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What doctor treats depression?
After 20 years of being depressed I finally feel I can't take it anymore and want to get help but do not know how or where to start. I really do not want to see a a psychiatrist and would rather just try medication. Is there a special doctor for this? What is involved, is it just telling him/her my life story and then getting a prescription or is there a lot more to it. Thanks everyone in advance for your help.
Thanks everyone for your help. I guess I should add that I have other issues besides depression including fear of really expressing my feelings and I really do not like other people thinking about me and I do not like talking about myself. My wife almost kills me sometimes trying to get me to talk about "myself". I really fear being in a chair and being asked questions about myself and wish I could skip that step.
13 Answers
- Anonymous1 decade agoFavorite Answer
A psychiatrist is usually the one who prescribes anti-depressants. Therapists are the ones you talk to about your problems. Your regular doctor might also be able to prescribe anti-depressants.
But to be honest, you really should try talking to a therapist. Anti-depressants are only going to cover up whatever's going on underneath it all. You should really try exploring what's making you feel this way if you really want to get better.
- 1 decade ago
Any doctor can prescribe you medicine. See a family physician or an internal medicine doctor.
I would suggest you find someone you feel comfortable with and know that at some point it will be important to talk. A psychiatrist is a doctor trained specifically to help you. If you had colon cancer, you would you go see a dermatologist? No. There should be no concern of feeling helpless or weak for needing to get treatment.
I applaud you admitting you need help and are ready to find a solution.
Source(s): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychiatrist - How do you think about the answers? You can sign in to vote the answer.
- ?Lv 45 years ago
First off, there is nothing wrong with diagnosing yourself. Only YOU know how YOU feel. Now, if you feel depressed, see a psychiatrist and explain your feelings and financial situation. Antidepressant medication such as Prozac, Zoloft, etc. can be prescribed. If you're just mildly depressed, you can try taking St Johns Wort. It's available at any health food store but is only effective at treating MINOR depression.
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- EolraLv 41 decade ago
When I finally got help for my depression it was because I broke down in a walk-in clinic's doctor's office. Luckily the doctor recognized the signs of depression and refered me to a specialist (ie a psychiatrist). In my experience it is unlikely that a regular doctor would prescribe you antidepressants without you being assessed by a doctor specializing in that field. Seeing the psychiatrist wasn't too scary - during the initial appointment he basically just assessed what my condition was (ie depression, anxiety, manic depression, ocd etc) based on a series of questions he asked me about how I was feeling and how I was behaving (ie sleeping too much/not sleeping, eating too much/ot eating etc) and we decided on treatment that would be best for me. In my case, we decided to start me on antidepressents, and to follow up in a couple of weeks to determine if it was helping and if we needed to change the dosage and/or change the type of medication. I also started seeing him once every 2 weeks to help me talk about how I was dealing with stress, and to monitor the meds.
One word of warning - I was very lucky to find a phychiatrist right away that I felt comfortable with. You may need to visit more than one before you find someone that you are compatible with. The same goes for meds - just because ONE type of med does not work for you, or makes you feel strange does not mean that ALL antidepressants will affect you the same way - you may need to try more than one until you find one that helps you to feel "normal" again. A good doctor should listen to how you are feeling on the meds and make adjustments accordingly.
I hope that helps! Good luck - getting help is the first step to feeling better!
- queendi_917Lv 41 decade ago
Go talk to your primary care physician. He or she will ask you a few questions, nothing major from what I understand- he or she won't need your whole life story. My husband went to our doctor and was able to get anti depressants. He also did not want to go to a psychiatrist or psychologist.
http://www.dunncenter.org/resources/depression_che...
This is a check list of common symptoms of depression. I would suggest printing it and taking it with you to your doctor's appt. so you can discuss your symptoms- it is a good way to get things going. My husband did this too and it was a great help to have some sort of starting point for a conversation with our doctor.
Good luck.
- Anonymous6 years ago
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