Mental Health professionals

LegacyUser

I'd like to see a mental health professional about assessing whether i'm depressed or not. I don't know anything about mental helath doctors though. I know there are psychiatrists and psychologists, but I don't know why someone would go to either specifically(read: i don't know the difference, and don't know which I should talk to). Are there other mental health professionals etc?

How would I make contact with such a professional if I know what to look for. Is it standard to go to a GP first, and be referred, or should i contact an organisation like Aware and go from there? I understand there's a facility in college to talk to a councillor, but the waiting list is very long, so that's a road which might be worth avoiding.

Can I expect a huge bill for all this? Are there free / government funded routes to take?

Has anyone here made such a visit before? How will it be orchestrated? Am I supposed to simply start talking about why I think I might be depressed? Am I expected to divulge all events of my childhood/recent past which trouble me? Discuss relationships with family/friends? How will it be decided whether I am depressed or not?

I don't really know anything about depression. I've spent the last 3 years very happy with just some down periods. That seems normal enough, but i think i'm getting too used to it happening seasonally, which is wierd in itself. Why would i get depressed for a few weeks every year. How does depression scale? Obviously there are those who don't want to live anymore/ can't persuade themselves to get out of bed in the morning/ cry themselves to sleep/ whatever.

I'm sure if most people talked to a psychwhatever they could be diagnosed as being depressed, even if most of the year they are not depressed. I avoid using "happy" here, because i'm not sure that's the opposite of depressed. You can be depressed and still enjoy life and have a laugh and a good time, but then still have this part of your mind that reminds you of whatever it is that gets you down. It's unlike sadness in that way, because it can sort of be forgotten about and then be gone. I'd say large amounts of people are depressed, but convince themselves that they're not. I don't think i have anything more than minor depression. I've got many very valuable friends (who i've not talked to about it. They can usually tell though anyway, but I'd prefer to leave these things to the professionals.), have had sucess getting better interpersonal skills in general over the last three years or so, and started having meaningful relationships with girls.

Bit of a mindstream there. It should probably be ignored. My depressive episodes would be a result of family arguements, and marraige breakdown, but not termination. I've sometimes thought of it as standing on a sinking ship. They just wouldn't get on and end the relationship. It's an ongoing situation too. It's depressing having depression around like that all the time.

Is depression treatable in the same way that a broken leg is treatable? I find it difficult to understand how someone could be depressed about events in their life, and then after treatment not have it bother them. Is it a case of understanding why things happened the way they did? Do people need to make a new beginning?

What forms can treatment take? Talking to people/ taking medication/ combination? I wouldn't have any hang-ups about either really, just information gathering. I'd like to be as prepared as is plausible/sensible before starting it out. I think I might be afraid of these people too. I don't like the idea that someone can look at how i sit/ cross my arms/ twist my ankle or whatever and be able to tell things about me from that.

This is probably the nuts of this post:
Has anyone else had similar fears before seeing a psych... and how did the encounter go?

I realise this is a long post. Sorry about that. I hope it was at least semi-coherent.

Nevyn

First step go talk to your dr and work from there.

Santa Claus

Go to your GP and they will refer you to your local health board Psychiatrist (the visit to the health board psychiatrist will be free but there may be quite a wait to get to see someone).

Aware are just a support organisation, they cannot refer you to anyone. Having said that ring them and talk to them. Talking to someone about it might help you a lot.

I've been through depression and yes it is treatable (by medication, councelling, cognitive behavioural therapy and a number of different routes) and it's also perfectly normal to be worried about seeing a psychiatrist because of the stigma associated with mental illness, but at the end of the day it was one of the best decisions I ever made.

Remember that Psychiatrists are professionals in the area of mental illness so they can tell who's genuinely depressed and who's just feeling under the weather because the evenings are getting darker etc.

feel free to PM me if you want to talk further about it.

Hobart

As Thaedydal said firstly go to your GP and also contact aware.

I was diagnosed with PTSD (Post Tramatic Stress Disorder) 3 years ago after an event in my family. The only symptom I had was a blinding headache twice or 3 times a day and very often periods of deep sadness.

I went to my GP and we had a chat, he was aware of the situation in my family. He gave me the name of a psychiatrist and I made contact directly.

