so i finally saw a doctor today after years...

[jdog499]

i went through bad anxiety and depression in 2009. I had no insurance then because i wasn't working so i had to go on some free plan out at county and it wasn't the best experience. All i got for help was a anti anxiety med which is still take to this day. then in 2010-2013 i was covered on my parents healthcare but i was working again and i felt ok an besides mild anxiety i could control it so i never had the need to seek help. then this January i got laid off and since im 26 now im off my parents insurance so no medical insurance. i was ok until last month when i had a anxiety attack that through me into depression. It got so bad i ended up trying to go to some mental health place a few towns away to see if i could get help but of course i wasn't qualified enough to be treated because im not suicidal which i never have been or will be. So I applied for medi cal(Medicaid) an after months of waiting an not getting any calls back i finally received it so i scheduled a appointment with a doctor who accepted it. So today was the appointment and i had a whole list wrote out of the issues i wanted to discuss with her. She walks in and asks what brings me here today an i say i haven't seen a doctor in years and i want to start seeing a regular family doctor. I say i have a list with here with what i want to go over and she says well i only have 15 minutes with new patients so just hold onto it. That already had me feeling like this was another doctor that wasn't going to take the time to listen to me. So she goes over basic stuff, i brought the prescriptions i take an see's i take Ativan and says they don't usually prescribe those kind of meds. Then out of nowhere it turns into her thinking im just there to get a refill on my anxiety meds. This really pissed me off. That was the last thing on my mind. I was there to try and get help with what i am going through. I've dealt with this alone so many years an managed alright but im having a difficult time now and It's at a point that i need a doctor to point me in the right direction so i can get help with this. After telling her this she toned down a bit, scheduled some type of appointment with a social worker and then prescribed like 4 different medications. Sorry for the rambling but im just real tired of not getting any answers to any type of help for anxiety/depression. I keep reading that sooo many people deal with these issues, i just don't understand why it's so damn hard to find professional help with it you know. it sucks. i don't want to be taking 6 different medications everyday, im 26 years old there's got to be alternative ways like cbt therapy, group therapy, a first option then if necessary go the medication route.

[randy c.]

Jdog, I think alot of medical doctors and other agencies dont really think anxiety and stress is that big of a problem. they hand out meds,tell you its fine and send you on your way.until its recogonized as a serious condition it will remain the same. I feel like you, meds should be the last step on the road to recovery.