counselor diagnosis

[Deleted]

So I decided to talk with a counselor because I have been experiencing depression off-and-on for the last 1-1/2 years. I went to him twice and talked about what was getting me down. Last night was my second appointment in a two week period. His diagnosis: There is nothing wrong with me. I don't need to come back.

Hmmmm. What to do? I started taking St. John's Wort about ten days ago and I am still waiting for that to kick in. I make sure I take the proper vitamins. I don't want to go on anti-depressants.

Have you ever heard of a psychological counselor telling you there is nothing wrong? (I admit, hearing that made me feel better.) I exercise, I eat healthy, etc. 

Have any of you ever gone to counseling? What else can be done?

[Deleted]

Well, if you're feeling depressed and he isn't going to help, I guess I would try another counselor?  I do give a big thumbs up for anti-depressants though.  I was on Zoloft for a year after coming down with PPD and it helped tremendously.  I got back on track them stopped taking them and have been fine for 5 years since.

[giramomma]

Popping on to say, that I've had good counselors and then I've had crap counselors.

It took 4 therapists to find one that got me.

I've had therapists tell me that my folks are "harmless." I've had therapists tell my that my recovering addict husband should be able to get high and still remain sober.

The one who got me. I mean, it took her 30 minutes to put the puzzle pieces of my life together and be like "Oh. Of course all of this makes total sense." Unfortunately, she retired.

I also learned better with CBT therapy vs. talk therapy. One of my therapists did suggest this book for me to work through

www.amazon.com/Mind-Over-Mood-Second-Changing/dp/1462520421/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1478734368&sr=1-1&keywords=mind+over+mood+first+edition

All I can say is trust your gut.

[zibazinski]

Nov 9, 2016 17:39:30 GMT -5 @bluester said:

So I decided to talk with a counselor because I have been experiencing depression off-and-on for the last 1-1/2 years. I went to him twice and talked about what was getting me down. Last night was my second appointment in a two week period. His diagnosis: There is nothing wrong with me. I don't need to come back.

Hmmmm. What to do? I started taking St. John's Wort about ten days ago and I am still waiting for that to kick in. I make sure I take the proper vitamins. I don't want to go on anti-depressants.

Have you ever heard of a psychological counselor telling you there is nothing wrong? (I admit, hearing that made me feel better.) I exercise, I eat healthy, etc. 

Have any of you ever gone to counseling? What else can be done?

I upped my vitamin D intake to 4000 a day because my meds didn't seem to be helping anymore.  I'm feeling better. 

[Deleted]

Nov 9, 2016 17:39:30 GMT -5 @bluester said:

So I decided to talk with a counselor because I have been experiencing depression off-and-on for the last 1-1/2 years. I went to him twice and talked about what was getting me down. Last night was my second appointment in a two week period. His diagnosis: There is nothing wrong with me. I don't need to come back.

Hmmmm. What to do? I started taking St. John's Wort about ten days ago and I am still waiting for that to kick in. I make sure I take the proper vitamins. I don't want to go on anti-depressants.

Have you ever heard of a psychological counselor telling you there is nothing wrong? (I admit, hearing that made me feel better.) I exercise, I eat healthy, etc. 

Have any of you ever gone to counseling? What else can be done?

Well, yes.  After my ex and I separated, I went to a counselor.

She was great!  My ex had always held over my head the fact that my mother was mentally ill (schizophrenia).  His favorite phrase was "You are crazy" when I did things he didn't agree with.  She told me I was out of the age bracket for schizophrenia.  It wasn't impossible, but it was highly unlikely.  I've since figured out that he is the one with the problem.  My DIL calls him Dr. Doom-and-Gloom, and that pretty much describes him.  I am a very positive person most of the time.

She was supportive of my leaving him.  He definitely wasn't a bad guy, but I wasn't the bad guy either just because we were so wrong for each other.  We are simply proof that two wrong people can marry, produce awesome children, and still have very little in common.  My ex was incredibly disappointed that I didn't get medication to "cure" me.  He said this to my face.  

She told me that there wasn't really a need for me to come back although I was welcome if I did.  I had something called situational depression.  She was right.  Once I corrected the situation that depressed me, I have never been depressed again.  I've been tired, etc., but not depressed.  Like I said, I'm a positive person most of the time.  I tell my kids "Happy Monday" or Tuesday or Thursday or whatever because I do like almost every day.  When I don't, again it is situational.

However, it is much easier to change the situation when you have adult kids.  You don't.

Good luck!