I had 6 meetings (1 every week) and the cost was €60 a visit. I was not prescribed any mediactions and the "treatment" was fantastic. My symptoms were reduced to what I would consider a manageable level.

The treatment was just like a chat tbh. Yes she did have a couch and you could decide to sit down, lie down or stand if you wanted to.

As regards your specific questions re: depression. I am not qualified to answer them. However my shrink explained to me that if had a broken arm, you would go to the A&E dept. If you have a broken brain you come to them. Simple as that tbh.

Also I would just do a google on the symptoms of "seasonally affected disorder".

Faith

A psychiatrist can prescribe drugs such as anti- depressants, a psychologist can't afaik. THat's the main difference.

bottlerocket

Hi,

Just a word on Psychiatrists/Psychologists. As others have said, a psychiatrist can prescribe and a psychologist can't. However I would recommend you firstly try to contact a counsellour as a counsellor will talk to you more about your feelings than about you having a specific mental illness. Your GP can refer you to a psychiatrist or psychologist, if you do choose to go down the counselling route contact the IACP on 01 2300061.

The majority of cases of depression require no medication for succesful treatment and typically a course of therapy for mild depression will last 6-10 sessions. Of course, every case is different and the timeframe can be shorter or longer depending on the individuals personal circumstances. The cost can be from €50-100/hour, the average probably 60-70.

Generally a first session will begin with the counsellor explaining their qualifications and what approaches they use. They may then ask you to talk about why you have come to see them. The therapy then goes at your pace, there's no need to divulge all events from your past or present if you don't want to.

Check this link for the various scales of depression/mental illness, this is the diagnostic approach psychiatry uses: http://www.psychologynet.org/dsm.html

Just a piece of advice as someone who has been through therapy and has also trained as a counsellor (although i have not yet qualified) -

If as you say you believe your problems may stem from your environment then there's probably no need for medication at this stage. (This is only my personal opinion based on what i've read here, nobody flame me on this please.) Medication for depression is intended as a short term intervention in serious depression for someone who is suicidal or to lift the depression sufficently to give a breathing space for therapy to begin. Sadly in our health system anti-depressants are too often prescribed for problems that do not require medication. Medication will not resolve any of your issues, they will merely relieve the symptoms. If that works for you and is what you feel you need right now then great, but i would caution against taking them until you have had at least one meeting with a professional.

Depression is very treatable and needn't be something you have to carry with you all your life. Therapy works on many levels, e.g. to help you examine your experiences, values and feelings. It also can help change your thought processes (as in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy).

Its perfectly normal to be nervous and the professional will be used to this. Please don't be intimidated by it. Remember the foundations of therapy are compassion, respect, non-judgemental and confidentiality. Personally I was terrified before my first session but it went really well. I was put totally at ease and as time went on felt more secure about opening up and getting to the crux of the matter.

If you have any questions or want to talk about it, please pm me. Hope this helps and if it doesn't there are plenty of others out there who can help you! Best of luck with whatever you decide to do.

Victor

Talk to your GP and see if he can recommend someone local to talk to, if that progresses well, then good. If you want to see someone further up the chain, that can be arranged.

LegacyUser

I do intend to go to my GP, who is aware of my family situation. I started this thread to get some info on where specific mental health professionals specialise, because I had no idea previously. That might not have been absolutely clear.

I really just want to be prepared as I can be for starting the ball rolling on this, so that I know what i want to get from it, and how things might change as a result, and am able to tell that to whoever it is i talk to.

I always thought councillor was another term for psychiatrist. Could you tell me what the difference between the two is?

Thanks bottlerocket and Santa Claus. I will PM you when i get some time to. Possibly next week.

WaterfordOnline

bottlerocket wrote:

Hi,

Just a word on Psychiatrists/Psychologists. As others have said, a psychiatrist can prescribe and a psychologist can't. However I would recommend you firstly try to contact a counsellour as a counsellor will talk to you more about your feelings than about you having a specific mental illness. Your GP can refer you to a psychiatrist or psychologist, if you do choose to go down the counselling route contact the IACP on 01 2300061.

