[jellyfishpng]

hi. so i only recently talked to a doctor for the first time about my depression, and i was very informally told that i had depression. i was wondering what qualifies as a formal diagnosis.

since, for two weeks, i've been going to a therapist and she has a Psy.D. is she qualified to give a formal diagnosis?

i'm very new to the clinical side of depression. any non-judgmental help would be so wonderful. thanks

I may be wrong, but at least where I live, therapists don't give any diagnoses. The psychiatrist usually does that, or even a regular doctor.

Diagnosis or not, however, I'm glad to know that you're getting help.

[Skeezyks]

Hello jellyfishpng: The Skeezyks doesn't really know what would constitute a formal diagnosis. I've never received anything more than off-handed comments from any of the professionals I've seen. (I suppose there's been stuff written down somewhere for insurance purposes.) And typically the diagnoses that have been suggested have been different from one another. From my perspective, it's all just guesswork.

Some people get psychological testing. So I suppose that lends some "formality" to whatever comes out of it. Some people also receive more formal diagnoses in the process of applying for government benefits, as a result of court proceedings, & the like, I would presume. But mostly my experience at least has been that what one gets is pretty-much what you got... just some off-hand comment by whomever the person is seeing. And typically, I think, it's going to be depression, because that's easy. At least these are my admittedly jaded opinions on the subject.

[dexter]

Hello jellyfish... I prefer not to think of my diagnosis as a label but rather as a description of a group of symptoms. It's there to help guide me toward a relief plan, not to label me with an illness. I think the most important part is seeing a therapist as you have been doing. You should be able to ask her for more information about her diagnosis as well. Good luck.