[Koko2]

I went into a local government-funded mental health clinic to get diagnosis and treatment for anxiety, possible depression and a possible mental disorder. I use the term "possible" because I'm not a psychologist so I don't think I should self-diagnose. After a brief meeting, the psychologist said that they wouldn't be able to get funding for me since I "didn't check enough boxes" on the intake form, just anxiety and insomnia, as I didn't want to self-diagnose, and didn't appear terribly depressed after a cursory interview. They asked if I had anything else, and I said there was a thing or two I may have but I didn't want to "lead the witness" so to say. I then asked if they couldn't administer some written tests and diagnose me, but they said they would only have funding for treatment and wouldn't be funded to administer tests. So I'm supposed to diagnose myself "depressed" or such and tell them what I have? Isn't that their job?

[Auntie2014]

Sometimes it seems to be better to list all suspected items then let them do the elimination. I think what happens is that they have a way of feeding the forms into a scanner that searches just the number of boxes checked. It spits out anything that meets the criteria for the purpose of the funding and generates a form letter for the ones that do not qualify. All & all a good way to sift through a large quantity of requests. Let a machine do the first sort. I think what happens though is sometimes a live person uses the same methods. In your case I think it sounds like the person you talked to was doing this. Do they have an appeal process or a supervisor that you can talk to?

Good luck!

[Mike_J]

If you need help sometimes you need to exaggerate a bit to get the help you need.

[happiedasiy]

Dear Koko2,

You did the best you could, it took courage to fill out forms, so you got your foot through the door, good for you.
Intake forms should not be filled out " in the moment " off the top of your head by memory.
A lot of times we forget.
I don't think they were asking you to self diagnose it was most likely a symptom questionnaire within the questionnaire there was a box " if you have ever been diagnosed/treated for xyz "
Two totally different questions that sound similar.
It can be very confusing. It is made that way.
That part is over, it is what it is for now.

When you start treatment be honest about everything and the doctor will make notes of a depression if you tell him/her.

I think a lot of people fudge on some questions, like have you ever had suicidal thoughts,
I think most people have one time in their life. It doesn't mean you are suicidal.
But its a hard for one to say yes. Have you ever been in an abusive relationship is another.

When you have the time, in chronicle order, make 2 list one for physical traumas/treatment and another for any peer, parental, partner, work experiences that may have been abusive.
This will take some time, but it will make a clear picture for You and Doctor/therapist to see and is tangible/flexible. Just don't dismiss things as unimportant.

I wish you well,
Happiedasiy

[Rapunzel]

I can relate to hesitating to come out and say something like "I am depressed." I grew up in a family where they didn't have much tolerance for what I was feeling. I felt like I had to "act normal" and hide the signs that I was depressed or not doing well in some way. Anger was a big no no. Anxiety was perfectly fine and encouraged though, only it was considered being cautious. I was thinking about suicide at 9 years old, and through adolescence I had thoughts about running away to a place where I could get some mental health treatment because I knew I was not doing well, but also knew that my parents didn't want to hear it.

The first year that I was away from home, my roommates could tell that there was something wrong with me, and told me to go to the student counseling center, which was something that I couldn't initiate because I had grown up being told that I didn't have any problems and shouldn't bother anyone, and had no reason to want any help from anybody. I couldn't sleep. I wasn't eating. I didn't want to be alive. I didn't enjoy anything. I was very severely depressed and had been probably since I was 5 or 6 years old, but it was normalized so I didn't feel justified in saying that I had anything.

The therapist at the student counseling center concluded that I was "just homesick" and told me that I just needed to get married and I would be fine. I remember how specific I tried to be in answering the questions, like he asked if I was sleeping significantly more or less than usual, and I was not able to sleep at night but I was tired all of the time and crashed during the day, so I added up hours and compared to me previous sleep schedule which was pretty unhealthy and answered, "no." If he asked "do you feel depressed" I probably said "I don't know" or "I don't think so" because I didn't know any different and I didn't think that I could diagnose myself. I was good at appearing to be functioning okay, so he couldn't tell that I had serious problems. It took a lot of years before I could recognize my problems and get any real help.

The thing is, professionals can't tell what is going on in your head and how you feel unless you tell them. And it's okay to say that you feel depressed or that you have anxiety. Hopefully they ask about symptoms such as asking if you feel sad, cry a lot, have trouble with sleep, how is your appetite, do you feel guilty or worthless, do you have trouble with getting going and doing things, do you enjoy the things you do, and do you think about death. One question at a time of course.

Some people go in for an intake or assessment and already know what they think is wrong. Others might just know that something doesn't seem right. The ones who think they know what their diagnosis is are not always right, but it is okay for them to say what they think and the therapist can ask them more about it and explain why they agree or disagree about the diagnosis. Professionals are trained to know about disorders, but the best expert on you and your experiences is you.

[Koko2]

I don't cry much or think of suicide. I have too many things on my to do checklist, such as having unbridled sex and visiting Paris, to off myself. But I took a short online depression test afterwards, and it can involve other things such as feelings of low self esteem or pessimism about the future which is me in spades. Still, being a complete amateur with no credentials, I wouldn't rush to diagnose myself, and would rather leave it to the professionals, but they apparently don't insure for diagnosis, only treatment itself.