When choosing a doctor to help treat your depression, I feel there are 3 factors you must consider.

1. You want to look for someone who is qualified. Do they have mental health care backgrounds, are they able to prescribe you the medicines you may need to help fight depression, can they put together a treatment plan for you? Does your insurance cover their care, can you meet with them at a time that works for you? Today there are so many physicians assistants, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers and so on. It can be a challenge to find someone with the right credentials. But that is really the most important thing you can do to help yourself.

2. Once you find someone with the credentials you are looking for, you need to make sure they are someone you can talk to. Someone you feel comfortable with and can open up to. I say this is the second most important factor because so many people go to a social worker or someone that is not able to prescribe medicine or closely follow their depression and then they are often forced by their insurance company or the original caregiver to see someone else. It's like starting all over again and often it is hard enough the first time around.

3. This is more to do with you but it still affects finding a doctor. You need to be committed to going. Once you have a doctor you are comfortable with and can open up to and can help you, they are no good to your if you don't follow through and go see them. You also must be willing to follow their treatment plans and do as they suggest.

While more and more people are being diagnosed as depressed, it is still so important to know that you are not alone and there is help out there. You just need to reach out for it.

Learn more about this author, Beth Oliver.
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