Does it help visiting a psychiatrist for depression?

I'm not a psychiatrist nor have I been to one, but I'll give my 2 cents on what I think happens:

There's this one type of depression which is caused by chemical imbalances and the person can't point his finger at a cause, so he thinks its there without a reason. Then there's the other type, for which there are causes that perhaps overwhelm him. In the first type too it could be possible that there are many reasons at the back which led to depression but he's just not aware that those things are the reason.

Some people are better at self-sabotaging than others, they tend to blame themselves for everything and so when problems add up, they end up all depressed. Oh and chances are they are not aware of this, but if they realize this, they get even further miserable. In this case a psychiatrist can help them take on a more clear view of things or even go for positive thinking. Positive thinking helps one persevere more. On the other hand, focusing on the negative increases stress (which is helpful in the short term) and is likely to exhaust more quickly.

However studies show that positive thinking tends to work if the person has relatively higher self-esteem, otherwise the positive affirmations would elicit a "yeah right" response which actually would pull him down :P

Self-acceptance is usually the main tool (in my opinion) that is the key to solving these problems. In orders for humans to function at their optimum they need to "process" their emotions as they come. This is how they mature emotionally. The growth however stops if one denies or ignores the emotions. The feelings then just get pushed down in the subconscious and start creating a general feeling of anxiety, sadness etc. The psychiatrist would then probably revisit old memories that the person has tried to repressed, and make him accept the memory so that he can move on.

Even if the problem is monetary, the depression will hinder his ability to solve the problem. So I guess the psychiatrist would try to remove his blocks to optimum performance. But if he can't afford the psychiatrist then I'd recommend him to wait till he's suicidal, and then call the suicide hotline. Its free right? :)

Source: Passion for this stuff, and about 8 months of studying Energy Psychology (EFT)

Hi all,

Depression is a serious psychiatric illness. It has many signs and symptoms such as a low mood, loss if interest, guilt, insomnia etc. The person going through depression is at a high risk of suicide.
I'd like to point out that there are several subtypes of depression, (it falls under a category of psychiatric illnesses called mood disorders) and each type has its own characteristics and form of treatment.
I'm not going to discourage people who think sheer will power can help them, but truthfully, fighting depression requires a lot of courage and this is where a psychiatrist plays an important role. You may think it won't help visiting a psychiatrist but they can help you in many ways..they can provide medicines that alleviate your symptoms, counseling (personal or with your family), behaviour therapy. The main aim is to identify the root of the problem and help patients develop coping skills with their problems (even if they are fiscal in nature). A lot of people benefit from this. [To the person who asked this question; health care if available for free in many countries esp. government hospitals, so those patients who cannot afford to see doctors can explore such options]

You don't necessarily need to be on medications and the fact that you have to be on medications for life is a myth! Please don't believe that.

A lot of people think that doctors just like to follow up with patients to make money (I'm sure some actually do that) but honestly, medical professionals are overwhelmed with the amount of work they have to do and it is unethical for any medical professional to be tagging along a patient when they don't require treatment.
If you visit hospitals around the world, you will see that there is an enormous number of patients and a lot of care to provide for them.

Please don't underestimate modern medicine. If someone in your family (I wish not) were suffering from a psychiatric illness, you would want the best possible care. And if you disagree, what is your reason really to say this and what is your evidence? Myself, I'm a final year medical student and I have personally dealt with psychiatric patients.

I think that visiting psychiatrist is bit risky as sometimes they make people dependent on medicines for lifetime. So first approach should be to get rid of depression yourself like by believing in one self and looking forward to better future. Its not at all an easy thing to do as something keeps pulling u back to hopelessness. Try to hang out more and keep yourself socially active. Set small goals in life and appreciate yourself after achieving them. Find happiness in your loved ones happiness, it also really helps :)
But if you even then failed to come out of depression, then definitely go to psychiatrist but after researching a bit about either he/she is reliable one or not.

yes a psychologist can help u.... for this u have to trust on him or her and have to tell each n everything whatever is asked from u....