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  Grant Dempsey (Counsellor)
  Health Professional

  With a passion to see people move forward and break free from the barriers holding them back, Grant is a highly experienced counsellor with over ... View profile

  I'm not a GP so I won't answer specifically re the medication but I will tell you what I've seen with some of my clients.
  
  You are depressed for a reason and the medication won't solve that, it will however enable you to cope with your activities of daily living and put you in a better space to attack the cause of your depression with the help of a counsellor or psychologist. Unfortunately what I've seen happen is;
  

  • people see a Psychologist/Counsellor because they are struggling,
    
  • they see their GP and get prescribed medication,
    
  • with the medication they feel better so they stop seeing their Psychologist.
    
  • Inevitably things get worse and they go back to their GP and up the dosage.
    

  Once you are in this cycle getting off the meds becomes much harder. Therefore my suggestion is keep seeing your Psychologist, even if you are feeling better. Only stop when
  

  • you can identify the cause of your depression,
    
  • can clearly recognise the signs when it is coming on,
    
  • have strategies and support in place to overcome the depression, and
    
  • have utilised those strategies on several occasions and proven they work. 
    

  I have had clients attend weekly for 4 weeks, then fortnightly, then monthly, then 3 monthly, 6 monthly and so on. In my opinion there are usually some deep underlying emotional issues linked to depression and you need good cognitive strategies to fight the initial battles and get back on you feet but you need to deal with those emotional issues to win the war otherwise you never really free yourself from it.
  
  Keep seeing your Psyc and good luck. Reply to this post  |  Report
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