hi. sorry about all this. ive had rough experiences with mental health 'professionals,' too. its kind of...damned if you do, damned if you don't.

diagnosis isn't as big a deal as getting psych drugs that help you deal with your life, not feel miserable 24/7, and--this is a big one--the pills should, ideally, be easy to tolerate and -safe-. -safety- is a big concern whenever one is introducing foreign substances into the body, and psych docs are often...slack. slack, and that's being generous. so, its a very good idea to look out for your own well being, because many psych docs...whip out the Rx pad, collect their fee, they're finished, done, that's it.

i think severe depression is sometimes called various forms of bipolar, these days. its like...way back when, the criteria for diagnosing depression was more stringent, so a lot of people on meds now would have been urged to do something non-drug to deal with their problems, back in the day. and a lot of what was considered 'depression' back then is labeled as something more severe, now, because everybody and their mama is 'in treatment' and/or 'on meds.' and so...

in terms of treatment, id personally recommend -avoiding- the tranquilizers/antipsychotics, if you can. i don't quite get their popularity in depression and milder bipolar, but...its heavy artillery. lamictal is good to a lot of people with severe depression that comes back and/or never fully goes away, even if they don't meet the criteria for a bipolar spectrum disorder. benzodiazepines....are a mixed bag, on a good day. xanax, in particular, was once popular in some forms of anxious depression, but its hard to taper, especially above 4mgs/day or so. i would personally -not- recommend long term benzodiazepine consumption, just because...it can be hell to taper.

stimulants can help. ritalin was once marketed (to doctors) as a fast acting alternative to the tricyclics or maois, for milder cases of depression or to boost other treatments. adderall, dexedrine...the actual amphetamines...mixed bag, from my experience. they can lift mood and help in that regard, but the crash can be rough and they seemed (to me) harder on the body, somehow. modafanil and NuVigil are newer, expen$ive options that help some people. insurance coverage can be tricky.

ok. im just throwing out ideas based on my own personal experiences and what ive seen in acquaintances. as the saying goes...'your mileage may vary,' etc. I am sorry you're going thru it. :-(