[OneInBillions]

So last week I finally went and got some help, after years of trying to "deal with" everything on my own. My anxiety skyrocketed before the meeting with my GP -- I couldn't sleep at all the night before. I told him pretty much everything I could.

But it feels like the doctor focused solely on depression and didn't even mention my anxiety. He just prescribed me some fluoxetine and set up an appointment with a psychiatrist for the end of this month. I guess depression can be "fatal" especially since I told him about my suicidal thoughts, so he thought it was more important or the more immediate concern? I don't know.

I worry that I've been misdiagnosed. It always felt like depression was just a result of the years of loneliness due to my avoidance of social situations. The doc seemed to think that my social phobia was the result of depression, but I feel like it's the other way around. Maybe I'm just worrying over nothing.

Any thoughts?

[healingme4me]

I'd wait for an official dx, by the pdoc..

Usually, one appointment, doesn't get an official dx.

Ideation, is usually routed in depression. No saying, you won't end up with both dx's. Depression and anxiety.

Important thing, is you sought help, and are now getting it.



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[Little Lulu]

Good response from healingme4me. Statistically, about 50% of people with one mental health diagnosis also have a second one (or more) according NIMH. In the case of anxiety and depression, many of the treatments are the same (fluoxetine is used for both, for example).

Toughing it out all these years on your own, only to not feel heard or understood by your GP sounds frustrating. It took a lot of courage to seek help in the first place. I hope your experience with the psychiatrist is a positive one. If not, I hope you keep seeking help until you find something that feels right and comfortable for you. That is what I did and it paid off.

[BlessedRhiannon]

Most GP's don't seem to realize that anxiety can cause depression, and if you treat the anxiety, the depression can fade. So, it's entirely possible that you have both, with the depression being caused from the anxiety. Depression gets more marketing and it's kinda the go to for a GP. It's been my experience, though, that to get a good mental health diagnosis and to get on the correct medication, you really need a psychiatrist.

I've had several GP's diagnose me with major depression - mostly, I think, because I get so anxious that I burst in to tears. My pdoc says there's probably some depression there, but it's caused by constantly battling the anxiety. As I've gotten better control of the anxiety, the depression has significantly faded. My pdoc did not feel that depression was my primary diagnosis - it's GAD, with some social anxiety and OCD thrown in just for fun.

Working with a psychiatrist and a therapist has done more for my anxiety than anything else.

[gnat]

Depression and anxiety go hand in hand. I work in the medical field and have never seen true anxiety that did not include depression (just situation anxiety which isn't considered a mental illness).

Anxiety is treated with two medications. One is by taking anti depressants which are daily and build up in your system over a period of 2-6 weeks before you reach therapeutic levels.

The second is a narcotic take as needed anxiety med. These are a "band-aid" type med, not aimed at solving the problem, but to help you get through a moment of increased anxiety. They should be taken sparingly due to their addictive nature and make many people unable to function at their previous level. I have only even had one client get prescribed the take as needed med and not an anti depressant to go along with it, and in that case the person was experiencing situation anxiety as opposed to generalized anxiety disorder.

I would talk about your concerns more with your psychiatrist to see what (s)he says, but would imagine taking the antidepressant isn't a bad way to go.

[IndieVisible]

The fluoxetine (Prozac) is suppose to address depression and panic attacks and anxiety. It did not for me I finally ended up with Wellbutrin and Zoloft with Xanax prn. I still get serious anxiety attcks but the addition of Zoloft has eliminated a lot of my mild to moderate anxiety. Hope it works for you everyone is different.