How Do I Tell a Doctor I'm Depressed?

If you haven't been feeling like yourself and think you might be depressed, speak with your family doctor first if you have one. If you don't have one, then scheduling an appointment with a general practitioner would be a good place to start. The reason I make this recommendation is that there are several medical conditions, such as vitamin and mineral deficiencies, hormonal changes and thyroid conditions which can cause symptoms similar to depression.

It is also possible that your depressed feelings could be the result of medication side-effects or some other cause.

By giving you a thorough checkup, your doctor can rule out any other potential causes of your depression symptoms. In addition, depending upon how your insurance works, it may be necessary to see your primary physician first in order to obtain a referral to a more specialized mental health care provider, such as a psychiatrist or psychologist.

Asking for Help

While you may feel embarrassed to ask for help, it is not necessary to feel this way. Depression is a very common condition and your doctor is already quite familiar with it. It will not seem strange or shameful in any way to her that you are feeling depressed. In addition, you don't need to worry about your friends, family or employer finding out about your depression. The HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) Privacy Rule prevents your physician from disclosing your private medical information without your permission.

So, how do you bring up the topic of depression? All you really need to do is to mention just what you told me: that you haven't been feeling like yourself and you believe that you might be suffering from depression. This will open the door for your doctor to get you the help that you need.

Unfortunately, there isn't currently a definitive lab test which can be used to diagnose depression so your doctor will do a few things.

First of all, she will perform a physical exam and run several different blood tests to rule out other conditions which might be causing your symptoms. Some of the possible tests which she might run include:

Complete Blood Count (CBC)
Thyroid Function Check
Creatinine and Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN)
Liver Function Check
Fasting Blood Glucose
Cholesterol
Calcium and Magnesium Level
Folic Acid and Vitamin B₁₂ Levels

Next, she may ask you some questions to determine whether you have any possible risk factors for depression. Some of the known risk factors for depression include:

Being female
Being under stress
Undergoing adverse events during childhood
Having certain personality traits
Having a family history of depression
Not having many friends or personal relationships
Having recently given birth
Having a history of depression
Having a serious illness
Taking certain prescription medications
Abusing drugs or alcohol

In addition, she may ask you about what symptoms you are having. Among the symptoms which she might ask you about are:

Feelings of sadness or depression
Not enjoying things like you used to
Changes in appetite or weight
Insomnia or sleeping more than usual
Feeling restless
Feeling extremely tired
Feeling hopeless

Feeling worthless
Feeling helpless
Feeling guilty
Having problems thinking, concentrating or making decisions
Thinking frequently about death or suicide

Finally, she is going to supplement all of the information that you are providing her with her own observations of your behavior. People with depression often exhibit the following signs:

Appearing preoccupied
Avoiding eye contact
Not remembering things or appearing to have trouble with concentrating
Pacing, wringing their hands or pulling at their hair
Appearing agitated
Speaking slowly with long pauses
Sighing
Moving slowly
Being self-deprecating
Crying or appearing sad

If your doctor has ruled out other possible causes for how you are feeling and feels that your symptoms and history are indicative of depression, she will either opt to treat you herself using antidepressant medications or she may instead refer you to a psychiatrist, a psychotherapist or both for treatment. Psychiatrists have specialized training and expertise with using medications to treat depression and mental illness while psychotherapists specialize in using talk therapy to help you with your depression. A combination of the two approaches is often the best way to treat depression.

_Sources:

_{"Depression Diagnosis." WebMD. WebMD, LLC.}

_{Ferri, Fred F. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2009. 1st ed. Philadelphia: Mobsy, 2009.}

_{"Health Information Privacy." HHS.gov. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.}

_{Stern, Theodore A. et. al. eds. Massachusetts General Hospital Comprehensive Clinical Psychiatry. 1st ed. Mosby Elsevier: 2008.}