Depression and Counseling Information

Finding a Counselor that can help you

If you don't have insurance, and cost IS a factor, look in your local phone book (business section white pages or yellow pages) for a number called "United Way's First Call For Help". Every large city should have a number for this, and it is a service run by United Way, that will hook you up with a low cost or sliding scale counselor in your area. When I was broke and unemployed and in need of counseling, they found a counselor for me that was sliding scale, and I only had to pay $2.00 a visit.

You can also look up local help in your area online - If you need help with tangible local items, like food, medical care, counseling services, health care, clothing, shelter, ect, look up your Local United Way office

I recommend only a woman as a counselor, because while men can be good counselors, I don't think they can really understand PASS - for the psychiatrist, either male or female is fine - the psychiatrist mainly prescribes medication and judges your overall state, but doesn't necessarily go through 'talking and healing' - the LCSW or the Psychologist does that aspect of it.

As on how to find one that will understand PASS - many professionals out there don't believe in PASS, or have never heard of it - but you can ask anyway. You can also tell them it is similar to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - (PTSD). They all should understand PTSD. You can also call the person you are considering for counseling, and ask the receptionist to have her call you back so you could ask her a few questions - then with a brief 3-5 minute phone call (for free) you could get a feel as to whether this counselor would be a good match for you. What I would ask would be:

1. Have you ever heard of Post Abortion Stress Syndrome?

2. Have you ever treated a woman for problems after an abortion?

3. Can you remain neutral about treating a woman who's had an abortion? (i guarantee you any good counselor will say 'yes'; it's their job to put their personal feelings aside and take care of the patient, whether they are personally prolife or prochoice - if you get hesitation, or a funny answer, or 'No' to this question, do NOT bother to see this counselor!)

4. Have you ever helped women with pregnancy loss feelings? "Pregnancy Loss" issues are when women have a miscarriage, or the baby dies in utero and then an abortion is performed to clear the uterus. This is becoming more recognized as a real issue for some women, and therapists are becoming more aware of ways to handle 'pregnancy loss' feelings. PASS issues are similar to pregnancy loss feelings, and a counselor that handles pg loss issues should be able to understand your feelings as well.

If she seems completely unaware of PASS, tell her it is similar to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - that will usually be something they can 'recognize'. After that say, "Thank you for your time", and hang up. These four questions will give you a good glimpse into this counselor's basic personality and treatment style - if you don't feel comfortable with the answers you got, or her personality, then keep calling around until you find one that hits you right in the phone conversation. You will be hopefully having treatment with this counselor for 6 or more months - it's important to make sure you are comfortable, and that she will be able to help you with your issues. If you start seeing a counselor, and feel like you are not connecting, or she is not understanding you, then don't be afraid to find a different counselor.

NASW is the professional organization for social workers. Among other things, they have a searchable database of social workers that do therapy.All of the social workers in the database are Licensed Clinical Social Workers [LCSW]s. If you have insurance you can probably look up a counselor on your insurance co's web site and see if they're listed in the NASW database. NASWs database is not all inclusive however. Each listing includes their specializations (women's issues, grief/bereavement, general practice, etc), address, phone number and you can click on another link to get their educational background and other useful information. To get a list of results just type in city and state but don't check any of the speciality boxes because you won't get any results. The NASW site address is: www.naswdc.org. After you get there click on the left hand menu bar that says "Find a Social Worker" . (It's right above the big 'NASW JobLink' menu bar.)

More about Depression
Depression is a common condition that affects women with PASS - and depression is not just someone who can't 'snap out of it', or something you can just 'get over' - Clinical Depression is a chemical imbalance in your body, that needs to be treated with medication and with 'talk therapy'. Clinical Depression can be triggered by a stressful event (such as an abortion), and also can be aggravated by the hormonal changes that your body swings through after an abortion. To see if your depression falls under the 'Clinical Depression' guidelines, you can answer the questions in the online quiz.

Online Screening Test

• Go to the Surveys and Quizzes Page

There's also a test for another mental health issue, called "Dyslimbia" - it used to be referred to as "Borderline Personality Disorder". This is another important mental health issue that women should be aware of, since it can also be treated very successfully with medication. For more information on Dyslimbia, click here.

You Are Not Alone with Depression

You Are Not to Blame for Depression

Depression is not a character flaw, nor is it simply feeling blue for a few days. Most importantly, depression is not your fault. It is a serious mood disorder which affects a person's ability to function in every day activities. It affects one's work, one's family, and one's social life.

Today, much more is known about the causes and treatment of this mental health problem. We know that there are biological and psychological components to every depression and that the best form of treatment is a combination of medication and psychotherapy.

So What Does Cause It?

Counselors, Psychiatrists, Psychologists - let's figure out who does what!