Submitted by [deleted] t3_zp5rfp in pittsburgh
timesuck t1_j0qxoum wrote
What exactly are you looking for as a “treatment”?
Finding the right therapist can absolutely make a huge difference, but ultimately talk therapy can only do so much. It’s much more of a management process than a curative one. At some point, you need to look at other modalities or meds.
Evening_Attention_45 t1_j0qy4d2 wrote
I’m looking for improvement with my depression. I’ve tried 15-20 meds over the past 20 years and am currently trying low dose ketamine which isn’t helping.
I need a therapist who can actually help patients who have depression who don’t respond to easy, quick fixes.
timesuck t1_j0qzoo1 wrote
Sounds to me like you need interventions beyond what a typical therapist can give, which is why you may not be getting what you need.
AHN has a center for Treatment Resistant Depression. I haven't had experience with them myself, but the fact that this clinic exists and seems to give patients access to a team of doctors that practice all kinds of different treatments seems like a good sign. It might be a good place to start at least without entering a residential program.
Sometimes it just takes getting in front of enough different kinds of professionals to identify the root of what is going on.
Evening_Attention_45 t1_j0r0e8u wrote
It sounds like you’re saying that no therapists can help treat depression in a typical out patient setting.
timesuck t1_j0r41nj wrote
Depression, like many other mental illnesses, come in a spectrum. It can be occasionally noticeable to debilitating every day. It varies a lot. Talk therapy may be a fine intervention by itself for folks at one end of the spectrum, but not the other. It may be a good intervention in conjunction with other treatments (trauma therapy, behavioral therapy, etc.)
Just because you may need something else, doesn’t mean therapists can’t ever treat depression.
Evening_Attention_45 t1_j0r8if7 wrote
I would like to find a therapist adept at having the skills to pull in different modalities and make adjustments if the patient isn't responding. Mine wasn't so I'm trying to find someone new who has more experience and isn't one size fits all.
timesuck t1_j0rohbd wrote
My friend, you are describing exactly what that clinic does.
So it’s a team of people instead of just one? Who cares?
Evening_Attention_45 t1_j0r7z0k wrote
Gotta love Pittsburgh. A depressed person really depressed hoping to get help by asking for a recommendation for a therapist trained in effectively treating depression and they get downvoted.
There is such a lack of humanity and compassion on this subreddit that's very troubling as a depressed person. It completely reinforces the depressed persons feelings of loneliness. It's literally the exact proof that says "see, you're never going to get support or compassion. There's just no point in even trying."
Thank you Pittsburgh for proving that the voice of Depressions is actually right.
Amrun90 t1_j0rhqmv wrote
I mean, they gave you a source for a clinic that specializes in treating treatment resistant depression. That’s a good resource, likely full of therapists and practitioners trained in effectively treating depression.
Downvotes are an algorithm and not even all real people. This is definitely your depression talking.
I hope you find the help you need.
Evening_Attention_45 t1_j0rj9z8 wrote
It was frustrating that the first instinct someone had was to say you’re beyond what a therapist can help with. Depression is like the #1 thing people go to therapy for. I was expecting to get recommendations for good therapists, not that I needed to go to some special place. It seems like there must be people in Pittsburgh with depression who have a therapist who has helped them with their depression.
timesuck t1_j0romcp wrote
Ok, you said you had been searching for an answer for 20 years and you said yourself that you’ve had a string of therapists who haven’t helped. So you’re what, just looking for more recommendations for people who will fail you? You didn’t come here being like I’m new to therapy and am looking for a good therapist.
That clinic could be a solution. It’s not a judgment. And that clinic is full of. . .wait for it. . .therapists! They may refer you to a specific therapist or suggest an approach that could help you.
It’s frustrating that your first instinct is that you can try the same thing over and over again and expect different results. There isn’t one magic person out there who is necessarily going to make you better, it might take a multifaceted approach. I don’t know why you’d close yourself off to help that might—what’s the word I’m looking for here—oh yeah, help.
Amrun90 t1_j0rtbvd wrote
Yes, I’m sure, but everyone’s depression is different.
Suggesting a specialized clinic doesn’t mean anything bad. It is a clinic designed for your specific problem that most places don’t have but we are lucky enough to have due to proximity to large medical centers.
I would try a CBT based practitioner, if you haven’t, and work on thought distortions. Good luck!
pghbibliophile t1_j0r2kgw wrote
Following up on the above comment, you’ve tried a variety of meds, but what kind of therapists have you used? Cognitive behavioral? Trauma? Social? Talk based?
I’ve skipped around a bunch of different kinds of therapy, and agree with you that it’s hard to find a match (and then one that takes your insurance, ha!). You can swap out meds with a regular primary care physician, but the treatment you’re actually getting might not be right. I’ve ghosted more than one therapist that just wanted to talk about my issues with my mother, and not about why I was unable to get out of bed for weeks at a time.
noheart120 t1_j0r5bjh wrote
Yes, definitely ask them their preferred type of therapy, their background in that, and if they would be open to exploring and combing different types. CBT and goal oriented were horrible experiences for me. DBT, IFS, and brain-spotting have been life savers though. You maybe also never be "cured" like how a wound would be, but you can be given tools to make it easier in a healthy way.
Evening_Attention_45 t1_j0r6zgz wrote
Can you recommend a therapist experienced in DBT or IFS?
noheart120 t1_j0r7nsf wrote
Ones that I am 100% that have openings right now no, but I have seen Kaitlin Hens Greco (Alliance Therapy) and she was amazing. Had to switch due to her being full and I do not know how long her waitlist is. I am currently seeing Hunter Helsel and she is amazing. I was able to get an appointment right away since someone left, but she did have a waitlist when I originally booked. I believe her waitlist was ~monthish when I made an intake.
edit: Hunter is also very trauma based therapy
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