see general dr or psychologist for depression?

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got prescription for Prozac a few years ago from general practice Dr guy. going in every 4 months felt too bothersome so i just stopped. it helped though so think i should again... is seeing genral dr the right way to go? he seems terribly disinterested and unhelpful. are you supposed to see psychologist instead? stresses me out just thinking how to areange that and what it might involve. any advice based on your experiences?

I have struggled with both depression and OCD. And I might have been open to taking something if the psychiatrist hadn't been such a jerk about the whole thing. I asked one question and one follow up question, and the guy said, I'm not going to justify my diagnosis. Wow. Talk about old school, bad guy authoritarian doctor.

So my answer is either one. It can be a psychiatrist, or it can be a regular doctor. And I think general practitioners are now called family practitioners. And in fairness, some people here at WP have had good experiences with mental health professionals, although a substantial number of us have not.

And think it's fine to take an antidepressant for a while and then see how things work without it, just phase down in a series of steps, I think that's the classic advice.

I have a lot of people in my family with depressive illness. My mother hasn't ever seen a psychiatrist for her depression, just a GP. I on the other hand, have ended up seeing a psychiatrist (Not just for depression though). I orignally saw my GP for depression and anxiety though, and she was pretty helpful. From what I've heard from other people, it depends on the GP/Psychiatrists. You'll get some GP's that can't be bothered much with people "whining about a mental illness", others that are prepared to help. At the same time, you get some useless psychiatrists, and some who are pretty good at there job.

If you're seeing a GP though, maybe see a therapist as well? She/he may be able to help with your depression more than a GP.

I saw a GP, he said he is allowed to prescribe antidepressants, but it was not his field so he would not have the best answers. Then with the psychiatrist, you can more describe your problems to try to get medicines more like to help you, then they follow-up questions to see if the medicines are working. Then there is the psychologist to help counsel you on coping with depression, but is not allowed to prescribe medications.

With that a psychiatrist and psychologist working together was a better solution.

If Prozac worked for you and you just need more of it, you could probably just go back to your GP or go to a different, more understanding GP. Just tell them you are getting depressed again and that Prozac helped you in the past.

As ghoti said, though, GPs are not the most qualified people to deal with psychological issues. They learn a little bit about depression and other mental conditions in school, but they don't know them in depth like a psychiatrist does. If you need more help with your depression than getting a Prozac prescription, you need to go to a psychiatrist for medications or go to a therapist.

If you don't know what to do to set up an appointment for a psychiatrist, you can always get somebody else to help you do it, or ask the GP if they have a list of doctors they refer you to or can recommend. Usually setting up an appointment for the psychiatrist is just like setting an appointment up for any other specialist doctor, so it shouldn't be too complicated.

One problem with psychiatrists is that they often have wait lists that are months long, so it may be best if you want help soon to go to your GP.

I agree with the_grand_autismo that Prozac's probably your best bet since it worked for you before.

In addition, other medications like I think Abilify advertise that they can supplement a person's main antidepressant. And a good GP (family practitioner) is likely to be familiar with the more common combinations of these.

Now, for other people, I have read that antidepressants are trial and error in a respectful sense, and that it typically takes four to eight weeks to tell.

thanks is nice to have found this group!

Obviously feeling alienated, alone, anxious and depressed are part and parcel of being different, whether it's Asperger's Autism, or some other neurological, psychological, or physical difference.
There is no blanket solution that works for everyone, and unfortunately we each have to work out what works best for us.
It doesn't matter whether you see a doctor, a psychologist, or a psychiatrist, what matters is that they take you seriously, communicate openly and honestly with you, and make you feel validated.
Anything less than this is someone you should leave behind and replace with someone who can take you seriously and show you compassion.

All that said, I personally don't think that the solution is as simple as popping a pill, though that can help in the short term.
I found SSRI's actually make me suicidal, so I won't go near them anymore - previously I've been dosed up with Aropax (Paxil), and Lexapro, both of which only made my depression symptoms worse.
At present I take Phenergan at night, which is a mild sedative antihistamine, so it treats my hay fever as well as helps me sleep.
I also take vitamins and minerals, as well as herbs including St Johns wort, which does seem to help a bit.

If you are taking prescription medication, you need to be supervised, as in keep going back to the doctor to discuss and keep up to date with how you're going with the meds. If all they want to do is re-fill your prescription, you need another doctor.
I know I get a bit conspiracy theory paranoid from time to time, but I think the pharmaceutical companies are taking advantage of the "depression outbreak", and that these drugs are overprescribed. They may help, but they are only PART of the solution, and if you rely on them too much, you won't do the work you need to do for the sake of your own wellbeing to find true recovery.

The human body is a complex biological machine, and it needs to be used in a proper and balanced way to function properly, this means eat healthily (most of the time, there is nothing wrong with occasional unhealthy indulgence), exercise, and get enough sleep.
If you can't manage that, your health will deteriorate, and you should get help before things get worse.

It took me 41 years to figure out what works for me so far as staying healthy and keeping depression at bay, don't expect the solution to be easy, but with a bit of help and insight, we can all find the best way for us to maintain our health as best as we can, there just aren't any quick fixes that provide an ongoing viable solution.