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• Mental health >> Depression >> Age 55-64 >> Interview 24 >> It took until she was 19 to be diagnosed with depression. Yet she has come to the conclusion that she was suffering from depression as a child.

Helpful approaches have included medication, self-help books and tapes, and personal development courses. Received long term therapy on the NHS. Recently discovered she had dyslexia, explaining many of her difficulties.

• Mental health >> Depression >> Age 30-39 >> Interview 05 >> Had a long wait to see a psychiatrist while suicidal, and so the psychiatrist's concern about his immediate wellbeing seemed too little, too late.

Has very good care from his GP. Medication was somewhat effective. He recently stopped taking Lithium and Effexor.

• Mental health >> Depression >> Age 65+ >> Interview 14 >> Describes getting excellent care at an NHS hospital outpatient clinic.

Has responded well to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. He has the support of his wife and has built his confidence in a local sporting club. He recognises depression as a phase that passes.

• Mental health >> Depression >> Age 40-54 >> Interview 22 >> Her GP knew he did not have the skills to manage her and referred her to a psychiatric team. They understood and could help.

Is now managed by a skilled team in the NHS, which includes long-term therapy. Therapy is addressing her distorted thinking patterns and difficult past. She now understands she can move beyond depression.

• Mental health >> Depression >> Age 30-39 >> Interview 17 >> Saw psychiatrists in London after dissatisfaction with local psychiatrists, who ruled out schizophrenia and manic-depression.

Current medication includes Seroxat, Zyperxa (olanzapine), Lamactil (lamatrigine). Is grappling with building friendships and what he wants to do in life. He has found one kinesiologist in particular to be very helpful.

• Mental health >> Depression >> Age 40-54 >> Interview 19 >> Her psychiatrist told her she had a chemical imbalance that caused anxiety and depression, which helped her to accept she had an illness that was not

Has managed to find joy in life through approaches including medication (currently venlafaxine 150mg & chlorpromazine 25mg), counselling, partner support, Christianity and voluntary work (which led to rewarding employment).

• Mental health >> Depression >> Age 65+ >> Interview 01 >> Although he denied being depressed, he was referred to a psychiatrist who understood how he felt, which was a great relief to him.

Treatments have included ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy), hospitalisation, talking therapies, lithium and medication. He was on a preventative, low dose of Zoloft (sertraline 100mg/day) due to his wife's death.

• Mental health >> Depression >> Age 30-39 >> Interview 35 >> She felt she was on 'crop rotation' seeing a different registrar every time she visited outpatients, and so asked for one consultant.

Multiple severe bouts requiring hospitalisation at times. Most helpful approaches include medication (currently depacote 1000mg/day, Efexor 75mg/day), fish oils, talking therapies, social support and cranio-sacral massage.

• Mental health >> Depression >> Age 55-64 >> Interview 28 >> Did not like her consultant psychiatrist who did not seem to listen to her complaints about medication, and she was cynical about the influence of dru

Multiple severe bouts of depression/ 'euphoria', most recently in 95. Has been hospitalised and had Electroconvulsive Therapy. Most helpful approaches include the drug venlafaxine (75mg/day), music, poetry and spiritual healing.

• Mental health >> Depression >> Age 30-39 >> Interview 36 >> Felt misunderstood by his psychiatrist who assumed he had something like 'schizophrenia', and asked him strange questions.

Useful approaches include medication, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, therapy, hospitalisation, self-help groups. Currently takes Lithium (600mg/day) and citalopram (Cipramil) 20mg/day.

• Mental health >> Depression >> Age 30-39 >> Interview 11 >> Did not like talking about feelings that were hard to pin down, and found her mental health team to be chaotic.

Hospitalised, but experienced poor service in the NHS. Helpful approaches included the contraceptive pill (acts as a mood stabiliser for her), good GP support, private hospitalisation, and HomeStart help in the home.

