I have had depression for more years than I remember. For some reasons it is now as severe as the time I once thought of just not living anymore. I need help.

I can't afford to pay for zoloft or whatever drug out of my own pocket and I don't even know who I would talk to. Can I go to a general doctor or what?

Does health insurance cover this? Can I just ask for anti-depressants?


I'd really appreciate help here.
Thanks.

Really sorry to hear this.
I can only suggest you get hold of a doctor as soon as possible. There are places open on a Sunday, but if you have a doctor who had treated you for anything else, this might be better as he/she will already know you.

Depression is an illness and as such will be covered by your health insurance. I wouldn't suggest telling the doctor that you need anti-depressants but that you seriously need help in coping with this.

Hope you can find the assistance you need very soon.

If you can´t find a doctor now, go to the airport and the Airport Medical Center. There is a doctor around 24/7 and they will take emergencies.
A depression is nothing to joke with (I know) so please get help asap!

Don't know much about the medical system but as depression is an illness (quite a serious one), I presume it is covered by the health insurance.

Please hang in there. Ending it all will not solve anything. Nothing is worth ending your life. I know you may not feel like it at the moment but the moment will pass and you will come out stronger.

If there is anything I can help with, let me know. Depending on where you are in Zurich, I am not far at all (Winterthur).

Your Swiss health insurance will cover.

The University Spital Zurich (in fact any emergency centre) will also help to refer you quickly.
You shouldn't be taking anti-depressants without medical support.

First base would be your GP - so he can either prescribe and / or refer you.

You're not alone in going through it / having been through it - it's really great that you seek help!

Seek professional help and try to talk to close family and friends about your situation if you can.
In the meantime try to keep your head up and roll with the punches.

This is a really helpful information for everyone, tks!

Thank you for the quick replies. It's kind of you all and helpful.
I never went before to seek help because I always thought it was pathetic and somewhat narcissistic of me but... my life is a mess now, I want to fix it, badly, and I can't fix it if my brain is always this messed up.

I will go to my GP tomorrow and see what they can help with.

Thanks, I mean it.

The fact that you recognize the problem is a very good first step.

Follow the advice above, see a physician. Your condition is treatable.

Good luck.

For clinical depression, the usual recommended treatment is a combination of medication and 'talking therapy' of some sort. It's up to you how you engage in this process. If the medication is prescribed by a psychiatrist or general doctor then it should be mostly covered by your health insurance, and the counselling if carried out under the supervision of a psychiatrist, should be 90% covered by your basic health insurance. Of course, you'd first need to pay the 'franchise' gap which depends on your insurance.

Either way, though, consider it an investment in your mental health.

And I feel (from personal experience and from those around me) that this past year has been particularly bad for 'seasonal affective disorder' - mental illness made worse by the grey weather and lack of sunshine.

I just spent 2-3 weeks on the sunnier side of the planet, including some very hot sunny days in Asia, and came back feeling hugely better. Do not underestimate the affect of sun/good weather on mood... plus the doctor will probably do a quick blood test and check your Iron, Vitamin D and Thyroid function...

You will be surprised who/how one can be affected by depression and it isn't narcissistic at all.. this gives you an example of some of the people affected by mental illness... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/j...seriously.html

The fact that you have recognized that you may have a problem is a massive first step... the fact that you are willing to seek help is an even bigger second step...

There is nothing in life that can't be fixed, it may take time but it can be fixed. You, unfortunately, seem to be stuck in a vicious circle at the moment. Your mental health is affecting your day to day life which in turn is making your mental health worse. As I said before, you have already taken huge steps in recognizing a problem and seeking help now you just have to continue taking baby steps towards full recovery.

Hope things go well for you tomorrow. Good luck

It's a terrible, terrible situation to be in. The most debilitating thing ever.

In short, go to a doctor somewhere, somehow and do it ASAP. They won't laugh, they won't dismiss you as being a "whacko", they won't send you packing. What they will do is help you deal with what's going on. I'm confident that within 10mins of telling the doc, you'll already feel better.

Not so long ago I very nearly didn't go, but so glad I did. I went to the docs who was fab, she referred me to a psychologist who was equally as good. 7months after some counselling sessions and some meds (short term), I am/was feeling a million times better.

