[MissDeBudlieAy]

So my depression came back and I went to my doctor, and when she was sending the referral back to the psychiatrict she asked have I ever done counselling. I haven't of course but seeing as she mentioned it I'm thinking that it might be something to look into?

[DrBill100]

Psychiatry is today a field dedicated to chemotherapy. Doling out various combinations of psychoactive medications. Very few offer any type of talk-therapy. In fact, I know of none.

Counselors, psychotherapists, address you problems as they exist and assist you by offering practical solutions to address those problems. It is an interactive process and usually very helpful in depression.

Counseling or psychotherapy should always be the first step and chemical alterations of the nervous system the last resort.

[MissDeBudlieAy]

That may be so but without my medication id be a wreck, but I do see your point

[Wondergirl]

I know one psychiatrist who mainly treats the elderly and explores with his patients everything in their lives from soup to nuts before handing out meds. He told me that meds should be given only to smooth out the wrinkles and allow counseling to work. Counseling, he said, should be the primary treatment.

Other psychiatrists I know will dispense meds but will also refer their patients to social workers and counselors who are in the business of helping their clients set goals so they can not only get through their daily lives but also see some measure of success in self-awareness and in relationships.

As a counselor, I coordinated with several psychiatrists who referred their patients to me for the hard work of getting their lives back together, and, in turn, I referred certain of my clients to them to discuss the possibility of allowing a temporary course of meds to smooth things out.

I strongly urge you to seek counseling. If you need help finding someone, please ask us.

[Fr_Chuck]

I am surprised, why do you say " I haven't of course"
Why of course, to me that would have been first on the list of things to start doing.

It is a time to discuss problems and talk about solutions.

[MissDeBudlieAy]

I actually didn't realise I wrote it. Lol I meant that I haven't actually been to a counsellor