Psychologist/Psychiatrist

[kiwikp]

I'm a support for somebody with depression. He has tried 3 different medications without success. He is reluctant to try a fourth as he says after 3 you have to move onto a psychologist or psychiatrist, is this true? He has been medication free for 2 years and is suffering terribly.

[geoff]

Hi Kiwikp, and a warm welcome to the forums.

As I'm not qualified to say but for me, medication combined with counselling was my best option, but seeing a psychiatrist is different than seeing a psychologist.

Psychiatrists can prescribe medication and are trained medical doctors while psychologists address emotional, social, work, school and physical health concerns and people have their own choice.

I had to try at least half a dozen different antidepressants (AD) and I understand how the person you are helping feels, but once the right AD can be found, then he will feel so much better.

Hope to hear back from you.

Geoff.

[Alexlisa]

Hello Kiwikp,

Welcome to the forums. It sounds like your friend is having such a tough time. It’s nice to hear he has you for support.

I agree with Geoff - it’s usually recommended that people with depression and other mental health issues try both medication and therapy together. I believe it’s considered to be best practice. They both provide very different avenues to get on top of the depression and both can be so helpful. Especially if you find a psychologist who you click with and is knowledgeable.

I can understand his reluctance to try another medication as they can be quite tough physically and mentally to start and stop. As well as getting your hopes up each time that ‘this will be the one’, only to have it fail again. But unfortunately sometimes it takes many tries to find the right medication/combination of medications as they all work differently, and differently in every person. I have had a difficult path to finding the right medication (10+ tries), but I figure I have very little to lose and so much to gain if I find the right ones. I’m now finally on medication that does help.

But for me a bigger help has been my psychologist. I don’t know how I could’ve done this without her really. I’ve learnt lots about my illness, skills to manage it, and just generally having someone be there to support me through all of this has been vital. If your friend is talking about seeing a psychologist I think you should encourage him. But it doesn’t need to be the whole answer.

I hope this helps a little. Thank you for being there for your friend. I know it can be tough for family and friends also. I’m sure he appreciates your support. Take care

Alexlisa

[White_Rose]

Dear Kiwikp

Hello and welcome to the forum.

It's good your BF is trying medication again. It can be a great help though the process of getting something that works may take time. Two years of depression without help is a long time and I can see why he is struggling. I suggest you have a look at the information compiled by beyondblue on depression and download anything you find helpful. There are booklets you can order which are free of charge. You can find the information under The Facts at the top of the page.

Finding a medication that works for an individual and does not have unacceptable side effects can be difficult. Usually doctors prescribe from the SSRI group of meds and there are many different pills. My experience was in trialling many meds for at least 18 months. Either they did not work or the side effects were horrendous. In the end I put up with one medication because I was tired of going through the wringer. Even so the psychiatrist said he could not prescribe a therapeutic dose because I could not tolerate it.

At one point a colleague and me were taking the same meds. She had no problems while I struggled with side effects. Prescribing antidepressants (AD) is not a precise science. It may be useful for your BF to see a psychiatrist because, as Geoff has said, they are medical doctors and have specific training about medication. Your BF can go to a psychiatrist for medication only as some of them are happy to do this.

Psychologists cannot prescribe meds as they are not qualified. It may be useful for your BF to see a psychiatrist first and get some medication that helps. Fees are claimable from Medicare in the usual way. The psychiatrist may suggest your BF sees a psychologist also but this is not necessarily the case.

Yes your BF is correct about seeing a psychiatrist in that he needs an expert on meds to prescribe for him. GPs are great but do not have the in-depth knowledge about AD. He will need a referral from the doctor and I will suggest he starts with a psychiatrist for meds. This seems the most logical path but of course it's up to his GP and him.

I hope this helps. Please post back if there are any other questions you have.

Mary