Where to get checked for depression

Do you need to talk to someone right now? Back to top. Welcome to the Quit smoking Live Chat. Please accept functional cookies to use live chat Read our cookies policy to find out more about cookies and how we use them. Manage Cookies. Talk to a breastfeeding expert. Manage cookie preferences. Options Chat. But if you think you may be depressed, take the assessment and share the results with your doctor.

Keep in mind that the tool is intended for adults 18 years and older. One or more answers not checked on questionnaire. Credits: Developed by Drs. Robert L. Spitzer, Janet B.

Williams, Kurt Kroenke and colleagues, with an educational grant from Pfizer Inc. Accessed Jan. Treating depression is not quite as simple as giving someone a prescription for Zoloft sertraline or Prozac fluoxetine and sending them on their way.

Some individuals will need several trials of different medications to find one that best relieves their symptoms with the least amount of side effects. Some people will need more than one medication to counteract side effects or to boost positive effects. Most will likely benefit from adding psychotherapy to the mix.

Discussing options with your psychiatrist will determine the best path. Get our printable guide to help you ask the right questions at your next doctor's appointment. Besides the medication specifics, you may have a completely different mental health condition and not depression.

Bipolar disorder is one such disorder that may be initially misdiagnosed as depression but requires a very different course of treatment. Psychiatrists and other mental health professionals are used to seeing a variety of mental health diagnoses and have more experience than a family doctor or general practitioner in teasing out what's behind your symptoms. There's a tendency for some new patients to visit a counselor or psychologist for their initial mental health evaluation rather than a psychiatrist.

This can be beneficial for many people, especially if your case is not severe, but for others, it's often not enough. Only psychiatrists are also medical doctors, which means that they are able to prescribe medications.

If your depression stems from a chemical imbalance , talk therapy will not be sufficient to treat you. It's best to make your initial visit to a psychiatrist, who can both prescribe medications and offer you psychotherapy if it's needed. This two-pronged approach of medication and talk therapy is often the most beneficial to patients.

Psychotherapy is a broad term for a variety of different verbal and psychological techniques that are employed to help an individual work through their mental health condition or source of underlying stress. These techniques include but are not limited to psychoanalytic therapy or psychodynamic psychotherapy, behavior therapy, cognitive therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy CBT.

Oftentimes, other mental health professionals in the field such as counselors and social workers will draw from psychotherapeutic techniques and use them with their clients. While your psychiatrist is qualified to offer you psychotherapy services, don't be surprised if they refer you to a clinical psychologist, therapist, or licensed mental health counselor while they concentrate on fine-tuning your medication.

There is some debate within the psychiatric community as to whether the role of the psychiatrist as a talk therapist has become outdated as we learn more about the biological basis of depression and mental illness.

Some professionals argue that therapy can be left to the psychologists while the psychiatrist concentrates on the complexities of the patient's medical care. However, psychotherapy is a part of psychiatrists' training and they are fully qualified to offer it to patients if they choose. The most important thing to remember about seeking depression treatment is simply to speak up and ask for help. Depression is not a sign of weakness or laziness, it's a sign that something is out of balance.

Thankfully, with proper treatment, you can feel well again. For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database. Everything feels more challenging when you're dealing with depression. Get our free guide when you sign up for our newsletter. Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Depression symptoms. Depression: Screening and diagnosis. Am Fam Physician. Department of Health and Human Services. National Institute of Mental Health.

Major depression.