Quote Originally Posted by OakLeaf View Post
m.

As far as meds, I personally think that although your therapist can't prescribe, they're probably the best person to help you decide whether you should consider trying something. Unfortunately, very, very few psychiatrists do talk therapy, so it means seeing both a therapist for your talk therapy AND a psychiatrist for your med checks.

Hang in there. Take good care.
My experience (just mine - don't want to insinuate anything) is that a psychiatrist can best assess whether or not medication is necessary. I've seen several different therapists and they all have a bias either for or against medication. Even if they don't say it outright, it comes out in the sessions eventually. My psychiatrist doesn't do talk therapy and I don't expect that. But when I describe my depression (like a fog rolling in) and tell him that the episodes last longer and are more frequent, that is valuable information. He also knows my history and that helps him with his decisions. I save the "feelings" part for a therapist.

Often, if you get the major depressive cloud to lift a little, talk therapy can be extremely beneficial. It's difficult to identify patterns that don't serve you well, e.g., black and white thinking, when you're in the midst of depression.

Regarding supplements, I am a believer in supplements and I do take them. But when it comes to my brain, I don't want to roll the dice about the actual ingredients. I belong to a group called Consumer Labs that actually examines the contents of supplements. It's amazing what they find - usually not good. If my multivitamin doesn't contain the claimed amount of vitamin C, that just merely sucks. But if you're messing with my brain, that's another thing. I need all the brain cells I have left & I need them to not be doing the Hatfield & McCoy dance between my ears.