Photographer

That's what I thought after as well, but his approaches were too strong, and I can't take it at the moment... and he just wasn't prefessional enough as he was playing with his finger al the wy throuht, so I was think if this is is actually listening to me... with his 'funny' and random laugh, I just couldn't take it...

Hmmm. I would advise you not to go then. Is there any other counsellor you can have?

My doctor's notes have been absolute rubbish so far. He diagnosed me with depression and now he's gone back against his word. He's also completely misunderstood my medical condition. They're fairly basic, just "This patient has this and saw me about this. The end." I think they might do their job though.

Reply 19