When to take medication for depression

[hugsy]

how do you know when you need it?

 

[Cat Dancer]

I think a good place to start would be your family doctor. That is what I did when I was able to take medication. Actually nurse practitioner, but I told her how I was feeling and some of the things that were going on and she prescribed medication for me. Your family doctor could refer you to a therapist or a psychiatrist as well.

Or if you don't have a doctor then you could ask around and get some advice as to who would be good to go to.

 

[Eunoia]

I would agree w/ Janet that the best person to talk to would be your GP and therapist if you have one... they can do a thorough evaluation, taking all the relevant information into account, and weighing the costs and benefits to you personally. Anti-depressants can be very effective in treating depression, usually with therapy, but there are so many meds out there and so many factors to consider, that you would be best to discuss this w/ a doctor. Think of questions you have about possible medication and take the list with you. You could also try to read up on this topic through articles etc. (I'm sure there's some posted in this forum and the OTC & prescription med. forum) just to get an idea of what's 'out there' and what your options are.

I guess on a more personal note, I would think that medication would possibly be a good idea if therapy in itself isn't working or you can't even get yourself into therapy or have problems getting through the basics of each day... it doesn't replace therapy, but it can give you that boost and/or stabilize your emotions. I would definitely encourage you to go talk to a doctor to see if this would be something for you if you're wondering about this.

 

[hugsy]

thanks. i've been wondering about medication because i have been seeing a therapist, and although i feel better, i still feel depressed. it seems to be a cycle. not sure if my mood alters my thinking or my thinking alters my mood. i've been trying positive thinking and behavioral changes but it still feels like a battle that i fight constantly. i took the quiz in the book "Feeling Good" by Dr. David Burns, and the result was a total of 56 which is considered to be severe depression. that surprised me. maybe because i've been feeling like this for so long that it seems normal to me. i'm tired of feeling down. :-(

i've noticed that when i'm busy i'm ok because i'm not thinking. but when i'm not busy, i get real emotional and cry easily.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

The Burns Depression Inventory does overstate the severity of depression somewhat but if you scored "severe" I would think it's enough to warrant at least trying medication.

 

[Eunoia]

if you have a therapist already then I would definately bring up the issue w/ him/her... has it never come up in therapy before? remember that therapy isn't going to 'lift' depression just b/c you're in therapy, again there's so many factors involved in making life a little bit more livable and appealing, ie. how long you've been in therapy, the therapist's expertise, your willingness, medical conditions and/or chemical inbalances that would be helped by meds, ongoing stressors etc... I applaud you for trying to be more aware of your thinking and the way distortions can affect your mood etc. But you're completely right, just by being aware of those things you're probably not going to find the key to lifting your depression, but it's sort of a supplement to the overall therapy process and a good basis to build new skills on. For myself, someone can tell me 100 ways of coping and I can memorize that list but it doesn't mean I will even use one of those the next time I have to cope with something. It just really is not as simple as knowing about something, but I do believe that by becoming more aware of all of this can help you 'catch' yourself from time to time and it really does make you think... what I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't be too hard on yourself in case you're wondering why you're still fighting this battle, even though you're aware of your thinking and are in therapy etc...

dealing- or not dealing- with something for so long definitely naturalizes any behaviour. it becomes a habit and habits feel familiar, whether they're good or bad. Keep in mind though that that's only one quiz, from one book, and you're self-evaluating yourself but I think it's a great tool again to understand more about yourself. you could take it w/ you to your next therapy appt. maybe? I understand what you mean about keeping busy- it works b/c you don't have the time to think about things. I do that a lot. it works, until you actually are less busy or are forced one way or another to deal w/ your issues. even if you have a super busy day at the end of the day things will probably slow down a bit, and then I think you kind of realize that you're running away from your feelings by trying to push them out of your mind during the day...