[MBond007]

Originally Posted by am1m

Well, because like I posted



And I mean literally 5 minutes. I'm not a doctor, but wouldn't it take more than 5 minutes to diagnose an underlying condition, especially one that is not physical?

Happy to have this impression corrected by you or any other medically qualified person, if this is indeed a standard practice to treat depression.



Oh absolutely. I'm not anti-medication at all, have a couple of docs in the family (not psychiatrists though).

It varies from doctor to doctor. Most of the experienced doctors guage patients by their expressions and their tone. Usually they listen for a few minutes, ask some questions and then prescribe the medication. 5 to 10 minutes will usually suffice for doctors with 20+ years of experience.

[Jeroen]

Let me share some of my experience. Of course, this is in the Netherlands. Due to other medical problems I was also referred by my neurologist to a psychiatrist to help me with severe stress and anxiety problems that were effecting my day to day well being severely. On top of all my other problems.

The psychiatrist spoke to me and my wife for about an hour. Of course, she had read my very thick case file from the neurology department prior to our consult. (Here all medical files are fully digitised and can be shared between doctor if you give permission). Afterwards, She discussed my case with her team and the professor in charge of the department. During the second appointment they explained what sort of options they had been discussing. They had decided I might want to try certain medicines. However, these usually have quite some side effects during the first 8-12 weeks, sometimes longer. So they explained lots of this and how I could deal with it, so this second consult took another hour or so.

I started with the medication a few days later. We had a call with the psychiatrist every week for the first six weeks, where she also adjusted the dosage. We went to once every fortnight and during the last 3 month I have had a follow up call with her every 6-7 weeks. As my disease is now optimised, all side effects have gone, the psychiatrist has handed the further follow up to my GP. I will see her every 6-8 weeks.

I am no doctor, I have no experience other than my own in these matters. My impression is that the attention you might be getting from a doctor does depend on the severity of your condition and so does the medication. As far as I understand most medication for treatment of severe depressions, stress and anxiety, need a prolonged period of monitoring. Most if not all of these medicines have pretty severe side effects on most patients initially. It’s not like taking archipel of aspirins at all. I suffered terribly for the first couple of weeks. Cramps, nausea, bad taste, sleeping problems etc.

I wrote before about my experience of the amount of testing and consults that led to the diagnosis of the underlying cause. These medicines I am on, will not ever cure my condition. But they allow me to live my life a bit more normal, which is a big thing considering how bad it was.

Jeroen

[rajeevsulu]

As this post is dealing with psychiatrists , let me share my experience. I am a surgeon with a good practice, a loving wife, who passed away last month, and with nothing to put me in a bad space. Only downside, I loved alcohol and about 5 years back I realized I was addicted to it. I had severe physical withdrawal symptoms and I knew I needed help. I met my psychiatrist, who is also my friend, who got me hospitalized immediately as I was running the risk of getting seizures. My liver was shot and went into rehabilitation. I was discharged after a week and I was on medication for a couple of years. All became normal, I survived the lockdowns and am going strong. All along, the emphasis was on I being strong. Monthly visits for a year, on call through the lockdown, my doctor kept saying only one thing. I will cure if I wanted the cure, the emphasis on I. It is 5 years now, I have not touched alcohol, my liver is as good as it has ever been. The psychiatrist is good depending on the patient. It is teamwork. They discuss a lot with peers as the disease is of the mind and not the body. Give him time and cooperation and you are the beneficiary.

[mygodbole]

All these responses add up to a simple equation = every mind is different, every depression is unique.

This is an important thread, so posting a response.

Let it live, so individuals battling depression can find solace/help.

[rajeevsulu]

Originally Posted by mygodbole

All these responses add up to a simple equation = every mind is different, every depression is unique.

This is an important thread, so posting a response.

Let it live, so individuals battling depression can find solace/help.

Very true. Every mind is different, every depression is unique, every mind heals differently, common factor being LOVE AND DETERMINATION

[drumbrakes]

Originally Posted by rajeevsulu

Very true. Every mind is different, every depression is unique, and every mind heals differently, the common factor being LOVE AND DETERMINATION

Hi,
Can you please elaborate on both of these words LOVE & DETERMINATION?
Loving oneself may not come naturally to some. And determination is tough without any purpose and all the helplessness.