[Artemis Windsong]

If the counselor did not give you a comprehensive written mental exam, then he was way off base.  The exam can measure almost every problem like depression and anxiety.

I should have quit my counselor when she did not believe me for 3 years that I was married to a tomcat.  When I told her they were in the park snuggling every Monday night, she went, saw, believed.  Miss Snuggles lost her job at that clinic. I did not feel vindicated.

I hope you have choices on finding someone who will help you.

I felt better, also, with an increase of D3 as well as St. John's Wort.  Next time you get a blood test, ask for the results.  That will tell you if you are low somewhere.  I take extra calcium and magnesium at night. 

[NoNamePerson]

Are you on any other medications? If so you might want to rethink St. John's Wort. I may have you confused with another poster that had other medical problems, if so "never mind". But JMHO.  

ETA I would seek out another counselor either way. 

[rob base]

I think it's really hard to find a good counselor.  Out of 4 that I have seen in the past, only one was good IMO.

Not sure how many counselors you have seen, but I would try again. A lot of these counselors see some really bad stuff, so you may seem "well" in comparison, but I don't think that's fair....I had an experience kind of like you are describing with a counselor but went on and saw another one that I thought was better

Is there anything, any life change that you attribute the depression too? What helped me was getting out of the situation (terrible work environment).....although I still am not 100%....not sure I ever will be

Also has your weight increased? Still taking same amount of pride in appearance? etc.?

[Rukh O'Rorke]

Nov 9, 2016 17:39:30 GMT -5 @bluester said:

So I decided to talk with a counselor because I have been experiencing depression off-and-on for the last 1-1/2 years. I went to him twice and talked about what was getting me down. Last night was my second appointment in a two week period. His diagnosis: There is nothing wrong with me. I don't need to come back.

Hmmmm. What to do? I started taking St. John's Wort about ten days ago and I am still waiting for that to kick in. I make sure I take the proper vitamins. I don't want to go on anti-depressants.

Have you ever heard of a psychological counselor telling you there is nothing wrong? (I admit, hearing that made me feel better.) I exercise, I eat healthy, etc. 

Have any of you ever gone to counseling? What else can be done?

what kind of counselor, and what kind of office?

Not everyone does "no medication" so if it is a psychiatrist, or a psychiatrist's office with several counselors, that may not be their thing. Try another one. Although - they may have said something if that's the case.

[CCL]

Do you have a family physician? They should be able to help and/or suggest someone else.

[Deleted]

A combination of "safe" St. John's wort and 5HTP led me to loading a gun and sitting in a cold bathtub for 4 hours trying not to kill myself. Please don't take either one...

[Deleted]

My depression is probably situational. I work in a small office with two coworkers. One is a martyr and the other one bitches about everything. (If I say my neck is stiff today, the martyr will tell me at least I am not married to an alcoholic like she is. The bitch is not a bitch towards me, but bitches about everything in the world.) My BPD sister is mean to me but fortunately does not live near me.

I am not having any luck finding another job to be in a better (positive) work environment. That adds to my depression. I buy my own health insurance and that also contributes to it.

After two sessions, the counselor told me I am self-assured and self-sufficient. There is nothing wrong with me. I was looking for suggestions to deal with the toxicity in my life. I am normally a fun, happy-go-lucky gal.

If I am still bad after the New Year, I may try anti-depressants. I just feel like those won't fix the situation though.

[NoNamePerson]

Sorry you are going thru this. And I just realized that I have you completely confused with another poster!!! My bad   But my opinion of meds and St. John's Wort still stands FWIW!! 

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Nov 10, 2016 10:45:02 GMT -5 @bluester said:

My depression is probably situational. I work in a small office with two coworkers. One is a martyr and the other one bitches about everything. (If I say my neck is stiff today, the martyr will tell me at least I am not married to an alcoholic like she is. The bitch is not a bitch towards me, but bitches about everything in the world.) My BPD sister is mean to me but fortunately does not live near me.

I am not having any luck finding another job to be in a better (positive) work environment. That adds to my depression. I buy my own health insurance and that also contributes to it.

After two sessions, the counselor told me I am self-assured and self-sufficient. There is nothing wrong with me. I was looking for suggestions to deal with the toxicity in my life. I am normally a fun, happy-go-lucky gal.

If I am still bad after the New Year, I may try anti-depressants. I just feel like those won't fix the situation though.

Then find a new one.   You may have better luck finding one that deals with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy like Gira suggested.

