Prevention and treatment of mental disorders. Depression is a mental health disorder that may require professional attention from a clinical psychologist or a medical doctor/psychiatrist.
Mental health is defined by experts from the World Health Organization (WHO, October 2011) as “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can make a contribution to his or her community.”
Depending on other factors, mild depression can be treated without medication—through psychotherapy—but moderate or severe depression may require medication (antidepressants) and/or psychotherapy (combined treatment).
Depression can become chronic or recurrent and significantly impair work performance and the ability to cope with daily life.
SYMPTOMS
In the following testimonies, the interviewees narrate their experiences with psychiatric care.
Antonia went to the psychiatrist and improved in several aspects of her health, including her weight, which had been a concern for her. She felt comfortable and emphasized the psychiatrist’s clear and understandable language.
“The psychiatrist treated my depression, and I got better. I got better and even lost weight. I lost weight because I exercised more, I moved more. He was a wonderful man. I found him to be a truly great person. If you can talk to someone and they understand you, even if they don’t understand you, you still talk to them, not in a strange language. Like everyone with chronic conditions, I’ve had periods of encountering doctors who speak in a strange language. But not because I’m odd or anything, I don’t know, no, just because. This man, with one thing, and he didn’t just take me on, he took me on, but he was like a father to me, like a brother to me, like everyone else. I ended up hugging him when I left.”
A social security psychologist gave María del Carmen some tests and then referred to a psychiatrist. She believes the psychiatrist should know more about her history to achieve positive results in her treatment.
“I see that everyone does what they can. But sometimes, well, I’ve felt a bit like they start off, like, with the a, e, i, o, and they don’t get very far. I see that they don’t really see, that they don’t really understand the problem. Because for them to really get to know you and understand you, you’d have to tell them a lot of things over many days. You’d have to have a much closer relationship with them. And since that’s not possible, well, I see that… At first, you’d leave… well, it seemed like going to the psychiatrist relieved you, you went with hope, with something that… Of course, there’s the ignorance at first, you think things can be cured, and some things just can’t be cured. So you went with that hope and left the appointment feeling a bit disappointed. But then you realize that’s just how it is, that’s how it is, and that they do everything they can.”
Myriam’s psychiatrist tried different medications to treat her major depressive disorder, and when there was no improvement, he suggested a referral to psychotherapy. She feels that the limited time in the consultation, coupled with a lack of listening, makes the professionals seem insensitive to the patient’s suffering (Link to Therapeutic Options and Combined Treatments ).
“The psychiatrist kept trying everything he could think of. That’s when I suggested psychotherapy, and he said that, well, there was only one psychologist in the whole center, mainly for newly admitted patients, which makes sense, but I couldn’t afford private therapy. I insisted on psychotherapy because I needed to talk about it, but no. The doctor didn’t think it was appropriate at the time. I also think he didn’t think it was appropriate because there was only one psychologist in the whole center, and I suppose he was overwhelmed. No, it’s kind of like he’s just going through the motions, isn’t it? Like, ‘Take this. How’s it going? Are you sleeping? Not sleeping?’ I understand that time is… that they have very little of it, right? But often they lose sight of the fact that what they have in front of them is a human being who is suffering.”
