Is your depression situational(reactive) or its what they call "chemical imbalance" kind of stuff? As i understand, youve been having counceling sessions with your psychiatrist is that so? Have you ever gotten any helpful advice from him that would change your perspective somehow? Maybe my question sounds naive... Im just wondering how a councelor can help a depressed person simply by talking
Good question. I began to go through a massive mental breakdown in January 2017. In September 2017 I went to the VA mental health clinic to get into counseling and seeking medication. I have previously been on lithium with a lot of success. The psychiatrist, who I had never seen before, gave me lithium and effexor (I had taken a very low dose of this before). Then he went on vacation for 2 MONTHS. VA sent me to a counselor in the community because they couldn't schedule me within 30 days there. The lithium and effexor have a severe interaction (known to doctor, pharmacy) with each other and with my migraine medication (which I take at least 12 times a month). I began almost immedately experiencing this severe reaction with major body tremors (times I couldn't drive or walk or write, or use my mouse or computer). I called and messaged the VA continuously about this beginning end of Sept. "Don't stop taking your medications. The doctor will return the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and see you then." Hell NO! The severe reaction was "tremors, coma, death". I stopped taking the lithium and effexor immediately and reamed the doctor out on Nov 20 when he saw me. The counselor they sent me to was just as useless but not as deadly. She saw me for intake first Friday of Nov 2017. She talked about her kids almost the entire time. We scheduled our next 2 appoints (weekly) and she cancelled the 1st on, rescheduled for 1st week in Dec. She didn't show for the second one (her office was closed). She called after Thanksgiving and said her friend had died so she had to cancel the Dec appt. I never even tried again.
I went back to mental health at the VA in mid Dec 2017 and demanded to speak with a counselor (not a psychiatrist). I spoke with a woman that day, she referred me to the DBT (Dialectic Behavior Therapy) clinic. DBT is usually for BPD, which I hadn't been diagnosed with yet.
DBT at the VA is a wonderous program. It is 6 months to a year long, it's a weekly individual counselor and a weekly group session (I hate group). It really helped me pull out of the massive mental breakdown and has given some tools to work with going forward. I ended up loving group. It wasn't like other groups were you had to share trauma, as a matter of fact you're not supposed to (it could trigger others in the group).
I still have had not one day of therapy or counseling for my childhood molestation and rapes by my father or the gang rape I experienced in the Navy or any of the other traumas I've had.
I'm torn whether I want to go to the VA's MST counseling because they like to use REM and exposure therapy and other evidence based therapies. Not interested in exposure or REM (migraine trigger).
So though I now where to go, I don't have a financial cost (VA), I still am not sure I want to or will.
Jeez we're talking about things that happened 54-40 years ago and the gang rape I have blocked out totally.
Sorry I hope this is what you were talking about.
Yes, I over share but these things aren't secrets and I don't care who knows because none of what happened to me is my fault.