Can you find a new doctor? It's so much better to have one who actually listens to you. It might be a better idea to start by going to a therapist, who can refer you to a psychiatrist also.

If your doctor is a GP, he may just not feel competent to deal with mental health issues. General practitioners really are not trained in that, but should be ready to make referrals.

Here are the criteria for depression. I copied it from <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/>http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/</A> If you think you meet the criteria, you could show him the list and maybe he would take you more seriously when he sees that you know what you are talking about:

Criteria for Major Depressive Episode
(cautionary statement)
A. Five (or more) of the following symptoms have been present during the same 2-week period and represent a change from previous functioning; at least one of the symptoms is either
(1) depressed mood or
(2) loss of interest or pleasure.
Note: Do not include symptoms that are clearly due to a general medical condition, or mood-incongruent delusions or hallucinations.

(1) depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day, as indicated by either subjective report (e.g., feels sad or empty) or observation made by others (e.g., appears tearful). Note: In children and adolescents, can be irritable mood.
(2) markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day (as indicated by either subjective account or observation made by others)
(3) significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain (e.g., a change of more than 5% of body weight in a month), or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day. Note: In children, consider failure to make expected weight gains.
(4) Insomnia or Hypersomnia nearly every day
(5) psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day (observable by others, not merely subjective feelings of restlessness or being slowed down)
(6) fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day
(7) feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt (which may be delusional) nearly every day (not merely self-reproach or guilt about being sick)
(8) diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day (either by subjective account or as observed by others)
(9) recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide

<font color=purple> Or there is also dysthymic disorder, which some people consider to be a less severe form of depression, but I think it is just as bad although less intense, because it hangs on for so long. Here are the criteria for dysthymic disorder:</font color=purple>

Diagnostic criteria for 300.4 Dysthymic Disorder
(cautionary statement)
A. Depressed mood for most of the day, for more days than not, as indicated either by subjective account or observation by others, for at least 2 years. Note: In children and adolescents, mood can be irritable and duration must be at least 1 year.

B. Presence, while depressed, of two (or more) of the following:

(1) poor appetite or overeating
(2) Insomnia or Hypersomnia
(3) low energy or fatigue
(4) low self-esteem
(5) poor concentration or difficulty making decisions
(6) feelings of hopelessness

C. During the 2-year period (1 year for children or adolescents) of the disturbance, the person has never been without the symptoms in Criteria A and B for more than 2 months at a time.

<font color=purple>There is more but the rest of it is about excluding other diagnoses, since someone who has had a major depressive episode should be said to have major depressive disorder and people who have had manic episides are bipolar, etc....</font color=purple>

<font color=green>"Someone may have stolen your dream when it was young and fresh and you were innocent. Anger is natural. Grief is appropriate. Healing is mandatory. Restoration is possible." -Jane Rubietta</font color=green>