What to do when you can't even get your SAD diagnosed

First, I tried to post this yesterday but for some reason didn't appeared around today, so I asume that there was some server malfunction as there was no mods notification of a deleted thread, but if that was the case, sorry for do it again, I just wanted to be sure. Now lets get to the post:

I seriously suspect that I suffer from SAD. I don't want to tell you my case right now as this isn't the point of the thread (but I will have no problem in make a detailed explanation of my case if you like, just that I want to hear your answerw to the original question). I've done some online tests (can't remember which ones, too lazy to look for them again) and all they said that they are no a valid diagnose of SAD but that according to my results I am very likely to suffer from SAD and therefore I must go to a profesional to get it diagnosed.

I have three options to do this: first, I just can use my usual medical service, I only get charged about 1 dollar for non complex services, like psychology or psychiatry. Then why I don't use it? Because I get my medical service through my parents. And they don't know about my serious socializing problems, and I don't trust them to talk with them about it, in fact, they are probably part of the problem, but I'm stuck living with them for at least three years 'till I finish college.

My second option is to use the free psychological help that my college provides for students. But I'm afraid that at some point the doctor will decide that I have to work out the issuses with my parents, and call home to talk with them. I don't know if a doctor can make you talk about your problems with someone you just don't want to, but the very idea keeps from using this service.

And the third option would be to go to a private doctor, but I just can't afford that.

I know that there's something going out with me, and I'm sure is not just some silly teenage anxiety (I mean, I'm 22). I need to go to a psychologist or psychiatrist to get a diagnosis and a treatment, but I don't know how I can do that without my parents finding out.

What do you people think that I should do?

give it a try for the third option and stick with what ever you have for medication and services. im pretty sure that the person is giving you therapy at school wont force you to talk to you parents but give you suggestions in a appropriate way. they'll keep it confidential if you let them know that you're not ready to talk about these things to your parents. I'm also 22 years old. i went there 3 times at school for personal counseling 2 years ago. I was suppose to go last tuesday, but i ended up not going. i'll try to make another appointment again. but I don't know if its necessary for me to go there again, if i have problem with commitment and time management.

Through your school... you are an adult, he's not going to call mom and dad. This is an initial diagnoses/screening. If you ever get into therapy, parents may factor in. Frankly gonna have to eventually deal with that down the road... doesn't have to be now tho.

Trust me here mate... this has been my fear exactly yours literally. I turning 25. Final semester... I am going to try and use my school's medical services I underestimated it I know once I graduate I'll regret not doing it like I have regretted not using the services the last 3 years when my SAD got horribly bad.

Again - you're an adult. University/college depends on all services they offer but they wont call your folks if you say no. You paid for the medical services already at school. It IS likely, they may refer you to another place/doctor outside of school. Then I dont know. But never know until you try.

You people make sense. The logical thing to do, is to use the college service. The thing is, I have this irrational fear, aka phobia, so still would be pretty hard to talk in person with someone about my problems, even if that's the person job. So I don't know where I'm going to find the courage to go to the doc.

If you use your parents, perhaps you can just tell them its a routie school medical test? I'm not sure how things work there but i imagine they wont go into details in the letter or whatever it is they send your parents every monthly, bi yearly or yearly.

Fighter86 said:

If you use your parents, perhaps you can just tell them its a routie school medical test? I'm not sure how things work there but i imagine they wont go into details in the letter or whatever it is they send your parents every monthly, bi yearly or yearly.

Click to expand...

School? no pal I'm in college, so no routine medical test, no letters send home. The problem with my regular medical service is that when you need to take an appointment with an specialist you need to make the request and then they call you to inform you when you can set the appointment. Also, in the case that for some reason the doc can't go to work they call you to inform you. So its very likely that my parents answer that call, and then I'll have to tell them why the heck I made an appointment with a psychologyst.

And I had the irrational fear that if I go to the college's psycologucal service they may call home with something like this: "Mr/Mrs Dent? I'm calling you because your son requested the psycological services that the college provide to the students, and from what he told us we think that you should talk to him about your relationship and go to therapy with him, before his issuses start to affect him academically and emotionally" ... or something like that. Now I seem this scenario as very unlikely but still I'm freaked out about open my self to someone in person, even to a professional who probably has attended people with worst problems that mine.