[mxx]

How do I find a good marriage counselor in Bangalore (for couple counseling)? Any recommendations?

[rajeevsulu]

Originally Posted by drumbrakes

Hi,
Can you please elaborate on both of these words LOVE & DETERMINATION?
Loving oneself may not come naturally to some. And determination is tough without any purpose and all the helplessness.

A bit late, a year late in fact. Loving oneself is the priority here. If you don't love yourself, nobody else will.
Determination. This is the keyword here. If one is not going to derive any purpose in life and cannot get rid of the helplessness, he does not have a reason to live. That is depression!!.
The whole idea is to beat depression. That will not happen without love and determination!!
Cheers!!

[Mystic]

My grand father’s comments on the subject. One needs to be cautious when treading deeper into his philosophy.

"Love and hate are not opposite ends of the same spectrum; they are one and the same thing. They are much closer than kissing cousins."---UG

https://youtu.be/NlrJqKYs2Ms

[SS80]

Posting this on behalf of a friend. He quotes "Post marriage, kid, 6 years in the same company, suddenly everything feels unnecessary. On one side, I feel I am not doing enough for my kid and on the other side I feel maybe I am overstepping into others' lives with my suggestions and advice.

I mean I feel like asking, what's the point of all this? Never-ending EMI, loan, credit card, Mon to Fri riding in traffic-ridden roads."

Do you suggest he tries something new?

Maybe I just need a vacation. To just return to the same old life with just another bill.

[rajeevsulu]

Originally Posted by SS80

Do you suggest he tries something new?

This is called a mid life crisis, possibly a little early. He needs to find a hobby and pursue it. Something different, a little away from the mundane stuff that we do daily. It could be anything that we usually put on the back burner citing various reasons.
That should rejuvenate him.
Cheers

[deepak_misra]

Originally Posted by SS80

Do you suggest he tries something new?

Maybe I just need a vacation. To just return to the same old life with just another bill.

This is a very complex subject and may not be easily answerable in a forum as such as this.
If it is a feeling of weariness and burnout, a vacation might help. But if the problem is deeper, vacations might not help. Howeveer this is somethign worth trying. Important is to unplug from digital devices.

If the symptoms are high, he should go in for professional help in the form of counseling. Online counseling is quite mainstream now which makes things easier
If the feeling is one of emptiness and anxiety and not necessarily one of despair can try a bit of self recovery. This works particular well if he has degree of self awareness.

A suggestion of "getting a hobby" is one of the worst advises to give. Let me qualify that a bit by suggesting to explore what used to give joy in the past and see if something could be done around this. "Getting a hobby" is too generic a statement to be useful.

One thing which might help is starting daily journaling. Look up https://juliacameronlive.com/basic-tools/morning-pages/
You need to keep at this for a month at-least and it *might* help in getting unstuck. If at all this is done, no need to follow to the letter. Important is just to keep at it.

Important thing to do is to limit the amount of self help books, articles , ted talks and youtube searching on this topic.
It is easy to pulled in to this and it is a very comforting deviation from actual action.

Once again: He should know when to seek professional help. This needs inputs from close family and friends.

[rajeevsulu]

Originally Posted by deepak_misra

A suggestion of "getting a hobby" is one of the worst advises to give. Let me qualify that a bit by suggesting to explore what used to give joy in the past and see if something could be done around this. "Getting a hobby" is too generic a statement to be useful.

How do you arrive at this? Please elaborate!
Cheers

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by SS80

...

Do you suggest he tries something new?

He should start with some self-reflection (how is up to him, journaling is a popular starter method), and work onwards from there.

It's all too easy to fall into the clutches of the off-handed 'mid-life crisis' cliché, or the serious 'you need professional help' one.

(N)either, or both could be true, but not a given. 'Just get a <distraction of your choice>' is easy advice handed out by peers often riding on the same boat.

There are far too many 60 and 70-somethings in this world who were all told in their 40s and 50s to 'just get a distraction and get on with it, life's like this only' who turn into bitter old retired specimens feeling all they amounted to was a provider donkey in their productive years, and now spending their golden years shaking their fists at clouds because 'nobody needs them anymore'.

Don't start with treating it like an existential emergency, but don't ignore it either. Start somewhere, start small, go where it takes one.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by rajeevsulu

How do you arrive at this? Please elaborate!
Cheers

Introspection and spending quality time ALONE with oneself.