What do people do when they're unsure if they're "depressed enough" to be depressed? What about people who are "used to it" and consider themselves good at "dealing with it"? Go to a doctor anyway? Where do people start? With their regular physician? How do people find a therapist that won't jump at medication unnecessarily, and won't ignore you if you think you need it?
Well, I recommend in general getting this book: http://www.amazon.com/Feeling-Good-The-Mood-Therapy/dp/03808... (the good basic, for "patients" vs. doctors book on cognitive therapy (now cognitive-behavioral therapy, but I read it before that addition), and take the Burns Depression Checklist at the beginning of chapter 2. Based on your score, you'll get a rough idea from "no depression", "normal but unhappy", then "mild depression" all the way to "extreme depression". Based on that you can then know appropriate steps to take.
I'd add that I'll bet anyone can benefit from going through their thought patterns applying the insights of congnitive psychology, the therapy side of which says, very roughly, one way to make yourself depressed is to think incorrect bad thoughts about yourself (which includes how you view other people viewing you, etc.).
(Which is not to say there aren't also pure biological causes (see tokenadult's excellent comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7530847), family history eventually revealed that's a factor in my particular type of depression, but it's certain that self-applied cognitive therapy from an earlier edition of this book made a big difference for me, it's just not enough.)
If you have the money for it, I'd recommend just hiring a therapist privately, who will be able to talk through your problems with you and help you decide what the best course of action is. It may well be that adjusting your routine can help, or it might turn out medication is a good idea.
If you can't afford to do so privately, and you're in the UK, the advice below should help you navigate the NHS bureaucracy and (eventually) see a therapist.
Start with your doctor, GP will probably attempt to put you on anti-depressants immediately and then leave it at that. If that's not what your looking for, refuse, and ask for a referral to a specialist. If that doesn't work, ask to see a different GP. Eventually you should get referred to an actual psychiatrist. They're also going to want to stick you straight on medication, but you'll at least get an appointment with them now and again to discuss that, but they can refer you to a therapist.
As you may be able to tell from my tone, over the years I've have acquired very little respect for the way the NHS treats mental health. There are a few individuals doing fantastic work, but they've always been hamstrung by the bureaucracy involved in making anything happen.
You can get prescribed antidepressants from most primary care physicians in the US if you don't want to look for a therapist. However, it's worth Googling around your area to find psychiatrists or therapy offices.
Don't be afraid of not being depressed enough. I made the mistake of doing that and got to a really bad place before I finally sought help. It's also worth noting that, by the time you actually get in to see a doctor, get prescribed something, and then wait the required time period for the medicine to actually start working, you'll be about 2-3 months out from feeling better.
When seeking depression treatment, another thing that was kind of obvious in hindsight (but not so much at the time) is that no one is going to magically come and save you from depression, not even your loved ones. You have to take the initiative to seek help yourself. For months I stalled because I didn't want to go through the process of finding a doctor, and it really ended up biting me in the ass.
When something isn't right a long period of time, it's easy to lose perspective on what being well looks and feels like. It may be well worth it to explore your options now while it isn't urgent, until waiting until something changes and you can't deal with it anymore.
Therapists don't prescribe medication- the best they can do is refer you to a doctor or psychiatrist. They can often answer questions about medication though, and help you decide whether that path is right for you. Therapy isn't about medication, it's a different tool altogether.
> When something isn't right a long period of time, it's easy to lose perspective on what being well looks and feels like.
I've found that this is one of the big reasons that many people I know don't seek help, or waited (too) long to do so. Especially for people living alone who can acceptably 'curate' their existence when around others, it's very easy to lose perspective on what is 'normal' or 'healthy'.
It's made me wonder if it might be good to consider going to a psychologist something akin to a yearly dentist checkup.
Seconding jon-wood's suggestion of hiring a therapist. In your first question, longterm moderate depression can get worse, or you just may not be able to get out of it (easily) on your own. And letting it sit for a long time, I'll say the last time I dealt with depression I finally went to a therapist when I woke up one morning and realized I'd been "dealing with it" for 2 years. I couldn't get that time back, but starting with a therapist I was able to get back on track much faster.
In the US, if you're in college, go to your student health center. They have people who are very experienced with helping students with their issues.
If you're not, check your employers health offerings. Mine has an anonymous number that we can call, separate from HR and management, to get help and referrals. They even paid for the first 5 (6?) sessions before I went to my own insurance.
If your office doesn't have that, or you're not comfortable going through them, go to your regular doctor for a referral.
If you've got friends that you know have dealt with these issues in the past, ask them for a recommendation. You don't have to be specific, you don't even have to tell them you're depressed (or think you may be), just say you need someone to talk to and ask who they went to.
I'd suggest finding a good psychologist, preferably someone with a PsyD, who can't prescribe drugs. Mine's been good in letting me filter out a lot of issues, and try to get to a point where certain things are more manageable. She was also the one who said to speak with a psychiatrist for handling the medications. Having the two being separate for me has been helpful, even with real bad depression/anxiety.