I'm not medically qualified, but I can say in my experience that it doesn't stop the shitty times creeping into your life, but I feel that I can identify when they're coming and I have some tools/methods to deal with it before it swamps and consumes me again.

Good luck and I wish you all the best with what you choose to do.

PS: I paid for some of the appointments with the doc (as you would for anything else), paid for the meds and paid for the counselling sessions with the psychologist. I cannot recall what the costs were, but it all fell under the health insurance.

Can you let us/me know how it goes?
I have atypical depression the kind where there is no stimulus for the depression (or the opposite of that I guess) and everything is more or less ok but sometimes I sit on the sofa and can't be bothered to get up to get the remote control. I went to the doc in the UK and she was like "aw, I'm sorry, here's a number you can call". Of course, I never did. Recently felt like I needed some help here in CH but then I've just lost my job and haven't felt so good in ages :-)

This is where EF is at its best. It's a great place to come for cyber comfort and advice when life is throwing hard balls at you.

If it ever happens to you, go to another health care professional. You will eventually find the one who can help you. Don't despair.

Here are four KIZ, which stands for Krisen-interventions-zentrum (crisis intervention centre), in Winterthur, Zurich, Bern and St Gallen.

In general, such a centre has a 24-hour telephone line. You may or may not reach someone who speaks English; if not, do not be deterred, just call back a few hours later (when the shift has changed) or call one of the others centres.

These are really low-threshold open-door psychiatric clinics, and naturally, each centre has its own concept. In general, a referral by a doctor is not necessary. People in need (whether psychological or any other kind of crisis) are helped on the phone, or by going there for an appointment, or perhaps to stay for a few days (max. 4 or max 7 days, usually). The costs are covered by the general (= basic) medical insurance.

The purpose is to get a break from one’s current circumstances, to be in a safe place, and to have the time to figure out what is happening, and what the next steps need to be.

Winterthur
http://www.ipw.zh.ch/internet/gesund...ervention.html

Zurich
http://www.pukzh.ch/unsere-angebote/...nintervention/

Bern
http://yellow.local.ch/de/d/Bern/300...mBfMWL1EskGcSA

St Gallen
http://www.psychiatrie-nord.sg.ch/ho...rvention1.html

Even if you live somewhere else, you could call there, and ask them to help you find help.

The “Helping Hand” telephone service is another well-established 24-hour offer. The people who answer are often volunteers, lay-people with a little training by psychologists or psychiatrists, and good listeners. There, too, you may or may not find someone who speaks English, so you might just try again a few hours or days later.
The number is 143. No dialing code, no prefix, just 143.

You might have a look at your medical insurance papers, too, and your insurance card. Some medical insurance companies also offer a 24-hour helpline, in which professionals help one to decide what to do next.

Xamarth - just checking in to see how you are doing and how the GP appointment well. Do provide us an update but only if you feel like it. Hope today is better and things went well with the GP.

I'm currently being treated for chronic depression and bi-polar following a nervous breakdown last summer. I have two small kids and even that didn't stop me from wanting to leave everything behind. It has been the blackest period of my life and I am still trying to get better with medication and therapy.


I was so ashamed and embarassed, but the truth is, it is an illness like any other and you should not be afraid to seek help. Your first point of call should be your doctor who will then be able to assess you as to the best form of treatment. Don't be afraid, they have seen it thousands of times before and will not see you as weak or silly....these were my biggest fears. It is actually strong people that can step up and help themselves when they need it.


I wish you all of the luck in the world and please feel free to message me privately if you want to.

The good news is that there is help here. Please use all the services you are entitled to and start the journey out of the black hole.

Good luck and I wish you light at the end of the tunnel.

Well, this is my first post..
Xamarth, it's in your best interest first to find out whether it's psychiatric or psychological issue: try to get a doctor visit for both. Before visiting a doctor, it's also crucial to have a self-observation list of things about which you are really concerned (daily abnormalities, loss of appetite, sleep duration, degrees of your reaction to daily things, etc.). I would also suggest you to demand a blood test from your doctor which should include your vitamin D, B6 and B12. People tend to underestimate these vitamins and yet, they are important for a healthy mental status.