[RockMaterial]

I'm new to this therapy thing. I've been diagnosed by my doctor (as in needle and thermometer kind of doctor!) as having Depression and Anxiety. It hasn't gotten better with over a year of different drugs, so I'm seeking a new venue to solve or help my problems.

I've seen my Therapist a few times now (almost a month) and she hasn't told me anything, just a lot of questions and subsequent talking. I've discussed my frequent panic attacks, OCD tendencies, and agoraphobia with her (which I've kept very private due to embarrassment). I understand she would't want to jump the gun of a diagnosis or anything of the like, but I'd at least like to be kept up to date on her thoughts so I can not only bring this to my doctor, but so I can better understand and therefore cope with these issues.

What is a good timeline for her to diagnose or discuss her opinions with me? Should I be so forward as to ask her? I'm not a very confident or outgoing person so being so direct and questioning would be hard for me….

[Perna]

Therapy is not like going to the doctor, you may have to ask your T what she is treating you for, if you want/care but if she has talked to your doctor or anything or if you said, "I've taken meds for depression and anxiety" she will just accept your word for that; talk therapy doesn't work the same as medical so much, talk is about you working on your problems as you see them, not as they necessarily do, it is more individual and into what is making you depressed versus just that you are depressed, what is behind your panic attacks, etc.

[stopdog]

If you want to know, I think you may have to ask the therapist? I have not found that they usually just make a pronouncement about such things.

[wotchermuggle]

Here, therapists can't technically diagnose you. A psychiatrist can, but a regular therapist can't diagnose you. They can pass along info and have insights to what you have, and pass that on to a doctor, but that's it.

[elaygee]

Here therapists (LPC, LMFT, LCSW, LADC) do diagnose. By first session for insurance stuff. Then fine tune it once they really get to know you. Those that dont deal with insurance may never diagnose but work on identified problems. Id ask

[wotchermuggle]

Maybe the original poster could tell us what their therapist's qualifications are so we can help him/her determine if their therapist even can technically diagnose.

Even if they can't legally diagnose you, they can still give you a suggestion as to a diagnosis. My current T cannot technically diagnose, but he's said that "I think you have X" and he's shared that with my Pdoc who does the diagnosing.

My Pdoc diagnosed me and not my therapist.

[CantExplain]

Madame T didn't believe in diagnosis.
Mr T is more open to the idea.

I diagnosed myself and paid for an independent assessment.

[BlessedRhiannon]

My T did not give me an official diagnosis until about 3 years in, when I agreed to take an assessment prior to seeing a pdoc. We both knew what was going on with me, but I needed the additional data before I could be really convinced to see a pdoc

If think that if your T is being covered by insurance, then they will have had to make some kind of diagnosis for billing purposes, but you will probably have to ask what that is.

[RockMaterial]

My therapist is a Marriage/Family/Therapist and I live in CA.

[sunrise]

Originally Posted by RockMaterial

My therapist is a Marriage/Family/Therapist and I live in CA.

If she is a master's level marriage and family therapist, she should be able to make a diagnosis. They are trained in how to use the DSM. Whether she will make a diagnosis or not is another issue, or even if she does, she may not choose to volunteer the information. It is probably most straightforward to just ask her. My T is not big on diagnoses so we haven't really had a need to discuss this topic.

Originally Posted by RockMaterial

I'm not a very confident or outgoing person so being so direct and questioning would be hard for me….

Learning those things is part of therapy. Start now and ask her!