Challenging Depression - Research Paper Example

Finally after many sleepless and restless nights, she got up one morning and in a sour mood called the number her family doctor had given her. We were all so happy that she actually did it on her own. She got an appointment and went down with my uncle to visit the mental health professional. My aunt was doubtful and even suspicious about visiting, saying that he will think the worse and make her feel even more stressed. The doctor was very gentle and kind and instead of talking for hours, he sat back and wanted my aunt to just talk and say what ever was on her mind.

She was hesitant at first and thought that maybe he was playing a trick on her to confuse her. He assured her that he was only there to help her and wanted her to be comfortable and honest. This way by knowing some of her history, duration of the condition, and other factors he could focus on how to help her better individually and give her the right type of medication and treatment (Smith, Saisan and Segal). As my aunt started talking, the doctor took notes asking questions here and there to clarify some things.

He never interrupted or made her feel awkward. My aunt became more comfortable and started being more open about how she felt, thought and behaved. After the first session my aunt was given a medication and asked to come in routinely for a little while so he could check up on her progress; she gradually became more accepting and even started sharing her experience with us. Once a month for a few months my aunt would visit the doctor. Her eating and sleeping became better and she started doing more things with the family.

She still continues to take her medication and now visits the mental health professional every few months or so. My aunt visited. Just finding out that you have depression is the first part of the whole treatment process in hopes of getting better. That is the main thing, knowing that there is hope and help out there. Depression should not be left alone, hoping that it would go away on its own. With the right help, things will start looking up. My aunt went through a long journey of denial and challenge, realization and finally acceptance of her condition.

She went to her family doctor in order to seek help because she wasn’t eating or sleeping well lately when my aunt learned that she was suffering from depression. She immediately became very angry and told her family doctor that he was wrong. Every one gets sad and stressed sometimes; it was not a disorder or anything she argued. Her doctor remained calm and patient trying to explain to her that temporary sadness is different from always feeling irritable, restless, and desperate. He told her that this was the reason for her not sleeping and eating right.

My aunt told him that this was because of her busy schedule and that he should give her some pills for sleeping, that’s all there was to it. Why was he annoying her with such nonsense about depression and disorders? The doctor was concerned and wrote a number down of a mental health professional, suitable for diagnosing and treating such conditions, for her to contact. She refused to grab it and stared angrily at the doctor. My aunt was angry and didn’t like what she heard at first. She challenged the doctor and even told him that he was wrong.

After many weeks, it took courage to seek professional help and when she did, it made her gradually realize and finally accept her condition. When she did that, her situation slowly became better and now she is actually happy and in control of her own life.