Clinical depression affects all the areas of patient's life. Symptoms vary from feeling hopeless and suicidal to sleeping and eating difficulties. This Depression can be helped significantly with medication and psychotherapy. Yet, looking for help may seem like a major task for someone struggling with this condition. For many patients, searching for help online may seem like an easier option. Online help should never replace the diagnosis and treatment of a mental health professional who can meet you in person.
Step 1
Use online tools to learn more about depression. Before you can decide whether you suffer from depression or what kind of treatment you should get, you need to find out what depression is. For example, National Institute of Mental Health has a good site about depression.
Step 2
Find an online test that you can take to determine whether you are suffering from clinical depression that requires treatment. Such free test can be found, for example, at DiscoveryHealth.com. These tests should never replace professional depression diagnosis but they are a good way to start looking for help. This kind of test can also be used to find out whether your friend or a loved one is depressed.
Step 3
Join an online support group for depressed people. For example, PsychCentral.com lists top sites that offer such service. In these sites, depressed people can share their experiences about the effectiveness of certain therapy programs and medications. They offer supportive and informative environment where a patient can be anonymous while looking for help. Support group members can offer each other's the kind of support that only fellow patients can.
Step 4
Book an online therapy session with a counselor or a psychologist. Before you do, however, make sure that you check the credentials of the therapist. You want this person to be a licensed counselor or psychologist with a long experience in treating depression.
Tips and Warnings
- Depression can be helped significantly with medication. Make an appointment with a psychiatrist to determine whether you could benefit from such treatment. Be patient. It may take a while before you start feeling better and in the beginning of the treatment you may even feel worse for a while especially if you are taking antidepressants.
- It is easy for a depressed person to isolate himself from the world. Do not let this happen to you. Even if you look for depression help online make sure that you also meet with people in the real life. If you are seriously contemplating suicide go to the nearest emergency room or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK. These services are available 24-hour a day.
Things You'll Need
- Computer
- Internet connection
