Finding The Best Depression Doctor For You

When you're depressed, it can feel like your world has ended and there is nothing left but suffering. It can be difficult to find someone who understands what you are going through, let alone someone who can help. Friends and family may mean well, but ultimately they do not have the knowledge and skills to help you come alive again.

This is why it is so important to look for the best depression doctor that you can find. Someone who can restore you back to mental wellness and free you from the pain you are in. In this blog, we look at exactly how you can find a doctor who can do this.

If you feel gripped by depression and would like help to see the light again, please don't hesitate to contact us at Samarpan Health to learn more about how we can bring you back to life.

Understanding The Importance Of Professional Help For Depression

While some people with mild depression can get better with lifestyle shifts such as more exercise, eating healthier or socializing more, others are unable to break free of depression by starting habits like these.

If you have persistent depression, making these changes in your life may only help a little, or perhaps not at all. This can be incredibly frustrating.

If you have this kind of depression, getting professional help is likely the only way that you can overcome it. The best depression doctors have years of experience treating people with depression, and they know what it takes to lift your depression.

Assessing Your Mental Health Needs And Goals

Before looking for the best depression doctor, you need to know what you want from them. Of course, you need help with depression, but do you need any other assistance? Often, depression sufferers also have trauma that exacerbates their mental health issues.

If you have trauma, you need to find a depression doctor who can also help you process this trauma, as doing this may be required to break free from your depression. You might need the help of a therapist who is also familiar with PTSD.

At Samarpan, we often see people with other issues alongside depression. You may also experience mental health problems such as anxiety, eating disorders or borderline personality disorder. If you are aware that you have any of these issues, make sure that the doctor you choose can help you with them. Of course, you may not know exactly what problems you are experiencing without first receiving a diagnosis from a therapist.

Once you know your needs, it is time to start looking at mental health goals you hope to achieve. Perhaps you would like to reduce the number of days you experience depression, maybe you would like to be able to return to work, or you might want to rebuild the relationships you had before depression took hold.

Write these goals down and discuss them when you talk with your prospective therapist. The depression doctor you choose should be confident that they can help you meet your goals before starting therapy.

Researching And Compiling A List Of Potential Depression Doctors

The next step in finding the best depression doctor for you is getting together a list of doctors you think can help with your depression. There are a few ways that you can do this. The first method people use to find a depression doctor is searching Google. You can find an almost endless number of therapists using Google, and are sure to be able to find some who are suitable for you.

You can try searching for therapists in your local area by searching for "depression doctor" followed by the name of your area, for example, "depression doctor in Mumbai" or "depression doctor in Pune."

You can also find therapists in your area by using Google Maps. Simply type "depression therapist" or similar into Google Maps in your local area, and see what comes up. You may be surprised to see that there are many therapists who are situated near you.

Asking for recommendations from friends and family is another excellent way of finding someone who can help treat your depression.

Decide Which Qualities Your Depression Doctor Should Have

Would you like your therapist to be patient? Firm? Understanding? Perhaps you would prefer your therapist to have the same religion or be the same sex as you. If you have certain types of trauma, you may not want to have a therapist who is of a different sex.

Make a note of these qualities, and make sure the therapist that you choose has them. You should not be willing to compromise on these, as doing so may make a successful therapeutic relationship difficult or impossible to achieve.

Speak With Potential Depression Doctors

The last step in finding the best depression doctor for you is interviewing doctors from the list you compiled. You should have questions prepared to find the right doctor.

How much does therapy with you cost?

If your prospective therapist charges more than you are willing to pay, then treatment with them is a no-go.

What is your philosophical approach to therapy?

Many different forms of therapy are available, and you should pick one that is right for you. Two of the most effective modalities for treating depression are cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy. These both involve finding maladaptive thoughts and patterns of behavior that are causing depression. Once you and your therapist have found these, you can work together to change them and create positive treatment outcomes.

What certifications do you have?

While in India, psychotherapy is not as carefully regulated as in Western countries, it is still vital that your depression doctor has a degree in a mental health subject at the very minimum. Postgraduate qualifications are of course better.

Samarpan Health does not employ any counsellors who do not have a robust educational psychotherapy background.

How much experience do you have?

Your depression doctor should have at least a few years of experience treating depression. Do not go with someone just out of university, as they simply will not have the expertise needed to help you with your depression.

What should I expect from a typical psychotherapy session?

Having your therapist answer this question can help you to understand a little more about how your prospective therapist works. It should also quell some of the anxiety you may feel around getting treatment for your depression.

Do you have experience prescribing psychiatric medications?

Medications can help lift people out of depression, but they must be prescribed by someone who is trained and has experience prescribing them. If you are interested in using medications to treat your depression, it is paramount that you go with someone who can use them effectively.

The Role Of Medication In Depression Treatment

Mental health medication is a somewhat polarizing subject. While some people believe it is effective, others feel like medication is over-prescribed within mental health treatment.

It is clear that medication does work for some people. Sometimes it can work very well, helping to shift a depression that has lingered for years in a short space of time. For other people who are suffering from depression, medication does not work so effectively.

If you are interested in seeing whether depression medication will work for you, you should find a doctor who has plenty of experience prescribing psychiatric medicines. A depression doctor with a good understanding of how psychiatric medications work on the human mind will be able to prescribe a preparation for you that will work best for your depression.

There are a wealth of various medications that can be prescribed for depression. Some of the most commonly used include Prozac, Celexa, Zoloft and Effexor. These work in different ways, and it can sometimes take a little trial and error to find a medication and dosage that works best for you.

Once you and your doctor have found a medication that works, your doctor should continue to ask you questions to monitor how you feel. The best depression doctors will be able to gather from your feedback whether you should remain on the same dose, or you should look at changing your dose a little.

Good doctors will never keep you on medication unnecessarily. Should you make good progress during therapy and your depression doctor feels like your mood has stabilized to the extent you no longer need to take medication, they will talk with you about ceasing use.

Understanding The Therapeutic Relationship

The therapeutic relationship between a depression doctor and patient is crucial for the healing process. Once you have found a therapist, it is essential to trust that your therapist has the knowledge, skill and desire needed to provide care. You must be sure that anything you say to your therapist will remain between you and them. A skilled depression doctor will help to build this trust with you over time.

When you have confidence in the abilities of your therapist, it is much easier to open up emotionally and discuss things you find difficult to talk about. Doing this will not only provide you with the emotional release required to move out of depression, but will also give your therapist the information they need to help you.

Find The Best Depression Doctor With Samarpan Health

It can sometimes take a while to find a therapist that you gel with, but when you find the best depression doctor for you, it is so worth it. Skilled therapists can help you shift depression that you have been suffering from for years.

If you want to know more about how our doctors can bring you out of depression, contact Samarpan health today.