"Excellent treatment from my psychiatrist in South Australia"

I asked my GP to refer me again to a psychiatrist I had seen for some sessions 2 years before. The psychiatrist agreed to see me for a gap charge of only $20 per session as I had no job or income. Since I had been suicidal on a high dose of antidepressants she told me I had few alternative medications to try and that most would have longer term side effects than the ones I was on (which had weird side effects I coped with).

She then got me to experiment with a combination of a lower dose of my antidepressant but added several non-traditional things. The psychiatrist also prescribed exercise and socialising (eg. talk to a shop assistant, have a coffee) and recommended a diet high in protein with fresh fruit & vegies (I was already eating this way).

After 6 months I feel well nearly all the time, I halved my dose of antidepressants & I have absolutely no strange "brain-zap" side effects from Effexor! I've also been taught all sorts of thinking strategies to help me be positive & active & I know when to stop myself thinking in unhelpful directions when my "triggers" happen. I am not just medicated, I'm thinking and behaving more adaptively and starting to achieve things in life again. I believe this mixed treatment approach has worked for me.