Both counselors here thru the EAP deal with CBT and I found that to be much more productive.   They both commented that I am pretty insightful and have a good grasp on what my issues are.   MY problem is I often cannot get past the problem to find a solution.   I need help developing the tools to see these things thru to the end.

They helped me with that.  A good therapist is there to help you with what YOU need, not with what they think you need. 

I am also curious did you see an actual therapist or did you see a psychiatrist?    The reason I ask is because psychiatrists are often not therapists.   Their sole purpose is to prescribe and help you navigate the waters when it comes to anti-depressants and other medications for mental illness.  

[Deleted]

Nov 10, 2016 10:53:57 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

I am also curious did you see an actual therapist or did you see a psychiatrist?    The reason I ask is because psychiatrists are often not therapists.   Their sole purpose is to prescribe and help you navigate the waters when it comes to anti-depressants and other medications for mental illness.  

He was a therapist at a counseling center.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Maybe try a different one.  I know around here when I looked at a lot of centers for marital counseling that they dealt mainly with some HEAVY stuff.

Neither one of us suffers physical/emotional/mental abuse, we have no substance issues, we haven't lost custody of our kids.    Going to them would have been a waste of our time and a waste of their time because we're not the type of people they handle on a daily basis.

We probably would have run into the same thing you did, we'd be told we're normal and nothing is wrong with us. 

I found ONE clinic that's main focus was not the extreme cases of marital distress.   Naturally they don't have weekend or evening hours.

So if you are interested in still going try to find a different clinic that better fits what you want from the process almost everyone has a web site nowadays.   I started with the provider list from BCBS and picked the area of expertise I wanted and then I googled them to find the web sites and get more specific information.

[mmhmm]

Nov 10, 2016 10:45:02 GMT -5 @bluester said:

My depression is probably situational. I work in a small office with two coworkers. One is a martyr and the other one bitches about everything. (If I say my neck is stiff today, the martyr will tell me at least I am not married to an alcoholic like she is. The bitch is not a bitch towards me, but bitches about everything in the world.) My BPD sister is mean to me but fortunately does not live near me.

I am not having any luck finding another job to be in a better (positive) work environment. That adds to my depression. I buy my own health insurance and that also contributes to it.

After two sessions, the counselor told me I am self-assured and self-sufficient. There is nothing wrong with me. I was looking for suggestions to deal with the toxicity in my life. I am normally a fun, happy-go-lucky gal.

If I am still bad after the New Year, I may try anti-depressants. I just feel like those won't fix the situation though.

You're quite right. Anti-depressants don't "fix" anything. What they do is alter your body chemistry to make it easier for you to find and execute what's broken. They help you to organize your thoughts better when circling the wagons to battle the problems you're facing. When confronted with a toxic individual carping and crying, your stress levels increase and your brain, due to chemical interactions, can go into "fight or flight" mode. Adrenaline flows and your stress levels rise further.

Just as a side question:  When the complainer goes into a diatribe about her alcoholic husband, have you tried asking her calmly what she is doing to rectify that situation?

[Deleted]

^ Yes - I do try and talk sensibly to her. She drops her shoulders and says things like "I probably won't do anything about it." She reminds me of Eeyore. I have been listening to this for twelve years.

I tell the bitcher he should talk to the person he is bitching about to fix the problem. He tells me right out that he just likes bitching about it.

I am a magnet. People think I have my shit together, but I really don't.

[rob base]

How much of ur job do you HAVE to interact with them? Also how intensive and how many hours do u work? Is there more of a way u can let work be work and home /after work not be that or be affected by that (let it clear ur mind).

What other hobbies do u have to distract urself (in a healthy way)--TV/ movies /crafts. Maybe exercise right after work and before u get home to "clear ur mind". Can u wear headphones at work?

 And once I am knowledgable and confident in my abilities at a job (are u new to the job?) I have no trouble telling people when they are bothering (tactfully at first and forcefully if they r persistent ). What exactly do u think changed the year and half ago or do? And do u have family?

[Bonny]

Nov 10, 2016 12:28:09 GMT -5 @bluester said:

^ Yes - I do try and talk sensibly to her. She drops her shoulders and says things like "I probably won't do anything about it." She reminds me of Eeyore. I have been listening to this for twelve years.

I tell the bitcher he should talk to the person he is bitching about to fix the problem. He tells me right out that he just likes bitching about it.

I am a magnet. People think I have my shit together, but I really don't.

Lol, you probably do better than most people.

