Questions about antidepressants
 

How do psychiatrists know if you need anti-depressants? Do you have to be depressed for an extended amount of time like 6 months to a year? Do you have to not respond to regular therapy for a long time too? Does your depression have to show no apparent root or cause?

Or do they just give you a prescription after three visits and call it a solution?

hm depends on the doc. some are easy to prescirbe pills for anything yet some are more willing to really listen and offer suggestions. nowdays you really have to think alot for yourself. i would recommend giving yourself a few weeks or so with the mood and see if you can feel better by changing things in you life. if all else fails and you just cant seem to get out of your slump no matter what you try to do for yourself then yes go in to get a med to help and if the med does work then if could be a clinical depression which in time could fix itself. but i would also say wait till the depression seems to interfere with your life such as work, school, socializing, or even things such as eating and sleeping patterns. thats when you knwo you should get help from a doc

In some cases it's hereditary. Psychiatrist seem impersonal to me. From my own experience it runs in my family. When I try to get off the meds, I can't get through the withdrawal. I feel better on them than off.

They are suppose to do a clinical interview (ask you questions to get an idea of symptoms you may be displaying), assess for need, and then go from there. It really depends if you are seeing them for a med referral (most likely you leave with a script), a general consultation (therapy and/or meds), or another reason.

The criteria for getting on a med depends on the doc and your situation. Let the doc know what is going on and they can work with you. I'd guess (obviously YMMV) that if you were showing signs of depression s/he'd probably give you something to see how you do on it for a month or two....as it usually takes a bit to kick in.

a lot will write the script after only one visit

Actually, it is hereditary in most cases.....so is addiction (which often goes hand-in-hand with mental illness).

i totally agree with what Peda said.

I think a part our brain is over active. Being a depressed person myself, I know I think too much and feel too much. Addiction is easy for us too. We want the noise in our heads to stop. We do what we need to, to get through life. Everyone has a ritual or an addiction to some degree.

i think that is true. most ppl do have rituals or similar. but the thing is - to have healthy addictions if we must have an addiction. now sometimes that is a fine line. for example once i got addicted to exercise. now for awhile it was ok cause i was staying healthy and feelign great but after a few months i needed more and more to get that rush till i finally was running 10 miles exactly on a treadmill every morn -- not kidding either- the YMCA guy where i was going once told me he thought i had a problem and i told him to shut the F-- up and go away. I couldnt function and would have a horribel day unless i did my exercise and i did it even with horrible shin splints. nothing could stop me and even once when there was a foot of snow outside, i couldnt drive there so i jogged there in the snow. now that is where i crossed the line