How did you get help??

Hey I'm new here. I'm 19 years old I am almost positive that i'm suffering from depression, but i don't know how to talk to anyone about it. Two of my close friends have tried to talk to me about it, but i find it hard to talk about myself. I know that i should see a counselor because everyday it just gets worse. But I don't know HOW to get the ball rolling. Honestly i think i'm just scared. I don't know what to expect from a counselor. Can anyone tell me what to expect or how they felt when you first talked to a professional or even family.friends about depression.

You can also call your local mental health office. Since you are 19 and unless you have insurance from work, the sliding scale based on your income might work better for you. You will be asked at either the doctor's office or the mental health office to fill out a patient form--nothing new or different on that.

Your appointment at mental health will be with a counselor. They will ask why you came in. You tell them what you want. They will ask more questions--all of them will be gentle. You talk or say what you want.

The counselor may do different things then or in another appointment. They can work out a plan of attack for your "presenting problem." They may think you need evalutation by a doctor to see if you need meds or a different type of counseling.

The whole thing is a lot less risky emotionally than talking to joe blow. Counselors are by nature people who want to help, but they also have training to make sure they approach your subjects in a non threatening way.

Try it, you'll like it.

bev

Thanks everyone. I was afraid no one was going to answer me. I just wanted to know a little about what was going to happen. Thank you for your replies, they really helped me out. I'm one step closer to getting help.