Hey doglover

First, I think it is a great idea to see a psychiatrist as these Drs are MDs that have furthered their education and experience in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. Our GPs may be a good start, but to ensure you are accurately diagnosed and treated a psychiatrist is your best bet.

I initially treated with my GP, but she was only able to work through different medications and base her diagnosis on what I was telling her. I ended up switching to a psychiatrist who knew what questions to ask to determine my diagnosises and what medications to prescribe.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a way to examine your thoughts, feelings and behaviors that are destructive, then challenging those to determine if they are rooted in reality, which they typically aren't. Using this information you're able to modify your thought process and develop coping skills. CBT is found to be helpful for those of us with mood disorders and distorted beliefs.

It sounds simple, but it's not. It requires a lot of digging down deep and honesty to find that reality.

Good luck with your treatment.