Depression or just another anxiety related symptoms?

[Dyinu]

Hey

I have been fighting with panic attacks for almost a year and a half now and although i find myself panicking less and less as time goes by, there are these feelings of emptiness along with some lonliness and boredom that came with this journey.

To summarize my main concern is that ive been getting these thoughts in my mind to 'give up' instead of 'let's do it'

After fighting panic attacks for this long i guess i became mentally exaushted. Having to constantly motivate yourself to be fine is surely a hard task and for that reason i think im getting these feelings of emptiness and feel like my reason to overcome anxiety; to survive is overlooked and being re assessed by these negative thoughts.

I am not too sure what im experiencing is depression, because i am scared that i might become depressed and eventually turn to last resort - suicide. I get scared just reading newspaper that mentions about people committing suicide. I feel like i might become so overwhelmed by these feelings that i could not pull myself through...

I never taken any medication besides from herbal and accupuncture treatments. I am leaving it to last resort as i am scared of the side effects that these drugs may bring aka you might become more depressed than you already are.

So ive been looking into seeing a therapist. I want to know how your experience with a psychologist or therapist was...

Thanks . I would really appreciate it that you reply after reading everything i wrote.

[SunnieDebris]

Dyinu,

I have been in treatment for depression and anxiety on and off for the last 15 years. What I can say about therapy is this: Don't choose a therapist based upon their degree (PhD, PsyD, LCSW, MFT, etc). The person makes the therapist, not the degree. There are a lot more bad therapists than there are good ones. Tell them what you expect from therapy and ask if they can deliver. If they can't, or don't, find someone else. Write down your concerns so that you don't forget what you want to say when you get there. Ask what is expected of you, so that you understand your responsibilities in therapy. As a last aside, I will suggest that you keep an open mind about medication. More often than not, they work just fine with minimal side effects. But, if you do consider medication, see a psychiatrist if you can. Their expertise is medications and their effects and interactions, and they can give you the best advice on those matters.