Do therapists help much with depression? How do you find a good therapist for that?
I took the PHQ-9 and got the result: 20 out of 27. Severe clinical depression likely.
I don’t want medication for it. I have had bad experiences with medication. My current medication caused drug induced parkinsonism and severe difficulty swallowing food.
I guess that leaves therapy? Or, are there other methods of overcoming depression?
I can’t imagine anything other than meds would help with severe clinical depression. However if you’re taking an online test for depression while having the negative symptoms of schizophrenia that could affect the results.
We all have. Seroquel nearly killed me. I’m still on meds though (abilify).
The best thing is to talk to a psychiatrist and get their opinion.
Why is that better than talking to a psychologist and getting their opinion?
Yes they do. I went through alot of treatments for depression but ssris seem to work on me for my depression. I’m on 20mg escitalopram and I don’t want to hurt or kill myself anymore
Because therapy can’t cure severe clinical depression.
Cognitive behavioral therapy also known as CBT is shown to be as effective as medicine alone for depression and anxiety.
Medicine and CBT together is shown to be the most effective for treatment.
Therapy is capable of helping with severe clinical depression. It takes a lot of therapy, if its severe enough you could have to go multiple times a week, but the right kind of therapy can most definitely help with severe clinical depression.
EDIT: I’m not saying one is better than the other, they’ve been proven to be about equal in regards to treatment and the OP should still talk to his psychiatrist for an opinion.
The APA says that too.
https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/depression
“Psychotherapy is also an effective treatment, either alone or in combination with medications.”
Thanks for the feedback.
Not all therapy works for everyone. I LOVE CBT. It changed my life. I also had an amazing psychologist.
Definitely give it a try, but still take @everhopeful advice and talk to your psychiatrist about your options with medicine.
There was a time in my life that I was crying all the time. Literally at the drop of a hat. I cried in support groups, at church, during commercials, all the time. It was right around the time my son died. I went to a therapist and he said he could cure that for me and he did!
Ok, good luck with whatever decision you make.
always found talk therapy to be helpful. its no cure but i could start feeling better and get prepared for my week. after several weeks you made it through several weeks. maybe you feel better and you keep working on it. after awhile you open up a little more and its helpful. meds are important too. its all part of the battle front to drive away the darkness. @Clint
If you’re having trouble processing some bad stuff that’s happened to you, and recovering, they can help. If you’re in a tough spot and you need advice on how to work your way out, they can help.
If you just “feel” physically sad and have thoughts related to death, or other bad thoughts you should give a call to a psychiatrist. I have been feeling much better on medication, and I worked through stuff that was bothering me. I tried getting off the medication but I kept getting fixated on dying again, and feeling a bit bummed for no reason, so I went back on em. Just be open with them about how you feel and they can help.
Depression medicine is slow acting and you might only feel subtle responses the first couple weeks, give a medicine a month or two and if you don’t feel better, talk to them and try finding a new one.
This stuff isn’t pretty, there is no magic bullet where you’re instantly fixed, that’s what I’ve learned from my dealings with mental health.
Be aware of side effects and talk to your doc. Keep an eye on if you’re gaining weight. Ask what else to look out for etc.
Having a good therapist is definitely a lot of help. Finding a good one can be tricky. You could also ask your GP or family doctor if they know someone who’s good. Or you could ask your pdoc, they should definitely have someone they can suggest for you.
Thanks to everyone for the information. This is good stuff.
The next time that I’m feeling really depressed, I hope I remember to review my 416 line poem, if I can motivate myself to do so. I feel much better today.
The world may be going to crap, but many great opportunities may still exist.
“I made a 408 line poem, about 50 lines of which were borrowed from existing poetry, which I think summarizes much of the wisdom that I’ve gathered in about 40 years, so that I can review it more easily. I set it to music and recorded it. I’ve mostly memorized the song, I think.”
Maybe I’ll look at this thread and remember what worked the next time.
Some of the poetry that helped me were the lines out of “Both Sides Now” which indicated that focusing on the negative side of clouds could be an illusion, and clouds can be positive and even interesting.
https://www.google.com/search?q=both+sides+now+lyrics
https://www.google.com/search?q=when+there+is+blood+on+the+street+there+is+money+to+be+made
Maybe that will cheer someone else up some day.
Thanks again everyone for the information. Maybe I’ll still get a therapist in a couple of months.
Trial and error.
I was lucky, with my first therapist and I like her so stuck with her.
She gives me different perspectives
As someone isolated having a therapist helps. Just someone to listen to me.
Are private practice therapists better than government ones?
not always. i made friends with all mine just being a sincere seeker. i figure i only need one friend. had a couple that i could tell almost anything. but stuff happens even with therapists, but don’t worry, look in the yellow pages…