Surprised

[Shattered Soul]

Hello, I went to my doctors today to be asked to be refered to a psychologist because I have big problems. Anyway, instead of refering me to one, me and my mum were asked loads of questions about me and my behaviour and ended with me being diagnosed with Major Depression, with moderate severity. I knew I was depressed and have been on and off for 2 years but never did anything about it until now, but it was still surprising that I got diagnosed this quickly.
My Dad's not happy, he didn't react very well to it, hasn't spoken to me since :(
And my mum's making me go out more and do things, even though I probably wont find them enjoyable.
It's made me more unhappy and stressed now because I found out what's wrong right in the middle of my exams and I'm worried that the anti-depressents I've been given will make me sleepy during the rest of my exams :(

[Truth]

You should talk to your parents. =/

[byee]

What were the credentials of the person who diagnosed you? And how long did he talk with you?

Although it is possible to accurately diagnose someone in the first interview, often it takes a while to accurately nail down with precision what the diagnosis is. That's b/c accurate diagnosis is the combination of history, but also a clinical impression of how the person is, which takes a few visits to gather the data, from interpersonal contact, to determine. I suspect your interviewer got a preliminary 'sense' of things. And he gave you a prescription based on this?

I don't know how it works int the UK with the NHS, but it might be a good idea to go back to *whoever* and follow thru with your original idea of getting a referral to a psychologist, and making a few appts. Until then, you might treat this initial interview as just that, a preliminary step in the process of assessing, diagnosing, and treating *whatever* you've got.

You also might want to talk with your folks about their reaction, they sound upset and surprised, often people 'back away' or withdraw a bit in the face of unexpected news. The last thing you need now is for them to withdraw their support of you, let them know what you need.

[dstnyisurs]

You should talk to your parents and tell them that you can't handle the new medication and your father not talking to you and everything at exams. That will give you some time to think, and let you de-stress for exams. Then you can talk to your parents about what your depression means and how you need them to act for you to try to help you.

[Tori]

Your parents are probably a little surprised, annoyed at themselves for letting it happen, and overall just confused with how to deal with it. That could end up getting better over time with enough talking about it, but I'd also recommend finding someone else that can really understand to talk to.

[Sapphire]

it might be a good idea to go back to *whoever* and follow thru with your original idea of getting a referral to a psychologist, and making a few appts. Until then, you might treat this initial interview as just that, a preliminary step in the process of assessing, diagnosing, and treating *whatever* you've got.
I agree with this.

Your mum sounds like she's trying to help you get out and about doing things. It really can help. Maybe suggest doing something the three of you as that will allow you all to bond.

[Renegade.]

I agree that you should stick to the idea of getting a psychologist to talk with, if you haven't already. It's easy for a doctor to diagnose you with depression, throw some antidepressants at you, and send you on your way. But I would assume that they would at least refer you to a psychologist, as you had asked. If they haven't done that, ask your doctor to actually do his job and refer you to someone that you can talk to about these things, it's important to also sort through your emotions while on the meds.

As for your parents, it sounds like unfortunately they're a couple of the people in the world who just don't understand that depression is an honest to God illness. Don't let them make you feel as if this is your fault, because it is definitely not. I think that if you get in touch with a psychologist you should definitely bring up the issue with your parents, and see what he/she recommends, as they've probably dealt with similiar situations in the past. I'm also sure you're parents simply care about you, they just may not be going about it in a very understanding way at the moment. Maybe all they need is some time. I'd give them a while to adjust to all of this, just as you have had to, and see where time takes you. Best of luck with your situation :]

[Shattered Soul]

aw crap...I just lost my whole post, now I need to start again...I think I previously wrote...
Thank you for the support guys, it's helped alot. It turns out my doctor said she was going to refer me to a psychologist except I kind of zone in and out of conversation when listening to doctors, that's why my mum always goes with me. I did go and speak to a few of the mental health specialists and nurses at my mums works and they suggested I continue taking the anti-depressants. I always get a second opinion when speaking to doctors...I don't really trust doctors that much...Apparently my symptoms are bad enough for them to come to the conclusion they did, including suicidal tendancies.
My parents are coming to terms with it, they said it's not my fault and that they understand. All of my cousins and my brother have been diagnosed with the same thing over the past five-ish years, and one of my aunts has Bipolar, so it's a pretty common thing in my family.
With regards to the exams, my doctor wrote a letter to the examinations boards explaining that I'm on medication that will have effected my performance. The anti-depressants did affect my performance in the exams, they made me pretty high for the first week...goodness knows what rediculous things I wrote in my exam a few days after taken them, pretty sure I mentioned pirates in a completely irrelevant way. Oh well, that my universities arent accepting that subject as an A-level, so that one doesn't really matter...I think the other papers were ok in that respects but I lost concentration pretty quickly. My college is asking them to take special consideration with the exams.
Does anyone know if it is normal to feel completely rough the day after taking anti-depressants for the first time? I had a really bad headache, felt really sick and believed I was a cloud for a while.

Anyway, yeah thanks. :)

[dstnyisurs]

Its normal as far as I know.
Your body isnt used to the medication.
Takes a little bit for it to start working and stop hurting.

[tyler27846]

You should talk to your parents. =/

He is right talk to your parents they can set something up for you this is coming from someone who has it dont forget to talk to your friends they will be the biggest supporters you can have

[pkid]

well i agree with your mom, you should go out and do things with your friends..or atleast text/talk to them with your phone.. and a new study came out and said that teens that watch too much tv and/or play too much video games have a higher chance of being depressed...do u watch tv/play video games a lot?

[Shattered Soul]

well i agree with your mom, you should go out and do things with your friends..or atleast text/talk to them with your phone.. and a new study came out and said that teens that watch too much tv and/or play too much video games have a higher chance of being depressed...do u watch tv/play video games a lot?
Well, I use video games to escape reality (particularly forum and RPG games) and I read for the same reason too...