[zombiette]

Hi, I'm trying to figure out how to get hold of a good therapist and find a good way of getting some help at the moment. To cut a long story short I've struggled with depression on and off since I was at least 14 ( though I suspect it could go back further than that)... also had anorexia when i was 18n ( now recovered tho), am now 20. I have harmed myself in the past and have been doing so from time to time recently. I was put on medication for depression around 3 months ago and although it's worked to a certain extent i think i need ongoing therapy. I have also had counselling for the past six months but i have only had a session sat once every three to four weeks. The reason for this is that I got it through university and the counselling service there is really over-burdened and if you miss an appt or something you basically have to wait two weeks for a new space and no, they don't have urgent slots!!! So i've never really been properly treated. Also I don't entirely know what i dealing with as i also have major family issues ( not that my family will ever confront these issues, which makes it even worse). I can function fine and i appear pretty normal to most but there's all this stuff brewing under the surface and i'm always afraid it will boil over completely. I'm also not even sure if the depression diagnosis is corect as there's been some suggestion that it might actually be a mild form of bipolar disorder b/c of the cycling depression. I'm transferring universities soon ,and the health service there is a lot better so I might give that a shot, but i'm wondering who should i be seeing, who would be in the best position to help me, etc? I think i need ongoing help but am just unsure as to where to find it......any suggestions?

hey. do you have health insurance coverage at all? you might qualify to see someone from that. or... depending on where you live sometimes training therapists will see someone at reduced rates (depending on orientation).

i guess i'd check out what services your new uni will offer you. some universities seem to have really good services for students, while others seem to be rather underfunded.

on a slightly different note...

you have talked about some of the problems you are having (symptoms). my personal belief is that... since dx is made on the basis of someone meeting a certain number of symptoms for a certain dx... that dx is merely a re-description of the symptoms (that you already knew were problematic in the first place).

so...

sometimes dx isn't so helpful and IMO sometimes... it can do more harm than good (suggest even more symptoms to worry about when you have enough problems already lol!)

if you need a dx for health insurance purposes (or in order to obtain treatment in general) then that is a different matter, i suppose...

i know sometimes people say they appreciate being labelled... but not so for me... it doesn't add anything except a whole heap of assumptions and predictions about the course my life is likely to take. i'd rather... people assessed rather than assumed and i'd also rather... people focus on helping me figure out how to improve my functioning, rather than working on reduction of symptoms. (may sound picky but i think there is a difference there...)

FWIW

[Hopefull]

I'd try your new university first. I'd also consider asking for a referral from your current university. They might know someone with a specialty in the area of depression. If you have access to the psychiatrist who prescriped the meds, you try asking him for a referral. I got my current referral through my health insurance/employee assistance program. You might to see if you have an EAP at work that could give you a referral and help you with making use of your mental health benefits. Secondly, I agree with the previous statement on the fact that a dx is just a way of descriping or categorizing your collection of symptoms. If you experience a manic stage, then it can be dealt with. Otherwise, I suspect it probably isn't unusual to cycle in depression. I think I did that some (dysthymic disorder). But, I did it based on stress in my life.

Its relatively easy to find therapists.. Look in your phone book in the area where you will be living under the headings of -

counseling, family therapy, mental health, psychiatrists, psychologists, crisis centers, domestic violoence agencies, Department of Human services, Community Services.

all of those contain listings for therapy professionals.

If you have insurance you will need to contact them for a list of professionals that they have on their approval list that that will pay for.

Once you have a list of prospective therapy professionals on your list make consultation appointments and take with you a list of questions you would like answers to such as hours, what a typical session is like with them, cost with and without insurance, after hours protocal... ect.

Then after you have met with a few decide which one you want to continue seeing.

[(JD)]

I agree with trying your University counselor first, even your academic advisor would have resources, imo. You can also look on the APA website for local psychologist, if you're in USA. Welcome to psych central btw

[JustBen]

It's hard to be specific without knowing what the healthcare situation is like where you live...seeing someone at your new school seems like a great idea, though, if you can wait that long. It's part of what you're paying tuition for, after all.