You can try what I did. When my mother was pulling the "I'm so fat and ugly" whine I looked at her and said "You know what you need to do".

Obviously not the response she wanted but it stopped that complaint.

Damn I was good at 19. I wonder what happened?

[hoops902]

Nov 10, 2016 10:45:02 GMT -5 @bluester said:

My depression is probably situational. I work in a small office with two coworkers. One is a martyr and the other one bitches about everything. (If I say my neck is stiff today, the martyr will tell me at least I am not married to an alcoholic like she is. The bitch is not a bitch towards me, but bitches about everything in the world.) My BPD sister is mean to me but fortunately does not live near me.

I am not having any luck finding another job to be in a better (positive) work environment. That adds to my depression. I buy my own health insurance and that also contributes to it.

After two sessions, the counselor told me I am self-assured and self-sufficient. There is nothing wrong with me. I was looking for suggestions to deal with the toxicity in my life. I am normally a fun, happy-go-lucky gal.

If I am still bad after the New Year, I may try anti-depressants. I just feel like those won't fix the situation though.

2 thoughts here.

1.  How open/honest were you with the counselor?  It seems common for people to put their best foot forward in life, then do that with their counselors as well when being more honest about their feelings would be helpful.

2.  If you were open/honest and didn't get what you needed out of it, time to find someone else to talk to.  There are lots of people who do this kind of thing, and so many variations of what people believe, how they counsel, how they assess, etc.  Frankly, if you told a counselor you were depressed, and they told you that you were fine, that's probably enough to realize you're talking to the wrong person.

[Shooby]

  I don't understand this counselor at all.  You need to find someone else.  There may indeed be "nothing wrong with you".  However, that isn't the point of counseling.  The point of counseling isn't to find something "wrong" .  The point is to utilize counseling to help you live your best life.  So, you obviously want to talk to someone and a counselor should have a receptive ear to help you work through whatever you may be going through.  Find someone else.  

[Deleted]

Nov 21, 2016 7:04:44 GMT -5 Shooby said:

  I don't understand this counselor at all.  You need to find someone else.  There may indeed be "nothing wrong with you".  However, that isn't the point of counseling.  The point of counseling isn't to find something "wrong" .  The point is to utilize counseling to help you live your best life.  So, you obviously want to talk to someone and a counselor should have a receptive ear to help you work through whatever you may be going through.  Find someone else.  

If you want insurance to cover it, there has to be some kind of diagnosis though.  You can't just go to chat on the insurance companies dime. 

[Deleted]

I agree on finding another counselor. If you think there's a problem and they don't, then you need to find someone else.

I hate to see you taking meds to cope with the co-workers who are making your life miserable (and, frankly, would make me miserable, too).  I've always managed to get toxic people out of my life (including an ex-husband) and it sounds like you're doing that, too, in looking for another job.  That's the ultimate solution.  I haven't needed counseling since I divorced in 1997!

You need a counselor who will help you find ways to deal with these coworkers- either finding an effective way to cut them off (I know you've tried that) or to keep them from dragging you down with them.  They aren't the last toxic people you'll ever encounter in your life- you may as well learn how to keep them from ruining your day.  

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Nov 21, 2016 10:30:13 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Nov 21, 2016 7:04:44 GMT -5 Shooby said:

  I don't understand this counselor at all.  You need to find someone else.  There may indeed be "nothing wrong with you".  However, that isn't the point of counseling.  The point of counseling isn't to find something "wrong" .  The point is to utilize counseling to help you live your best life.  So, you obviously want to talk to someone and a counselor should have a receptive ear to help you work through whatever you may be going through.  Find someone else.  

If you want insurance to cover it, there has to be some kind of diagnosis though.  You can't just go to chat on the insurance companies dime. 

Depends on the fine print.   Some insurances offer X amount of visits before they will stop paying or you need to have justification for continuing care.

If Blue's company has an EAP that would be a good place to start.  You usually get so many sessions for free and they are a good place to get recommendations for further care.

It's all confidential they are bound by the same HIPAA laws that all therapists are so there is no need to worry about people knowing you went and what for.

[Deleted]

Nov 21, 2016 10:30:13 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

If you want insurance to cover it, there has to be some kind of diagnosis though. You can't just go to chat on the insurance companies dime.

I agree but a diagnosis can be pretty general. I looked up mine once and it was "Adjustment Disorder". You don't have to be hallucinating or catatonic.

[Deleted]

Nov 21, 2016 11:13:12 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

Nov 21, 2016 10:30:13 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

If you want insurance to cover it, there has to be some kind of diagnosis though. You can't just go to chat on the insurance companies dime.

