A Wide Range of Professionals and Organizations
Trained professionals diagnose and treat clinical depression
in a variety of settings:
Family physicians, clinics, and health maintenance organizations
can provide treatment or make referrals to mental health specialists.
To find a family physician or psychiatrist in your area, use the
physician locator feature on
the American Medical Association (AMA) Website. You can then search
by specialty within a selected city and state.
Mental health specialists include psychiatrists, psychologists,
family therapists, social workers, mental health counselors, and
psychiatric nurses. Psychiatrists can prescribe antidepressant drugs
because they are physicians. Other mental health specialists, however,
often work with physicians to ensure that their patients receive
the medicines they need.
Community mental health centers, which often provide treatment
based on the patient's ability to pay, usually have a variety of
mental health specialists.
Hospitals and university medical schools may have research centers
that study and treat depression.
If you're unsure of where to go for help, check the Yellow Pages
under "mental health," "health," "social
services," "suicide prevention," "crisis intervention
services," "hotlines," "hospitals," or "physicians"
for phone numbers and addresses. In times of crisis, the emergency
room doctor at a hospital may be able to provide temporary help for
an emotional problem and will be able to tell you where and how to
get further help.
Be sure to take advantage of resources available in your community
and online — support groups, chat rooms, and educational materials.
See a list of suggested resources.
Before You See Your Doctor
Before seeing a doctor or other healthcare professional,
you may want to take the Depression
Self-Test so you can understand and communicate your symptoms.
This way, your healthcare professional can make the proper diagnosis
and prescribe appropriate treatment. We have prepared a set of tips
for talking to your doctor to help you organize your thoughts,
feelings, and questions to help you get the most out of your first
visit.