Symptoms of several medical conditions can mimic those of depression. This is especially true in older adults with new-onset depression. While blood tests cannot be used to diagnose depression, they can rule out some of these above conditions. Less commonly, your doctor may order an imaging test, like a brain MRI. This can rule out structural brain diseases, like stroke, especially if the doctor notices evidence of cognitive problems or neurological signs upon physical examination.
Some medications may also cause symptoms of depression as a side effect. Be sure to tell your doctor all of the medications you are taking, including both prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Lastly, note that sometimes other mental health conditions can be difficult to differentiate from depression. Often this misdiagnosis occurs because symptoms of mania may be overlooked, as depressive symptoms are the ones that feel so bad and first prompt the doctor visit.
Substance use, either intoxication or withdrawal, can also cause symptoms that overlap with depression. Try to remain patient as your doctor sorts through your symptoms.
If your doctor diagnoses you with depression , you may then be referred to a mental health professional , such as a psychiatrist. Some people will do fine being treated by their primary care physician. Others may benefit from seeing a psychiatrist, especially if symptoms are not improving with the first trial of an antidepressant or the depression is severe from the start.
Research suggests that the combination of medication and therapy is most effective for treating depression. If you would benefit from psychotherapy , your psychiatrist may handle this as well, although some elect to refer patients to another mental health professional, like a psychologist. It's important to note the treatment of depression is not as simple as receiving a prescription for an antidepressant.
The individual causes of depression are diverse and poorly understood. The medications used to treat it are just as diverse, so matching a drug with an individual is not a clear-cut process. When your doctor chooses your antidepressant , they will consider many factors to try to make this match.
These include your specific symptoms, any co-existing illnesses you have, your tolerance of side effects , and any medications you have previously tried. However, their main focus is psychotherapy or talk therapy. They hold advanced degrees in the science of behavior, thoughts, and emotions. After getting their degrees, they must go through an internship to learn how to perform advanced psychological testing and therapy.
Similar to physicians, they must be licensed in their state of practice in order to provide care. They help patients learn how to cope with mental health problems and day-to-day life issues in a healthy way. They are trained to help individuals with emotional situations. Although social workers have less schooling than psychologists, they can be just as helpful. Psychologists and psychiatrists have a lot in common, but they also have some key differences. Depression isn't a simple condition with a known cause.
Learn more about symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. Seeking help right away can help you manage these…. Smiling depression describes someone living with depression on the inside while appearing happy or content on the outside. Their public life is…. About depression Treatment Medication Who can help? Self-care Helping someone with depression.
Who can help with depression? The people who can treat you for depression include GPs, psychologists and psychiatrists. Normally your GP will do medical checks and make a diagnosis. If your depression is mild, your GP might be the only health professional you need.
If you need more treatment, your GP might refer you to a psychiatrist or psychologist. Your GP may recommend that you see a psychiatrist if: you have severe depression they have questions about your diagnosis you're not getting better after treatment you're at risk of harming yourself.
Even though sadness and depression are different, grief can trigger depression, so healthcare providers need to be able to drill down to make a diagnosis. This is important because the medical care necessary for depression, a serious mental health condition, differs from that necessary to manage grief. Which is why healthcare providers, if they suspect the possibility of depression, often will use a diagnostic tool like a depression rating scale.
They use the scale to determine whether your symptoms are indicative of depression and, if they are, the severity of the symptoms. It focuses on 17 potential factors of depression related to mood, behavior, and symptoms. Some of the questions your healthcare provider might ask include:. Based on your answers and your discussion during the interview, your healthcare provider will rate the scale items from or , depending upon the question options, for each of the 17 items, indicating the degree of severity of each factor.
Increasing scoring for each item generally indicates increasing severity of the factor. After your healthcare provider has completed scoring for each item, they will tally your score. Then they will determine the severity of your depression using the HAM-D17 depression severity rating scale:.
After your depression severity is determined, your healthcare provider will speak with you about ways to lessen your depression and improve your score. According to a quick reference guide, Treating Major Depressive Disorder note: this links to a PDF , available from the American Psychiatric Association APA , the severity of depression helps your healthcare provider determine an appropriate course of treatment.
The provider will likely discuss your history, including medical, psychiatric, prescription, personal, and family. Taking into consideration your clinical condition, they will decide whether your treatment should take place at home outpatient or in the hospital inpatient.
The APA advises healthcare providers to consider the following when selecting the initial treatment:.
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