QUESTION: A couple of years ago I experienced many symptoms that I let go unchecked for a long time.
I did a lot of crying because I was scared and confused.
I ended up by seeing a psychiatrist who prescribed an antidepressant for depression.
I only took one pill a day because it made me feel different.
I should have taken all the medication that the psychiatrist prescribed but I was scared to, and didn't return to the doctor.
Now I am afraid to return to him and tell him this story, though I still feel foggy. Please help me?
ANSWER: Each time I receive a letter like yours, I too, feel sad and a bit frustrated.
I wish that there was some way to set up a conference call between you and your psychiatrist, so that the lines of communication which have been disrupted can be restored and get you on the road back to health and happiness.
So I will use your letter in an attempt to get the message across to my many readers who are in the same fix.
I think the diagnosis of depression was a correct one, and the medications would probably have worked fine if given the chance.
However, many medications used to combat this problem take a bit of time to work, some as many as three weeks before their effects can be noticed.
But that time can also be used to advantage, for you to express your fears and doubts to your physician, and get another point of view and counsel that can be helpful.
With the medication beginning to help, some of the fears that have been bottled up for so long inside can be brought to light, examined and re-evaluated.
Change comes slowly perhaps, but each small step leads you a bit closer to understanding, and to readjusting what must be fixed so that you can go on alone and independent, with feelings of courage and self confidence.
It isn't easy, but it works for many, many patients.
It may be that you are selling your psychiatrist a bit short.
I sincerely doubt that you will get a lecture on "listening to the doctor", but rather a sensitive and caring discussion about your needs and your fears. Rather than tell you that you were wrong, I would rather look at this situation as something you did right.
You had the courage to seek medical care when you needed it, and you have now reached out to me for more help. Now pick up that phone, and make another appointment with your physician.
No need to apologize, just admit to yourself that you still need help and want to get better.
Then open the lines of communication which are so important in caring for the illness of depression.
Speak of your thoughts and fears, without shame or guilt, and move on with the process of of getting better and grabbing for some of the fun and joy that exists in every life.
Yes, K., I am talking to you in the only way I can, through this column.
I know with absolute certainty that you can be helped, and that you will be better.
More than that, your story can serve as encouragement to many others who feel frightened and depressed, as you do, to reach out for the help that is available to them.
When medications are prescribed that leave you with funny feelings, call the physician promptly.
It may only take a minor adjustment in dose, or the time of day that the pills can be taken, to alter the effects and remove those unwanted feelings.
There are many ways of caring for patients who are depressed, and each treatment must be adjusted to the needs of the individual.
The good news is that they can be, and that they work.
There is no bad news.
Take my advice.
Give both the medication and the physician the opportunity to make you better.
The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace the counsel and advice of your personal physician.
Promptly consulting your doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical problem.
