I'm suffering from depression and am unsure on how to get help?

Question

I have made the decision to go see a doctor after a month and a half of these symptoms that keep getting worse. I'm 18 years old and was seeing a child doctor so now that I'm an adult I can no longer go to him so I have to look for a new doctor and am afraid I cannot afford this? And how do I go about looking for a new doctor? Is this expensive? Please help! I'm clueless..

Answer 1

Ask your child doctor to refer you. Or call the nearest hospital and ask them for a referral to a community mental health center. Community mental health centers don't cost much. Take care. Depression is rough, but medications and support from a therapist can help a lot. Hang onto the thought that the sun will shine again, you will feel better, and your interests will come back.

Answer 2

First of all, do you have health insurance? You need to gain a "Primary Care Physician"/ PCP Dr / otherwise known as a Family Dr. If you do have insurance, only certain Drs. will take that company's insurance. So, call the 800 number on the back of your insurance card and ask for a list of Drs. in your area. Go down the list and call their offices, read their bio's, and see who is taking new patients & ask questions you may have. Your insurance card will also list the amount of CoPay you have to pay for certain Dr's visits and other services. The insurance company pays the rest of the bill....usually. Some companies pay 80% of the bill and you pay 20% for example.

If you do not have insurance
You can go to any Dr. that you can pay for, usually somewhere between $60 - $75 per visit for a family Dr. + lab tests costs.
One of the tests you will need costs about $100
If you choose to go to a counselor or psychiatrist, the going rate is between about $60 - $100 an hour. (you're the only one using that 50 minutes, that's why its higher)

More affordable options for non-insured.
Community Clinics, School-College Clinic, County Mental Health Clinic, etc. You will usually pay according to your income.

Most expensive: Hospital ER

To find a Dr. many people talk with friends and relatives, and go to someone that comes recommended. You may want to call your pediatritian's office and ask who they would recommend. It may be another Dr. in their own building. Drs are the best people to recommend someone. They know them.

Answer 3

Do you have insurance? Contact your local behavioral health center. There is a Regional Behavioral Health Agency in your area. Any public health center can help you contact whoever it is in your area that qualifies you for services. You can also call St Vincent de Paul for free counseling or referrals. Check the phone book for Community Information Referral Services. Most cities have a Community Action Network. They should be listed in the phone book. All have resources that help qualify you for services.

Answer 4

Contact your county/local mental health agency, and find out what they have to offer. Certain religious organisations (Catholic counselling, Methodists) offer psychological counseling, even for non members, on a low/no cost basis. See depression treatments, at ezy-build *(below) in section 2, and consult a doctor, to eliminate thyroid problems, etc. as possible contributing factors: also seek a referral to a therapist using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy. It is your decision, and yours alone, as to whether to take any antidepressants offered, but, before you do, read section 1, and check medications out at www.drugs.com so you will be on the lookout for side effects, like sexual dysfunction. My strong recommendation, however, is to follow the advice of my doctor, his associate, and also Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP, and Dr. Mercola, as well, at http://www.mercola.com and avoid antidepressants (pages 2V, and 2Z refer, & antidepressant websites: page 2). The reasons why we all share the same view on this are explained in full, as you will find, if you read the whole section. All of their advice, (except prayer, because many people are not religious) I have incorporated into the "core treatments", including others as options, such as herbal remedies, Inositol, or SAMe. If you are diagnosed with clinical (major) depression, antidepressants may be necessary for a while, which will give the treatments time to become effective. The antidepressants themselves need at least several days, or even many weeks to become effective. It's a good idea to taper off them slowly, with medical advice, after several months, say, to a couple of years, at most, because they are only effective in the long term for about 30% of people. Because of this, you would be well advised to begin the treatments immediately, and maintain them. I'd just thank your mental health care provider, and pocket the prescription, trying the treatments for a few months, to see if they are sufficient for you, before considering filling it (unless clinically depressed, and having great difficulty functioning, or suicidal, in which case I'd take them). If the amount of daylight you have been exposed to recently has reduced, perhaps due to the change of seasons, see Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.) in section 2, at * http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris and, instead of taking 4 Omega 3 fish oil supplements, daily; replace 2 of them with cod liver oil supplements (or a teaspoonful of cod liver oil), for the winter months only! Consider having your doctor test your vitamin D levels.