Confused

[pamom1980]

I'm sure that this is normal and I think I've even read that it was but I need to talk about it and ask anyway. The whole reason I went to the doctor was because I recognized that my stress and worrying was becoming a big problem in my life. It was interfering with my personal relationships and just effecting my life in general. I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression and have been put on med's to deal with it.

BUT.. maybe it's the med's making me think this way, I'm not sure.. But now I'm having doubts thinking that maybe I don't have anxiety or depression at all and that I'm not bad enough to be seeing a doctor for it. I know that I'm calmer with the med's.. But part of me is doubting everything--especially the depression. I never thought I had depression to begin with and it was surprise to me when she said that I had it.. Maybe my depression is very mild? How does she really even know that I've got depression? I thought that the majority of the things I told her were all about how stressed I was and how much I worried.. So where's it switch into depression?

Does anyone else go through this??? Did you start taking meds and then begin to have doubts? Is it because I'm feeling better and now I don't think I'm as bad off as I thought??? I don't even know that I'm wording it all correct and I'm really confused. I'm glad I have my first therapy session in a couple of weeks because I need to talk about all of this.

[laurandisorder]

Stick with the medications for now. When I was first diagnosed with depression an Eating Disorder and PTSD all at the same time - a long, long 11 years ago, I tried to deny it to myself, even though I was struggling so badly with my day to day life.

I even stopped taking my medication and experienced some horrible side effects from that. I felt like the REAL me wasn't around when I was on medication. But when I stopped without doctors supervision I regressed back to the angry, sad, shell of a person I was without the meds. My family twigged straight away.

To cut this short. If a professional has diagnosed you with depression, you most likely have depression. Hopefully, it sounds like yours might be a short term thing. Talk to your therapist and take your medication as prescribed. You may only need it for a few months.

Good luck!

[cmuggs]

What sort of assessment did the dr do? Based on the assessment and your answers given to a number of questions, usually specifically relating to the past few weeks only, they should be able to tell you your relevant stress, anxiety and depression levels.

[ez86]

Depression and anxiety are so closely related that you may have just not seen the connection yourself. The diagnosis isn't important. The fact that you are feeling calmer on the meds is! Most SSRI (I'm assuming that is what you are on) are used to treat anxiety and/or depression. If you are still having issues with the diagnosis, ask your doctor. He or she will probably be happy to go over the justification with you. Hope this helps!

[pamom1980]

She (the doctor) was very thorough.. After first asking a ton of questions to get background information and family history; she started asking what my current stressors were, how my relationship with my husband was, about the relationship between me and my children, how I react to certain things, what I experienced each day, etc.. She was again, very thorough.. And it seemed like, when she got to a question that she noticed bothered me, she gently asked even more questions about it... I don't doubt that she diagnosed me based on what she saw from my assessment.. It's just weird that I can be so miserable before I ever saw her and then to now where I'm feeling like I wasn't bad at all.. I think it's just the meds making me feel better..

My stress and anxiety levels have been pretty high for years and she is right-- I have been sad/depressed about a few things for a long long time.. But I know for a fact that I am not as severely depressed as a lot of people I know which is a good thing. Hopefully I WILL only need the meds for a few months.. This is just all such new territory for me and I guess the reactions to the medicine are what's surprising me the most..

[anxiousmess]

the depression and anxiety often go hand in hand.
my meds have strict instructions on them stating that even if i think i am better that i must not stop the medication.
i think that is down to the fact it is so easy to start thinking you are ok - just because you've had a good few days. i think it's also down to the fact the meds can make you feel like that, and i'm sure anxiety tries to suck you in with everything! plus, they can also bring along withdrawal symptoms with certain meds if you stop them, without the doctors help.

the tablets you are on probably treat both depression and anxiety - so if i were you, i'd stop worrying completely over the depression and concentrate on taking the meds for anxiety.
if the doctor thinks you are depressed and you are actually not - it doesn't matter, as you are taking the meds for anxiety!

i used to look at my box all the time, and think "these are anti-depressants but im not depressed!! why am i taking something for depression when i'm not depressed!"
i'd always stop taking them, now im back on them - and i'm sticking to it this time!

oh, and i am depressed. always think i'm not - but deep down, i really am.

[pamom1980]

Thanks everyone... I guess it's the worrier in me that's just having all of these questions.. I tend to over analyze everything.. Just another thing I'll have to try and work on changing... I know my husband always tells me I worry too much or I'm over thinking things.. He's so right.. :)