Hi Happy Paws, I was concerned about the same thing, despite being in a year long depression and having a 20 year history of mh treatment at the same clinic. I hadn't been in treatment for 3 years, and I thought I would somehow rally for the eval and not appear to have any symptoms. To hedge against that, I took a friend to verify my symptoms and give support. Even though my fears were baseless--I was fully symptomatic and had no trouble conveying that--I was glad I did that because it was one less thing to worry about.

And I agree with Christina that it's not as important to get the dx as it is to get treatment to help with your current symptoms. It's really hard to undo that sort of thing, and they can get it wrong.

And no, you do not have to be in a crisis to get treatment, although it will depend on your pdoc as to what kind of approach s/he will want to take. Mine is very cautious, and I appreciate that. These meds are no joke.