When I go for anti-depressants, would the doctor also tell me to take councelling? I can't stand councelling. The problem is, I want to get help so I want the anti-depressants but I think that if he says I should go to councelling and I say no, he wont prescribe me the anti-depressants, and I'll have to stay depressed. I guess it's ultimately up to me, not the doctor. Right?
It's my belief that taking drugs is not a long term solution. You can be counseled in a number of ways.. you just need to find someone whom you trust so you can open up completely. You're holding a lot in and need to let it out somehow. Medicating yourself to mask symptoms without treating the cause of your problems isn't doing you any favors. Heed the doctor's advice- at least in spirit. If you're not going to feel comfortable with a professional then the counseling will probably do you no good. Find someone you can open up to whose opinion you value.
Hi Twizz, Im my experience, doctors would rather prescribe you antidepressants and get rid of you than even mention a referral for counselling. Which is a pity, because in my personal experience of depression (10 years), pills won't make you well. They won't even make you feel "good". All they can do is make you feel slightly less bad, to the point where you have enough energy to even make the effort for the things that CAN make you feel good. Why are you not keen on counselling? Have you tried it before and been unhappy with it?
Twizz: Counseling doesn't have to be with a M.D. or Phd. type. The idea of sitting in a waiting room, thumbing through old magazines until you hear " Mr. Twiss, the Doctor will see you now". Those words dont trip my trigger either. First off a counselor has to be a good listener and every once in a while have to add a little something into the conversation or ask a question, to get you to figure it out. If they could just say, " Twizz, you are all fucked up, but if you do this, this and this, you'll be 100 % by next tuesday". Things don't work that way. Do you have a family minister, teacher or someone you like and trust, you could talk with. Anyhow its a place to start.............Dennis.......Good Luck.....
I'm on anti-depressants and I go to counseling. You don't have to settle for just "any" therapist for counseling. You need to find someone you are comfortable with and can open up to. BEFORE starting any counseling, you should talk to the therapist about his or her methods, the length of time they expect your therapy to last, and expectations. All therapists are NOT equal. I hated the first therapist I went to. I knew nothig about it and just went to the guy. HATED IT. I loved my second therapist. A woman very in tune with my life philosophy and we accomplished a great deal. Very substantive things. My current therapist I've been with for a month and a half. I'm getting a special therapy, called EMDR, for Post Traumatic Stress. I think she is great. Digging deep into issues and thoughts. I feel like I'm getting somewhere. It's better to try it and say, "not for me," than it is to say, "not for me," and deny yourself of an experience that you might enjoy and that might benefit you.
I hated counseling for a long time, and went for the same reason you talked about, to get meds. After a while though (almost a year), I realized that it had really changed my outlook and perspective. If you end up seeing someone, give them and yourself time - for them to help you and for you to figure out whether you can trust them (if you can't, find someone else). You might feel worse after your appointments, I know I often do, but in the long run, in my experience at least, it really helps.
councelling could be a benefit, but any kind of coping strategy would be a good idea.... I think that councelling, meditation, exercise, or spirituality would be necessary to reap the full benefits of antidepressants ............if you in fact do actually need them. Good Luck.
One of my friends father's is a recovering alcoholic, that's not funny at all. Turning to alcohol is never an answer.
That's because counseling actually makes you face your fucking fears. Evidently, you want to run from them, just like the majority of my family has, by taking drugs. I go with a previous poster's advice: just start drinking. It'll do you just as much good as zoloft. Actually more.
Alcohol is a depressant; it'll just make you feel worse. Medication can help you feel better, but first you need to learn new ways to deal with life. That's what counselling will do for you. When I first went to counseling, I thought it was bullshit but now that I found the right therapist, it is well worth it. Give therapy a chance before you write it off. Peace and love
Counseling won't work unless you're open to it and I don't get the sense that the OP is very open to very much at the moment- apart from people telling him how right he is. I think there are numerous problems that need to be addressed and I'm confident that he would disagree- which makes most of the advice here null.
Yeah I had had a couple of drinks last night, didn't mean to be so aggressive. I was kidding about the alcohol part. I'm just not a big fan of medicine being the first thing people turn to when they have mental health issues, but as you said, if the OP isn't open to therapy, maybe medicine is the best path
But the problem with a medicine only approach is that the main issues in his life which are at least partially to for his depression. Medicine can only do so much; you have to be willing to work out some of the issues yourself. But I guess that saying's true: you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. Peace and love
I was just prescibed anti-depressants and go to counceling. I think the meds are helping me out more then my therapist is, because my therapist is just telling me stuff I already know. It's not bad tho because now I'm only going for an hour every 2 weeks.
