You are already saddled with depression, which leads to fatigue, difficulty concentration and delayed decision making. Now you have to select a doctor! There are so many types of treatment available, how can you select what is best for you? The first step is to understand what the options are, and this article will walk you through your choices.
You should discuss your treatment with your general practitioner, but they are not the best professional to be treating you. They may offer you prescriptions or advice, but you should only use them to forward you on to a specialist. They don’t have specific training in dealing with mental illness, so while they mean well, they just don’t have the tools to help.
If you want someone to talk to, a religious counselor can help, but they also lack the training necessary to work with people who truly have mental illness. Depression is a serious matter and is nothing like the simple issues they can handle. You absolutely should have your religious adviser on your team, but don’t make them the sole member.
Sometimes your general practitioner will refer you to a psychologist. They can be helpful in evaluating your condition, but they will then refer you again to a specialist who offers therapy. They are not trained to deal with people in your situation beyond figuring out which exact issue you are facing, so don’t expect to see them many times.
Once you get serious about your condition, you need to seek out professionals with specialized training. For example, a licensed therapist knows a myriad of techniques for helping you cope with your illness. There are a variety of therapies being used today, so read about each to determine which you would like to pursue, then find a specialist in that method.
For the most serious cases, a trip to the psychiatrist is in order. They can not only diagnose your exact condition, but offer you medical intervention to treat it. They have a huge arsenal of prescriptions available which can help you deal with any symptom you may have, and often can even remedy the cause itself. If those don’t cut it, there are new techniques such as deep brain stimulation which they can offer to you. This method of keeping the brain’s electrical impulses regulated can bring relief in just a few months, a great relief for anyone who is suffering.
There are many other people who can help you with your depression. A nutritionist can give you ideas on how to change your diet for the better. A personal trainer can get you exercising in ways you enjoy. The most effective people are often friends and family who can support you through the best and the worst times. Think of all the people you know and figure out how they can be of assistance.
These are the people who are available to help you with your condition. As you can see, you can have an entire team of experts in various fields batting for you. Take them all on board and see what changes you can make for the better.
