At what point is it recommended that one see a psychiatrist?

Question

How bad does depression have to be to visit a counselor? If one is only somewhat depressed? Just gets upset once a week? once a day? once a month? It seems like counseling would be unneccessary for someone who was only having a bad week, because recovery is quick from that...
Also, what do counselors do at an appointment, and is it effective?

I've been feeling depressed since about 4-5 months ago. I don't exercise as much as I used to, and my friends seem to be dropping off this planet (aka spending all their time with boyfriends or at home rather than on campus and one even passed away a few months ago)...but I feel like I should be able to deal with it and be happy. I was that annoyingly happy person in high school and first few semesters of college, now I don't remember how to smile.

Answer 1

OK, it is time for you to see a psychiatrist. The information you provide about yourself is enough to justify at least an initial evaluation by a psychiatrist. Then the psychiatrist will offer a recommendation about whether you need to be followed further, & help you go over the risks/benefits/alternatives of treatment options.

All "counselors" are not psychiatrists, and all psychiatrists are not "counselors", but I think the general idea is that "counselors" provide psychotherapy, but there are a LOT of different types of psychotherapy. Some focus on changing the way you think &/or behavior, some on gaining insight to help you feel better &/or make better decisions, and so on.

Counseling/psychotherapy options are usually weekly, every other week, or once a month. Pure medication management with a psychiatrist is usually once a month to every few months. Frequency can vary a lot, but you & your provider would decide together.

Answer 2

There is no set amount of time that you have to be depressed before seeking help. i mean if you are just having a bad week, and have never been depressed before, it may not be necessary, but if one bad week becomes another and another, and talking to friends or family just doesn't seem to relieve your tension or sadness, then you may want to seek counseling. Even if you are just a little depressed, the right counselor can help you. Depression is more than just being upset though. Depression is a deep neverending feeling of utter despair. Like you will never be able to feel happy again. If you are generally happy and functioning well on a daily basis, but just get upset easily it may be something entirely different. But if you are sad all the time, or even a lot of the time for more than a few weeks, then you are going to want to seek help. See a counselor first because therapy may help without meds, but if it goes deeper than that, then your counselor can refer you to a psychiatrist to prescribe meds. Or you can talk to your general practitioner for a referral. Even though you general practitioner can prescribe the meds, i would always recommend going to a counselor in conjunction with the meds. It never hurts to have someone with an unbiased opinion to talk to even if you're not depressed.

Answer 3

If you do or don't have insurance, either way, it will cost you nothing to see a psychiatrist and a therapist. What may just be a bad week can next week be a major crisis and as in all medical issues, it is always best to catch these problems before they become big problems. Counseling is good-- are you Catholic? If you are, it will easy for me to explain that it is like confession only you don't have to feel guilty and you don't have to tell everything and there is no penance and the counselor just listens to you "vent" about whatever is bothering you, be it today, yesterday or last year--- you can start at childhood if you like and work your way up-- the more you tell, the better you feel, and the more they can help. It is amazing how much you learn about yourself in therapy (7+ years in), and I'm still learning. But most importantly, I'm learning ABOUT MYSELF. Anyone who has had bouts of depression also have had times in their lives where they were feeling inadequate, unsure of themselves, self conscious, etc. Therapy helps you deal with the issues that made you that way- and how you can learn to express yourself especially if you are extremely introverted. Seeing the psychiatrist will determin if you have any real underlying mental illness- like manic depression or bipolar or schizophrenia-- which if you had, you would really know. Sometimes they give you an antidepressant - mild to start, to see if it can affect your mood and stabilize your mood swings. All in all, it makes you "feel good" going, like confession but without the guilt- and I apologize for the analogy if you are not a Catholic but I'm hoping you have seen enough movies to know what I'm trying to express here.

You have nothing to lose by seeing someone, and believe me, everything to gain................go for yourself.... no one else.....and good luck to you........write back and let me know how you're doing...........God bless.

Answer 4

Counselors will ask some questions, try to see where you're coming from. Help you to answer your own questions. Their job isn't to give you the answers, which is kind of a pisser, but to help you reach your own conclusions. Depression can be the result of something going on in your life today, or created by your history or simply a physical imbalance. The latter can be fixed with medication by giving your brain the seratonin it lacks. The first two can be helped with counselling or group sessions, kind of brainstorming for solutions.

Seeing a counselor is like having someone to talk to that you can trust won't go blabbing it all over.

Answer 5

If you feel you need to see one see one there is no limitation on when you feel depressed enough to see one it is always healthy to talk to someone and have a professionals input on things. Someone who's just having a bit of bad luck may not need counseling but that doesn't give you no excuse to visit one if you are feeling emotionally unhappy go see one all they will do is talk to you help you work problems out and can give you good suggestions of how to fix situations you may be in. Yes it is effective but maybe try talking to a friend or family member first if unsure if it is necessary.

Answer 6

If you feel down for two weeks, you should see someone. A psychiatrist prescribes medication, while a counselor, psychologist, MSW or LICSW will listen to you and make suggestions. You should get a physical first to rule out an underlying health problem, then see a counselor if you seem to have mood swings or a series of bad weeks.

They ask what's troubling you, listen to your problems, and may make suggestions. It can be very effective for many people.

Answer 7

Generally, for depression they will ask you some questions. Each time you go they will ask the same questions to evaluate if anything has changed for better or worse. They may let you know of some theraputic ideas or books to read. They assist you in trying these theraputic and sometimes recommend medication dependng on the severity. Therapy can be very effective, if you find the right doctor. Take your time to find one that works for you. If the first one doesn't work out, don't give up. Keep looking. Do some reading online. I recommend Dr. Burns books. Excellent reading.

Answer 8

They encourage you to talk mostly, with an occasional comment or question that might give you some insight into where the problem started. If it's the right cause, the problem will disappear.
However, if the "upset" you refer to has to do with mood swings, anger/tears that there's no logical reason for, etc., with worrying about what's happening and subsequent depression, find a doctor who knows about food/chemical allergies - or food "sensitivities" some call it. They used to call themselves "clinical ecologists" or "environmental medicine" doctors. Identifying my allergies has saved my life. It's okay to clean up the oatmeal boiling over on the stove, but much better to be able to turn of the heat causing it.

Answer 9

well i wouldnt go see a psychiatrist if you are just upset at a particular situation, because everyone gets upset sometimes. if you are always down, thats another story. if you feel like there is a black cloud over your life, then i would say you are depressed. i am not a doctor, but thats my opinion. at my appointments, my psychiatrist basically just asks me some questions about how ive been feeling and usually ups my dose, reduces my dose, or prescribes somethhing new. he is very fast. i found medication very effective. i hated the fact that i was on pills though, so i am currently trying really hard to stay off them. good luck

Answer 10

Depression is a disease that lasts your entire lifetime. A psychologist or psychiatrist can diagnose depression. There are several different types of depressive disorders. There are also different types of treatments depending on which type of doctor you visit. Check out this site for more information:

http://www.depression.com/