Advice for someone struggling with depression

[Rupes79]

Hi Folks

Ive been struggling with depression for most of this year. I consulted my GP earlier this year and was put on medication. This medication was recently changed as I was suffering adverse side effects from it which were exacerbating my issues.

I have a psychologist I am working with to deal with past issues in a relationship. The psychologist is very skilled and is assisting greatly with working through the issues I have from previous years. I have been seeing them for 5 months and have had ten sessions. I want to keep working with her.

The concern I have is that while I have a long and trusted relationship with my GP (over ten years) I don’t think mental health is a strong point for him and feel I have exhausted all help he’s able to offer.

I have tried to raise the depression issue with my psychologist in the last two sessions (most recent one was today) but I don’t feel she is taking it seriously and is almost dismissive of it.

So I am at a bit of a loss as to what to do. I could change psychologists but I would feel I’ve wasted the last 5 months and am still keen to work with her in the issues we are uncovering. I realise these are likely the source of my depression and need resolving but I also realise this may take many months and I am not sure I can sustain the low feelings I have for that length of time.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[geoff]

Hello Rupes, you have asked a good question, and my suggestion is if you decide to change your psychologist it may or may not help as you have to start it all over again, and perhaps the new psych won't be able to relate to how you personally feel, so you might have to change again, that would waste the 5 months you've already had.

Your psych wouldn't be too concerned about your doctor and if you feel as though he isn't too knowledgeable about mental health, he's a GP and has many people to help, all with different illnesses, some GP's want to help those suffering from a mental illness, while others let the psych handle the majority of the work.

Your GP will administer your medication but you can always change to another GP who is capable of knowing more about mental health and they will have their own psych's who you can contact, and although I'm not a doctor, I would be staying with your present psych and change your doctor, you can always go back to your previous GP if you want.

Hope to hear back from you whenever you are available.

Geoff.

[Guest9337]

Hi Rupes79, sounds like you've got lots of good stuff happening now, working forward with support is good news.

Do you know what makes/helps/evokes pleasant feelings in yourself?

examples... walk on beach. watch funny movie. long chat with close friend. read favourite or new book. meet someone new?

that kind of stuff.

I particularly enjoy choc cream donutes from x convenience service stations. Just love em!

[Kram21]

Hi there I tried 9 or 15 diff medications before I found one that worked for ME. Dont be scared to ask your GP to change meds if you dont think they are working or have side effects

[sbella02]

Hi Rupes79,

Thank you for sharing this, I'm sorry to hear what you're going through. I can see that others have already offered you valuable advice, so I'm here to build on this.

I understand that change can be hard. If you feel like your GP or psychologist aren't offering you the help you need, you are well within your rights to seek out the help of other practitioners or psychologists. As Geoff has said, the only downside to changing your psychologist may be the fact that you would need to explain everything you've been through to somebody new. This is not necessarily a bad thing, it's just something to think about. But as far as your GP goes, people switch doctors all the time, it's definitely not unusual. If you feel that this is something you need, it may be worthwhile to start exploring other options.

You could always trial an appointment with a therapist or another psychologist if you feel like your psychologist is being dismissive. You don't necessarily have to stop seeing your psychologist, you may just find it beneficial to gain a second or even third opinion on how to manage and overcome your depression. It could also be helpful to ask your GP for recommendations on psychologists who specialise in your particular age group.

Some general advice for your depression, I've found that talking it out with a trusted family member/friend/my partner really helps. I also take a few minutes to head outside and be alone with my thoughts, as I find that this helps me get into a more relaxed mindset.

I hope this helps. Best wishes for the future, and please communicate with us again if you have anything else to talk about 🙂

SB