I agree but a diagnosis can be pretty general. I looked up mine once and it was "Adjustment Disorder". You don't have to be hallucinating or catatonic.

Oh, I know.  But when my son and I were going during/after the divorce, they tagged me with depression and him with anxiety to keep us on after the initial 3 sessions.  They said they had to have something that they could measure and show improvement on for insurance to keep paying.  It's how we got marital counseling covered pre-divorce too.  They again, had me as depressed and he just would come to the counseling sessions as an "aid to my recovery". 

But, turns out he was the crazy one and I was cured once he was gone. 

[shanendoah]

If insurance is paying for it, there has to be a diagnosis, and it has to be at a clinical level. Mild depression off and on, especially if it is related to a situation that could be changed, is likely not going to be meet that clinical criteria. If you are just looking for someone to listen and support you, maybe give you a few ideas of what else you could do to change your situation, a support group might be a better fit for you.

If you are looking for the skills to change your own thinking, as has already been suggested, check out cognitive behavioral therapy techniques.


Adjustment disorder is what my current diagnosis is. It is what is used when your depression/anxiety/traumatic stress reach clinical levels due to a specific event or situation, versus a generalized anxiety or depression disorder. With an adjustment disorder, the assumption is that at some point you will simply be better, as the event is far enough in the past that you have been able to move on, or the situation has changed to no longer cause the effects.


EDITED TO ADD: But even with an adjustment disorder, the depression/anxiety/stress have to be at clinical levels in order for the insurance company to pay for it.

[Bonny]

Nov 21, 2016 12:14:27 GMT -5 shanendoah said:

If insurance is paying for it, there has to be a diagnosis, and it has to be at a clinical level. Mild depression off and on, especially if it is related to a situation that could be changed, is likely not going to be meet that clinical criteria. If you are just looking for someone to listen and support you, maybe give you a few ideas of what else you could do to change your situation, a support group might be a better fit for you.

If you are looking for the skills to change your own thinking, as has already been suggested, check out cognitive behavioral therapy techniques.


Adjustment disorder is what my current diagnosis is. It is what is used when your depression/anxiety/traumatic stress reach clinical levels due to a specific event or situation, versus a generalized anxiety or depression disorder. With an adjustment disorder, the assumption is that at some point you will simply be better, as the event is far enough in the past that you have been able to move on, or the situation has changed to no longer cause the effects.


EDITED TO ADD: But even with an adjustment disorder, the depression/anxiety/stress have to be at clinical levels in order for the insurance company to pay for it.

Could you explain what is meant by "clinical level"?

[shanendoah]

Bonny - Sure. There's a test your counselor should be giving you at regular intervals along the way. For one of my counselors, I do the depression form every time I come in. For the second, I only did the self eval every few visits, but it was a longer, more complex version (as I was seeing that counselor specifically regarding traumatic stress). Either way, you are answering questions rating your depression/anxiety/stress levels over the last couple of weeks. It asks about your appetite, whether you enjoy doing things, if you're too distracted to do things, the level of enjoyment you get out of doing things, if you're talking super slowly (which seems odd, but is surprisingly accurate). You generally have four answers available to each question - not at all, several days, more than half the days, almost always.

Here's a link to a standard depression screening questionnaire (which is the default at my first counselor's office): www.mentalhealthamerica.net/mental-health-screen/patient-health

Based on your answers, you'll get a number score. At a certain score, you reach the "clinical" diagnosis. I know that my scores vary depending on what is going on with my situation right now. During good periods, my depression and stress both fell to under clinical (my anxiety, while it has decreased, has remained above the clinical threshold), but honestly never stayed there for long. During bad periods, they both went right back up. To stop having a clinical diagnosis, all of my scores need to fall back into the "normal" category and stay there for an extended period of time.

Going back to the questionnaire, if your answers are a pretty good mix of not at all or several days, you're probably not at a clinical level of depression. If only one, or none of your answers, are not at all, and the rest are several days you're likely to be right on the cusp, or at the very lowest level of a clinical diagnosis. Once you start getting into "more than half the days" for anything, you're likely to jump into clinical.

The one problem with the test, and I did mention it to my counselor, was that when I had a bad cold (which lasted almost a month), that really bumped up some of those questions (feeling tired or having little energy) to the extreme problem zones. But we talked about that in my session, and the truth is while the being sick had an effect on those things, my mental state also made those effects on my health worse than they would have been.