Hello Aree
You seem so very down and I wonder who would be best to help you. I think this is a question to explore with your GP. This all-encompassing darkness and jumble of thoughts you are experiencing I think needs some very expert help. What you describe is how I felt 16 years ago. It was hard to carry on in general but harder because I live alone. Having someone in your home makes a huge difference even if you do not talk about your depression.
Counsellors, psychologists and psychiatrists are all trained differently and use their skills in different ways. My suggestion would be to talk to your GP about seeing a psychologist or psychiatrist. Your GP can make a mental health plan for you which is approved by Medicare. The she/he can refer you to a psychologist for six sessions which can be followed by a further four. These sessions are refundable by Medicare in the same way as your doctor's fees. You usually have a gap payment and this is true with the psychologist. You can only have ten of these sessions in one calendar year. Occasionally you can find a psychologist who bulk bills.
If you have private medical insurance it may cover psychologists fees but usually less than Medicare. So after the ten visits you can continue to attend the psychologist for as long as your health fund will allow. It seems a bit unfair on psychologists who may be very good at their jobs but are not on the Medicare list of providers.
Your GP can refer you to a psychiatrist whose fees are reimbursed by Medicare and there will inevitably be a gap payment. The advantage with a psychiatrist is that you can go for as many sessions as you and the psych agree and Medicare will pick up the bulk of the payment. Ask your doctor about safety net limits. Once your out of pocket expenses reach the safety net limit your reimbursement will be much higher and you will pay, at a guess, about $20 per session. This does not apply to psychologists.
I am giving you this rather long explanation so you will have an idea of cost. Starting with one person and stopping is not good in my opinion. Anyway, a discussion with your GP.
I see a psychiatrist every fortnight. I am impressed with her skills and count myself fortunate to see her. I have come a long way with her and I have only seen her for the past year or so.
If you find it difficult to explain to your GP why not print out at least your first couple of posts if not the whole thread.
Mary
