Getting Everything Started...

I think I am depressed, & I feel like I can't always talk to friends/family all the time, can/should I go see a psychiatrist? How do I start down that path? I have a feeling my insurance won't cover that without some form of referral. Anybody got any suggestions? personal stories, how you dealt with it? where to start?

Your MD can give you a referral and may even diagnose you herself.

What I did was search for scaling mental health services. I was making very little money and had no insurance at the time. Community mental health centers do accept insurance, you have to talk with them to get an idea on a copay or they just go out of pocket depending on income etc.

Congratulations and good luck on following through with this decision to seek help.

You might want to just give your insurance company a call and see what the require and see if they can give you a list of providers in your area that take you insurance.

I went to my insurance company's website and searched for psychiatrists covered under my plan.

But basically, any doctor can get you started. Just go in and tell them what you told us. They'll ask you most of the questions, so don't be nervous. Take care.

It really is most appropriate to start with a visit to your primary care provider. The first thing a psychiatrist needs to know is whether or not there are any current health issues that could be contributing to whatever symptoms you might be having. So when you go to see a psychiatrist based on a referral from a PCP, the pdoc knows that the PCP has already ruled out physical problems, or has properly addressed whatever ones as may exist.

All a psychiatrist is going to do is decide whether or not to order some drugs for you. A regular doctor can actually start you on an antidepressant. It's entirely possible that your PCP will offer to do that and not see any need for you to go to a psychiatrist at this time. The PCP may also refer you to a therapist. Psychiatrists don't normally do therapy these days.

Have you been finding any impairment in your ability to function?