• Mental health >> Depression >> Age 30-39 >> Interview 08 >> She found a psychiatrist's manner off-putting, so she put up barriers and denied that she had any problems in her childhood, which was not true.

With the ongoing care of her GP and ongoing counselling with a skilled practitioner, she has been in recovery since early 2003. Not currently on medication.

• Mental health >> Depression >> Age 65+ >> Interview 01 >> He lost his faith in psychiatrists when his hair fell out. His psychiatrist initially said it was to do with stress, but later said it was due to too

Treatments have included ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy), hospitalisation, talking therapies, lithium and medication. He was on a preventative, low dose of Zoloft (sertraline 100mg/day) due to his wife's death.

• Mental health >> Depression >> Age 40-54 >> Interview 30 >> Though her friends did well on lithium, she became suicidal and very paranoid before she stopped the lithium.

Has supportive health professionals. She reacted badly to lithium, and is now doing much better on her current medication (currently Quetiapine 200mg/day, Amitriptyline 50mg, Carbamazepine 200mg, Atenolol 25 mg, Raberazole 20mg).

• Mental health >> Depression >> Age 30-39 >> Interview 08 >> After ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy), she has no memory of specific time periods, and her doctors deny that the ECT caused her problems. She is angry

With the ongoing care of her GP and ongoing counselling with a skilled practitioner, she has been in recovery since early 2003. Not currently on medication.

• Mental health >> Depression >> Age 55-64 >> Interview 24 >> She felt lucky to get long-term therapy on the NHS, since the lack of resources means that so many needy people miss out.

Helpful approaches have included medication, self-help books and tapes, and personal development courses. Received long term therapy on the NHS. Recently discovered she had dyslexia, explaining many of her difficulties.

• Mental health >> Depression >> Age 40-54 >> Interview 20 >> Says that once you are well and can judge, you need to view your sessions with your potential therapist as a relationship, which needs to have trust,

Her recovery initially came about after hospitalisation including Electroconvulsive Therapy. With supportive long-term therapy and medication (Prozac and lithium) she has been in recovery ever since 1989.

• Mental health >> Depression >> Age 30-39 >> Interview 36 >> Choose your counsellor/therapist carefully - you need to be able to trust them so you can be honest. (Played by an actor)

Useful approaches include medication, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, therapy, hospitalisation, self-help groups. Currently takes Lithium (600mg/day) and citalopram (Cipramil) 20mg/day.

• Mental health >> Depression >> Age 30-39 >> Interview 17 >> He felt he got better care at a London-based outpatients clinic compared with local services.

Current medication includes Seroxat, Zyperxa (olanzapine), Lamactil (lamatrigine). Is grappling with building friendships and what he wants to do in life. He has found one kinesiologist in particular to be very helpful.

• Mental health >> Depression >> Age 40-54 >> Interview 22 >> Feels she can't tell her family about seeing a psychiatrist as she fears they would see her as weak. (Played by an actor)

Is now managed by a skilled team in the NHS, which includes long-term therapy. Therapy is addressing her distorted thinking patterns and difficult past. She now understands she can move beyond depression.

• Mental health >> Depression >> Age 65+ >> Interview 01 >> Argues that very depressed people need to accept help from doctors, including medication, at least initially.

Treatments have included ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy), hospitalisation, talking therapies, lithium and medication. He was on a preventative, low dose of Zoloft (sertraline 100mg/day) due to his wife's death.

• Mental health >> Depression >> Age 40-54 >> Interview 19 >> Advises those who are not responding to medication to ask for a different medication or for referral to a psychiatrist.

Has managed to find joy in life through approaches including medication (currently venlafaxine 150mg & chlorpromazine 25mg), counselling, partner support, Christianity and voluntary work (which led to rewarding employment).

• Topic
• Mental health >> Depression >> Psychiatrists and other mental health professionals >> Psychiatrists and other mental health professionals

Psychiatrists and other mental health professionals