Quote Originally Posted by Atmoscheer View Post
Aren't you in school? Typically your health center will offer some type of counseling, usually up to a certain number of sessions per semester. I would start there, and let them determine if it's necessary for you to be referred to someone who can make a diagnosis and/or prescription (just depends on how the service is structured for students.)
Nah, graduated. Which reminds me, I'll thank everyone to start referring to me as Gwahir, B.A. from now on.

Quote Originally Posted by Atmoscheer View Post
To go ahead and prepare you, the first thing they are going to do is question your alcohol use and before they make any prescription, they're going to want you to basically stop drinking. They'll give you a whole lot of information about the effects of alcohol and alcohol abuse and, no matter how much you insist, they are going to claim you fit the clinical definition of an alcoholic. This is step 1 for any and all depression treatment (because alcohol is obviously a huge depressant.)

One of the big indicators of depression isn't the mood/psychological effects, its the actual physical effects. You haven't seemed to mention any of those, so it sounds more like you just need someone to talk to and validate the complexity of your self-image. A counselor is a good place to start.
I barely drink any alcohol at all, ever, because I just don't like it very much. So the first bit isn't really going to apply to me. (I suspect it's also probably an American thing, because that is completely unlike anything I've ever heard about speaking to a professional about depression.) As for physical symptoms -- are you referring to fatigue, trouble sleeping (or trouble over-sleeping), and so on? I didn't mention them, but they're there.

Yes, just talking might do the trick. It would take a lot of convincing before I considered taking meds, anyway.

Thanks anon. Part of my whole situation is that it means nothing to me to think that depression (if I have it) will get better, when I'm so pessimistic about my actual life getting better. But, like all things with me, that pessimism ebbs and flows.