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passionateMango2156
5,280 M Moving Along
PathStep 321 Compassion hearts123 Forum posts269 Forum upvotes443 Current upvotes443 Age GroupAdult Last activeMarch, 2022 Member sinceDecember 19, 2017
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How do I find a qualified therapist?
Depression Support / by passionateMango2156
Last post
 July 11th, 2020
...See more Hi friends, So I know this may seem like a silly question since we're fortunate to have a therapy platform right here on 7 cups, but I am broke and rely almost entirely on state insurance. I got assigned a clinic and have tried three different therapists from it. They were not qualified for what I needed and so now I am seeking a fourth. My insurance only covers that one clinic. Now I'm considering looking for a qualified out of network psychiatrist with sliding scale payment options. I'm going to have to scrimp and save and ask for help from my family but I really need the help and I can't wait any longer. Does anyone have any advice? I need a perscriber and a regular therapist who is experienced depression, trauma, and loss. I'm not looking for names, I just want to know what worked for you guys. How did you find a therapist that works for you? When and how did you realize the therapy was actually working?
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Seeking help with atypical major depression or smiling depression
Depression Support / by passionateMango2156
Last post
 July 7th, 2020
...See more I'm seeking help, support, and answers for smiling depression, because like many Covid-19 has exacerbated my existing depression. I'm in college and at home with my family. They're wonderful people, but they are much older than I am. My uncle is 60 and recovered from open heart surgery last year, and my grandma is almost 90 and also has a history of heart disease. So needless to say, I am being extremely careful and rarely leave the house. Another factor of them being from a different generation is that while they are very supportive by nature, they do not understand depression really. Having been diagnosed with atypical major depression, I feel like how my depression presents makes it slightly more difficult to understand in that I am fully-functional. I clean, cook, take care of my dog, converse pleasantly with my family, get good grades, and maintain a mostly healthy relationship with my boyfriend. I even manage to keep looking for a jobs, although not as vigorously as I would like. I am not trying to be stoic or keep a stiff upper lip. I try to be honest with everyone about how bad my depression is getting. I have talked seriously with my family and my boyfriend about the ideation I have been experiencing and how it has been getting worse. I do not wish to hurt my boyfriend emotionally and that helps me talk myself down off of the ledge. However, I do not feel like my family takes me seriously. I don't want them to panic or walk on egg shells around me, but just because I can express myself in a calm manner does not mean I am any less serious or in less need of help. I'm afraid of what might happen if I continue this way without treatement. I have state insurrance and have tried both therapy and medication and am not particularly enamoured with the results of either. I have experienced overmedication with mood stabilizers and it has made me reluctant to try again. I have tried somewhere between 5 and 7 therapists and many were no more than counselors. Many were chirpy optimists who did not seem to deal in reality, which made having meaningful conversations with them difficult. Now I recognize that I probably need someone who specializes in grief and trauma, but I am not convinced I will be able to access a specialist through my insurance. All of that aside, I will call my assigned clinic tomorrow and schedule another cognitive behavioral therapy appointment. I am already on a long waitlist to see a perscriber. I loathe the merry-go-round of seeking mental health treatment but I recognize that participating in it is my only chance at recovery. So does anyone have any tips, tricks, advice, or stories about living through atypical depression or depression in general? What does recovery even look like?
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