Hey, whats your opinion of clinical psychology?

Darkblade_1

I've been debating the state of my mental health a bit and have come to the conclusion I'm battling a pretty serious depression.


What do you guys think of the mental health field, helpful? worth pursuing? I'd say my condition significantly impacts my quality of life, though not my ability to function, I'm gainfully employed, as well as a part time student, I have some mild neurosis but who hasn't, its not as though I can't get up in the morning, but still.. I think if I could get this depression thing under control I'd be vastly improved, so do you folks of H/A think a shrink is the way to go?

ihmmy

totally depends on you
therapists/counsellors only work if you're willing to participate fully. They haven't got some magic key to fixing stuff, they basically guide you on finding some strategies that help
for mild depression, a lot of people find that more sunlight, multivitamins, more exercise and/or more social contact help. There's also things like st john's wort (which I'm currently taking) which can help alleviate mild depression symptoms with far fewer side effects than mainstream anti-depressants

Counsellors can definitely help, they've helped me through some past issues and depression in the past. But you have to remember they haven't got super sleuth powers and automatically know exactly what's wrong and precisely how to fix it

Rook

There was a recent article on the BBC website about exercise and depression which you may want to have a look through.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7240545.stm

Personally, whatever you feel is best is probably the right course. And if you're not interested in something, walk out of it.

Trowizilla

Going to a therapist is never a bad idea, so long as you can manage it financially (and in some cases, even if you can't). When combined with lifestyle changes like getting more exercise and spending more time in the sun, changing situations that keep you in a bad mindset, and possibly (only possibly) working with a psychiatrist to find helpful medication, therapy can really help pull you out of a depression. However, as ihmmy said, they're not mind-readers. You get out of therapy what you put into it, so you have to be willing to do some hard soul-searching and make an effort, not just allow yourself to stay in a rut.

Honestly, clinical psychology saved my life, so I have a very high opinion of it. Even if it turns out you're not clinically depressed, having someone objective to talk to and help you sort things out can only be a good thing, right?

Neaden

Check with you school to see if they have any services. My school offers free counciling to anyone who wants, and I think that that is not uncommon.

RocketSauce

I work in the mental health field, so I'm a little biased. Finding the right counselor/psychologist/psychiatrist is a major part of how effective you will find your treatment. Somebody you feel comfortable with, and can form a good working relationship with. If these thoughts/behaviors/moods are affecting your everyday life, then it could be good to just go talk to a professional. As someone mentioned before, Universities usually have free counseling. My girlfriend and I used it back in college to work out some problems we were having and it was very helpful.

PirateJon

I'm battling a pretty serious depression.

While others might suggest soloing depression with herbs and exersise, the best way is to do the licenced psychologist epic quests. At minimum you have to complete the quests "take thy meds" and "work with them" but it gives huge defense bonuses vs depression and multiple chances to crit on each life issue.

Darkblade_1

Well, thanks for the advice. That gives a pretty universally positive review, I'll look into my options.

Oh and PirateJon, I couldn't help but groan as I read that, well played.

Specularity

Yeah, that was really bad (read: good) PirateJon.

Like RocketSauce, I'm also a bit biased, but I also would recommend it for anyone who thinks it might even help a bit. When I was struggling, myself, I tried all of the exercise, getting out, doing yoga, etc., but it just made it worse for me (when you get a panic attack at yoga, it's not working). Going to my therapist, who at the time was a LMHP (Licensed Mental Health Practitioner), so she couldn't prescribe me anything, really helped me figure out what was going on and how to get myself out of it.

Certainly you may not click with your therapist at the first meeting, and maybe I lucked out, but there are some really great psychologists, etc., out there, and I'd say go for it. It may be as simple as finding something for you to focus on (mine suggested to me to try the AA method of "Take care of a plant for a year (killed my first one), then when that works take care of an animal, then a person (as in, a girlfriend/boyfriend)") or a change that needs to be made (I had to finally move out from where I was, and that change -really- helped me, just for some examples).

Feral

Exercise (30m of cardio per day), medication (usually an SSRI but it varies from person to person), and weekly therapy are the trifecta of depression treatment. They are all effective, even by themselves, but the combined effect is far, far more than threefold.