[gma45]

I have been on here a few days now and have read lots of post and did some quizzes that have really helped me. I know I need help with my depression and anxiety but I just panic, just writing this is hard. Any ideas would help me at this point! Thank you

[Rose76]

Let the panic be an incentive to get in to see a professional, so that you will have less panic. Going it alone is not the way. If you are not taking medication, consider it as an option. I refused to consider it for 6 years after it was recommended. I was quite astonished at how much help it provided when I did agree to take medication. (Especially if you have trouble going to sleep at night. That is about the easiest thing to fix with medication.)

Also, if you foresee being unable to support yourself, it is very important to get your mental condition documented by professionals. That could determine your eligibility for help, down the line.

[gma45]

Originally Posted by Rose76

Let the panic be an incentive to get in to see a professional, so that you will have less panic. Going it alone is not the way. If you are not taking medication, consider it as an option. I refused to consider it for 6 years after it was recommended. I was quite astonished at how much help it provided when I did agree to take medication. (Especially if you have trouble going to sleep at night. That is about the easiest thing to fix with medication.)

Also, if you foresee being unable to support yourself, it is very important to get your mental condition documented by professionals. That could determine your eligibility for help, down the line.

Thank you so much for your kind words, you are so right about getting this documented. I was just thinking about that the other day I don't have any of my records and I am not seeing a Dr. now so where do I even start? That is what has got me so confused. If I find some help maybe they can get me pointed in the right direction I just sit here and am getting worse watching the days go by makes me hate myself even more. thanks again for taking the time to reply.

[Rose76]

You've got to start by finding a primary health care provider, or a provider of psychiatric assessment. Your options depend on your financial situation. If you don't have health insurance, then you have two other options. If you have some money, you can just make an appointment and self-pay. If you are poor, you need to look at what your community provides. If you are really broke, Health Care for the Homeless could be a place to start. You can ask at the local homeless shelters, just where do people with no money get health care. Your community might have programs that you never heard of.

If there is a university in your area that runs a hospital, that is a great place to start. I went to such a place and said I needed out-patient care very urgently. They fast-tracked me into their outpatient program. Next I was means tested and told I qualified for very low cost care. I am getting great care (at very modest cost to me.)

There is some kind advocacy agency for the mentally ill, either in your local community, or somewhere in your state. Contact them. Say you are in need of treatment. Ask where can you go. If the term, mentally ill, turns you off - get past that. Clinical depression is mental illness. Assert your right to get care based on the circumstance that you are ill.

First of all, you need to be diagnosed. Therapists can not do that. You must be seen by a doctor, or advance practice psych nurse. Ideally, you should be seen by a psychiatrist. Emphasize that you have distressing symptoms. Don't let anyone document that you are just going through a rough patch in your life, if you have reason to believe that you have a psychiatric disorder.

[Rose76]

One more thing. If you have substance abuse issues, this might not be the best time to get into that any more than you have to. Keep the conversation about depression, anxiety, and panic. If those who evaluate you pick up on a history of substance abuse, they tend to focus on that like a laser and not really see you as a psych patient. They are apt to think that all your problems are the result of substance abuse. Honestly ask yourself whether or not that is really the truth.