| Having a good doctor to help with depression or | | | | to the hospital. |
| bipolar disorder is like having a good coach in sports; it | | | | Because of these incompetent doctors I was chasing |
| can be the difference between winning and losing. | | | | my tail for a year trying to get help while my |
| Don't make the mistake of assuming that every doctor | | | | symptoms were getting worse. I hope that you can |
| will help with depression or bipolar disorder. This | | | | learn from my misfortune. If you do not feel like a |
| includes family doctors, therapist and psychiatrists. The | | | | doctor is helping you, move on immediately. Listen to |
| relationship between patient and doctor is very | | | | your instincts. It can be difficult to find doctors these |
| important for healing and if you do not trust your | | | | days who are accepting patients but they are out |
| doctor with your health or you haven't made any | | | | there and your persistence will pay off. |
| progress with them you should move on. | | | | You should find a psychiatrist. They can prescribe you |
| It is your responsibility to find the right doctor and learn | | | | medication and help you deal with the root of your |
| as much as you can about your condition instead of | | | | problems through talk therapy. They can diagnose you |
| blindly following anybody with a degree. Some doctors | | | | accurately and monitor you on your medication to |
| are over-worked, some are jaded, some just aren't | | | | ensure that you find the right medication for you and |
| very knowledgeable about mental health. Others are | | | | the right dose. They are much more effective at |
| caring, knowledgeable, and helpful. | | | | dealing with mental health issues than family doctors or |
| Family doctors can be especially useless when it | | | | GPs. |
| comes to mental illness. They often miss or | | | | Do your own research about your illness, medication, |
| misdiagnose mood disorders because of their lack of | | | | and other treatments. That way you can ask your |
| experience with them. They don't know as much | | | | doctors questions to make sure they know what they |
| about depression and bipolar medication as a | | | | are talking about. If a doctor isn't able to answer your |
| psychiatrist does. You should use them as someone | | | | questions you might want to find one who can. |
| who can refer you to a psychiatrist not as your main | | | | Tell your family about your mental illness because their |
| doctor in diagnosing, treating, and monitoring you. | | | | support can make coping much easier. When you're |
| I have had a family doctor who held me back from | | | | dealing with depression or bipolar disorder you need to |
| getting psychiatric help for months. She kept promising | | | | use every resource at your disposal. If you don't get |
| to refer me to a psychiatrist but never did. I would wait | | | | along with your family, tell a close friend. If you don't |
| a month, there would be no phone call from a | | | | have close friends, find a psychiatrist you like. |
| psychiatrist, I would have to call the doctor and remind | | | | If you're having suicidal thoughts you should go to the |
| her to refer me again. I had to do this over and over. I | | | | hospital (all hospitals have crisis centers). Many |
| finally left that doctor empty handed. | | | | hospitals have mental health programs and from there |
| I have had a family doctor who wouldn't give me | | | | you can be referred to support groups and |
| medication that was recommended for me by a | | | | psychiatrists. |
| psychologist. He said he wasn't comfortable prescribing | | | | If you live in the Untied States you can find a therapist |
| me such strong medication even though he didn't have | | | | in your area and get referrals at Just go to "Find a |
| the experience to decide. He prescribed me an | | | | psychologist". |
| anti-depressant, which can cause mania or hypomania | | | | You can find therapists in the US and Canada at Just |
| in patients with bipolar disorder. He said he couldn't help | | | | go to "Find a Therapist". |
| me and that I should find another doctor, which isn't | | | | You can also find therapists using the yellow pages. |
| easy to do these days. That is when I decided to go | | | | |