Posted by Penny on April 12, 2004, at 15:20:31
In reply to newly diagnosed and unsure, posted by lovelyone on April 11, 2004, at 13:09:36
I do have a question, though - the doctor you saw - was it a family medicine doctor or internist (otherwise known as a general practitioner) or was it a psychiatrist? I ask this b/c IMHO meds (which can be EXTREMELY helpful, don't get me wrong!!!) are being overprescribed by GPs. My first antidepressant was prescribed by my internist, and she never asked me key questions that are used in diagnosing depression...
That said - I'm sure there are some wonderful GPs who do ask the right questions before prescribing, and I KNOW there are some psychiatrists out there (I've seen them) who have no business prescribing anything at all...but, in my experience, seeing a psychiatrist for psych meds is a much safer route, as these things aren't candy, nor are they a miracle cure. The brain is very complex.
Are you depressed? I don't know - it certainly sounds from your post that you aren't "happy", but that doesn't mean you are clinically depressed. It doesn't mean you aren't. If your doc asked you the questions that are typically used to diagnose depression and your 'score' was high enough, then perhaps an antidepressant will help you. Or perhaps this is situational (in which case, maybe a med will help you anyway). Or perhaps you would benefit more from psychotherapy. Or perhaps you would benefit from both, as many of us on babble, myself included, do.
What I can tell you about depression in general, though, is that just because your depression seems to "come and go" as you put it, doesn't mean you don't have clinical depression. I was hospitalized last summer for depression, but even then I wasn't 100% down. My depression is atypical and I've always had ups and downs (though my ups are never manic, like with bipolar disorder). What lets me know I'm not 'doing well', which is what I say when I suspect my meds aren't working properly, is when the 'downs' are further down than I am comfortable with.
I guess one thing to think about, and what stands out to me in your post, is the "meltdowns". For me, those "meltdowns" could cause me to do something that I may later regret - hence my hospital stay. If you're having frequent or even occasional "meltdowns" then it's probably a good idea you were evaluated for depression, and especially if you have a family history of depression. And there are other signals - fatigue, lack of motivation, loss or increase of appetite, etc., that are signs of depression, EVEN if your mood isn't consistently low.
Here's a link for you to take a look at, if you have a chance.
http://www.depression-screening.org/One more thing - don't EVER feel bad for getting help. You said in your post that you aren't sure you're as depressed as lots of us seem and you feel kind of silly - don't. There's not some standard of "You have to feel *this* bad in order to deserve to feel better." This isn't a competition - I think many of us here feel guilt over asking for help when others are clearly in a 'worse' place...but that doesn't mean that where you are right now isn't bad *for you*.
Anyway, I hope this all makes sense, and is at least somewhat helpful. Welcome.
Penny
poster:Penny
thread:335219
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20040409/msgs/335612.html