The majority of cases of depression require no medication for succesful treatment and typically a course of therapy for mild depression will last 6-10 sessions. Of course, every case is different and the timeframe can be shorter or longer depending on the individuals personal circumstances. The cost can be from €50-100/hour, the average probably 60-70.

Generally a first session will begin with the counsellor explaining their qualifications and what approaches they use. They may then ask you to talk about why you have come to see them. The therapy then goes at your pace, there's no need to divulge all events from your past or present if you don't want to.

Check this link for the various scales of depression/mental illness, this is the diagnostic approach psychiatry uses: http://www.psychologynet.org/dsm.html

Just a piece of advice as someone who has been through therapy and has also trained as a counsellor (although i have not yet qualified) -

If as you say you believe your problems may stem from your environment then there's probably no need for medication at this stage. (This is only my personal opinion based on what i've read here, nobody flame me on this please.) Medication for depression is intended as a short term intervention in serious depression for someone who is suicidal or to lift the depression sufficently to give a breathing space for therapy to begin. Sadly in our health system anti-depressants are too often prescribed for problems that do not require medication. Medication will not resolve any of your issues, they will merely relieve the symptoms. If that works for you and is what you feel you need right now then great, but i would caution against taking them until you have had at least one meeting with a professional.

Depression is very treatable and needn't be something you have to carry with you all your life. Therapy works on many levels, e.g. to help you examine your experiences, values and feelings. It also can help change your thought processes (as in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy).

Its perfectly normal to be nervous and the professional will be used to this. Please don't be intimidated by it. Remember the foundations of therapy are compassion, respect, non-judgemental and confidentiality. Personally I was terrified before my first session but it went really well. I was put totally at ease and as time went on felt more secure about opening up and getting to the crux of the matter.

If you have any questions or want to talk about it, please pm me. Hope this helps and if it doesn't there are plenty of others out there who can help you! Best of luck with whatever you decide to do.

Well said.

I was diagnosed by a private Psychotherapist last year of PTSD. This was something a Health Board Psychotherapist would not tell me.
I suffered with suicidal depression since the age of 14 or 15. I was prescribed anti-depressents, which simply made me worse.
I then went to a councilor, who spoke to me about me and not about what meds I should and should not take. After a year with this wonderful person at 1 hour per week, I threw all my meds in the bin and have stayed clear of Psychiatrists and Psychologists. I haven't looked back and couldn't feel better.

Victor

Without wishing to sound patronising

WaterfordOnline wrote:

I was diagnosed by a private Psychotherapist last year of PTSD. This was something a Health Board Psychotherapist would not tell me.

I don't think its the job of psychotherapists (a technician / nurse level post) to diagnose - thats for a doctor to do.

I threw all my meds in the bin

I realise this may be a metaphor.

Please dispose of excess / unwanted medicines and similar products through a pharmacy. They are considered hazardous waste and should be disposed of appropriately. There is also the risk they will be found by children or others who don't understand the implications of taking them.

LegacyUser

I went to my GP during the week. If I am depressed, it's slight depression. He gave me a prescription, but told me to wait a week and call him before filling it, and see how i feel about it then. Fair enough I suppose. Although I kinda thought people generally speak to a psychiatrist before being put on any medication.

Regardless, I'm now going to keep track of when I'm depressed and when not. Hopefully I'll be able to tell then what's making me feel that way when i do. It's on Livejournal at http://www.livejournal.com/users/notregularnick/. I've also set up notregularnick.AT.gmail.com if anyone else wants to make contact.

Thanks for your help.

Nick

meow

GPs generally do prescribe anti-depressants at first, you'll be reffered if they feel you need more specialised help.

There are many anti-d's on the market and what suits one person will not necessarily be right for another. It's very much trial and error.

They can take anywhere from 6 wks- 3mths to kick in, however if you don't feel any better (after 6 wks) or have any distressing side effects, please go back immediately. Some anti-depressants have been proven to have the opossite effect and cause ppl further upset.

You say you only experience symptoms at certain times, have you heard of Seasonal Affective Disorder? Its a condition some ppl experience during the winter season in particular.

If your not happy with your treatment, its your right to ask for a refferal to a psychiatrist, but be warned depending on where you are, waiting lists can be long.

Hope you're doing okay