Why A Psychiatrist May Be The Best Help For Your Depression

If you're struggling with depression, you should consider getting medical help. While everyone goes through short periods of feeling blue, depression can become a real problem if it lingers for months at a time. It can interfere with your job and affect your family. Plus, life loses its joy when you can't shake the blues. There are different treatments available that can help, and there are various avenues for seeking it. You may have a pastor you can speak to, or a counselor or psychologist. Sometimes, seeing a psychiatrist is best. Here's why.

Medical Training

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor too. He or she undergoes the same medical school training as your regular doctor, but in addition to that also undergoes training in the field of psychiatry. The advantage of that is that the psychiatrist can look at your depression in a different light than a counselor. Instead of simply focusing on helping your overcome your depression, a psychiatrist can help you figure out why you have it in the first place. For instance, thyroid problems, hormonal imbalances, and neurotransmitter insufficiency can lead to depression. By treating the physical cause of your condition, you may be able to finally beat your depression.

In addition, being medical doctors, psychiatrists can prescribe medications. If you see a psychologist, you may be referred to a psychiatrist anyway if medications are recommended to help you recover. A psychiatrist is legally allowed to write prescriptions, but even more importantly, he or she has the medical training to understand how drugs affect your body and interact with other medications you may be taking.

Accurate Diagnosis

Sometimes it's easy to pinpoint the cause of your depression. If you've recently lost a loved one or if you're going through a divorce, it's easy to understand why you're depressed. Other times, you may have long term depression and not know why. It could alternate between periods when you feel on top of the world, or it may be combined with anxiety or compulsive behavior.

A psychiatrist will accurately diagnose your condition so the proper treatment can begin. You may have clinical depression, bipolar disorder, or even schizophrenia. Knowing what mental condition you have is half the battle, because talk therapy won't do much to help if you are bipolar. You'll probably need to find the ideal medication regimen to keep your symptoms under control.

If you're leery about seeing a psychiatrist, start with someone you trust and get started on your recovery. Any qualified counselor, social worker, or psychologist will recognize the signs if you need more intensive help than they can provide. Undergoing therapy from a psychologist may be all you need to beat your depression, but if it doesn't help, then seeing a psychiatrist is the best way to get to the medical root of your problem.

Contact a center like Williamsville Psychiatry, PLLC to learn more.

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