Hi LadyStardust & welcome to PC,

I am wondering how you have been able to make it for the last 10 years without outside help? That is about the time when Anxiety & Depression hit me & the past was so dark I doubt if I would have made it by myself. Of course it was initially work related so had to have the Dr's to Dx for the workman's comp case that I ended up losing anyway.

Initially went to just my GP & was prescribes a light antianxiety (Busbar). Then had to find a psychiatrist that my insurance would accept. They provided a list of providers that they approved of. That limited my options, but gave the initial direction that I no longer have in order to find someone to help. The problem with the limitation is that a psychologist isn't that easy to make work for you....it's not like picking a name off a paper makes a working relationship it is really more personal than that. It wasn't for a while that a psychiatrist prescribed any meds due to the fact that they were trying to figure out what was really going on at the time. Over the years, it has evolved many times & the list of meds that I have gone through are almost everything available out there. Many Dx's have come & gone with only Anxiety & Depression sticking.

If you have a good psychiatrist, he will work with you & not cram you into a little box right off the bat. Sometimes it is good if you can go to a Therapist/psychologist that is tied in with your psychiatrist (or the other way around) so they can work together with you. There really are good ones out there & really can do a lot of good for you. I was scared also & was intimidated by the whole mental health field at first. Yes, 11 years later I am still at it but with other problems that have come up, & needing to find other professionals that are able to handle those problems.

I wish you the best of luck in your search for Doctors. It is good when you are the one that decides that you need help. It is easier to accept at that point.

Please keep us posted & ask any questions that you feel might help you. This is a great place to get suggestions & helpful information along with being a great place when you need a sounding board.

Debbie