When my depression came out, the psychiatrist gave me two treatment options. The first one was medication. She said, “I could give you anti-depressants. You could take these medications once every day for an entire month to alter your brain chemistry, and then we could do another checkup and see how your medical condition is affected.” Since no one in my family ever had depression that required them to take antidepressants, my parents were extra inquisitive about my substance use and what we could expect from the antidepressant drug. They were afraid that it might lead to substance abuse.
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I was thankful for that because it turned out that antidepressants did not have a lot of positive feedback for their depression from my psychiatrist’s other clients. They apparently reported feeling sluggish, tired, and sleepy all the time – as if they were always sedated. Since there was technically no cure for the mental illness called a major depressive disorder, mental health professionals feel obliged to prescribe antidepressants to prevent depression. Honestly, that is against my interest or pleasure.
Of course, I did not want to do anything with the antidepressant drug that might or might not be good for me. I was a teenager and a lesbian; I already had enough to deal with at that moment. But thank God I don’t suffer from suicidal thoughts. When my parents asked about the second option, the psychiatrist started talking about counseling for depression disorder.
How Do We Resolve A Condition?
If you had not heard of counseling for chronic illness in the past, it referred to the treatment where you would talk to a counselor about your mental health issues. At first, there’s a question of family history of mental illness and other symptoms related to the condition. Symptoms occur when you least expect them. The counselor would not resolve your emotional and physical problems for you. Instead, they would listen and help you reinterpret what you were talking about so that you could see another way out of the risk factors of depression issues.
Nevertheless, as I mentioned in the first half of this blog, counseling was not a popular method of dealing with mental ailments and — not even for a mood disorder like mild depression or other mental disorders like bipolar disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, seasonal affective disorder, and anxiety symptoms — at the time. Not many older adults who experience depression risk were even aware of the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders!
Mom and Dad were not worried about being seen coming in or out of the psychological therapy office. What they were more concerned about was that counseling for depression might be a waste of money. They would not even consider electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), or cognitive behavior therapy to treat my major depressive episode and other signs and symptoms of depression, like panic disorder, thyroid disorders, eating disorders, chronic pain, and physical illness, even if the American Psychiatric Association statistical manual recommends it. They could not fathom how talking and doing nothing else could make my mental illness (psychological factors) go away.
The thing was, I was pretty desperate at that point. I had not felt like myself for months, and I was tired of pretending to be happy in front of everyone. I eventually coaxed my parents to see that counseling for unipolar depression was the lesser evil than taking antidepressants like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Thus, I scheduled a session with the crisis lifeline and called the nearest hospital emergency room immediately. I wanted to deflect my suicide attempts and engage in disease control.
Through The Psychiatrist, I Signed Up For My First Counseling Session
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What I Learned To Do With Depression Major Depressive Disorder During Counseling
According to the American Psychiatric Association and National Institute of Mental Health experts, counseling for mental disorders like severe major depression or severe depression was not awful, but it was not for people with heart disease. I had only been there for only one hour during the first session for my clinical depression, but I had already found myself sobbing.
The primary reason was that the counselor for depression would make you recall everything that happened in the past that might have contributed to the mental health conditions. For example, I might have set myself up for the illness when I refused to make friends with others when I was much younger. My condition might have just gotten full-blown because of the breakup and my inability to come out to my parents. Whenever I think about it, I feel sad.
To obtain an accurate diagnosis, I would like to share a few ideas I learned – and did – during counseling for my depression.
In Looking For Acceptance For Who I Was
I realized that it felt impossible for me to get accepted by my parents because I had not entirely accepted myself. I was a lesbian – I knew that – but a part of me might still not want to believe it. Hence, I was quick to assume that Mom and Dad would disown me if they found out.
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But the fact that I was still very much loved at home proved that my worries were baseless. I worked on changing how I viewed myself so that I could finally accept who I was.
How Coping With Negativities And Depression Made Me Feel Better
When I became single again, I finally considered the consequences of coming out. I did not think of that before because I had Trisha – I felt we could resolve any issues together. However, once she was gone, I stressed the possibility of getting bullied as I suffered from a loss of interest in life or not getting accepted by society because of my gender preference.
Luckily, I had a counselor to help me with effective treatments and a follow-up treatment to cope with my condition with depressing negativities. She taught me that others’ opinions did not matter. As long as I was happy and not walking all over everybody, haters could hate me anytime, and I should not be bothered and depressed.
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Decide On What I Want To Become In Life
Towards the end of my depression counseling journey, the counselor said, “Every improvement that you have made so far is appreciable, yes. But have you decided on what kind of person you want to be?”
The question caught me off-guard since no one had asked me that before. I was only 16 years old; I had not thought of that ever. After a few minutes of thinking, though, I replied, “I want to be an honest person. I know how it feels to lie to my loved one, and it’s not great. I will do my best to stay true to myself and stay away from my negative thoughts.”
Final Thoughts About My Journey Through Depression
Nine years later, I am now a certified gastroenterologist. I have fully embraced who I am and never needed to go back to counseling. Despite that, the lessons to fight my depressed mood and other depression symptoms, like drastic weight gain or weight loss, that I learned from my mental health professional will always stay in my heart and mind.
So if you have mental health issues, do not hesitate to seek treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Depression A Disability?
Symptoms of depression can be disabling, but it’s not always considered a disability; however, cognitive-behavioral therapy can help manage these symptoms.
What’s The Highest Level Of Depression?
The highest level of depression is often diagnosed as “major depressive disorder,” and it should be evaluated by a health professional.
What Is The Main Cause Of Depression?
The main cause of depression can be related to mental health conditions and may require consultation with a mental health professional, while side effects from certain health conditions or medications can also contribute.
What Is The Most Common Way To Treat Depression?
The most common way to treat depression in people is through therapy and, in some cases, medication, depending on the severity of the symptoms and the individual’s health disorder.