Full Careers

Can I council myself using DIY career counseling? Or should I treat my depression first?

Does anybody have very good Internet sources? Is it possible to teach myself so that I could counsel myself? DIY always works best with me. And if I suffer from severe episodes of depression (such as now), should I try to heal myself first before making my next career plan etc.? Mature, respectful answers are most welcome. It took me a lot of effort to type this out in my state, so please bear with my indulgence. I cannot afford therapy; hence the need for DIY. I just got a new job which his already proving too much for an 'old' person like me. I have two days off starting tonight. I thought I could make use of the time. P.s. I don't live in America. I'm in Singapore.

Public Comments

1. Get professional help.
2. I highly recommend that you seek professional help. If you had a minor case of the blues, you could try to kick yourself out of it by doing things you enjoy, making sure you get the right vitamins and sunshine, do healthy things that increase your self esteem. But since you said severe episodes of depression, you need medication, and only a psychiatrist or doctor can prescribe that. Counseling will also help. You need to figure out what your problems are, and then work on resolving them. Get the diagnosis from the counselor, get help from him/ her, and in the meantime if you want to add on to the counseling with DIY to try to speed up the therapy you can probably do that. There are lots of books in the library about different kinds of problems, including depression. You can certainly read up on them. Just remember some things take time. Don't make any changes while you are in a depression. There is enough stress in your life. Get through this first, and then work on the career change. If you don't have a job already, maybe you can search your soul to make sure you aren't diagnosing yourself with depression to get out of looking for a job. P.S. If you can't afford counseling, your local NAMI organization might be able to help you.
3. It is always a good idea to educate yourself as much as possible in regards to situations like yours, but I would be hesitant to believe that DIY techniques are going to cure your "severe episodes of depression". I would recommend seeking out a professional clinician who can assess your situation and recommend course of treatment that you're comfortable with.