Should I see a psychologist, psychiatrist, therapist, or a counselor?
 

I have OCD (though I've never actually been diagnosed), I've been depressed for about three years now (SI for one), and lately I've been acting kind of bipolar (happy one minute, depressed the next, and within a few minutes I'm crying... No exaggeration) lately, too. I don't feel quite ready to see anyone just yet, but I know that I should soon, and I want to be prepared when I do. Should I see a psychologist, psychiatrist, therapist, or a counselor? Which would help me the best?

First of all, it is dangerous to diagnose yourself. That said, if you have concerns, I would recommend seeing a therapist who can refer you to a psychiatirst. You can choose to talk to your medical doctor and explain your symptoms, and they can give you a referal as well. There are many routes to go to get help. Hopefully there will be some more replies to help you better. I'm just going off of what I did.

All the best.

I agree with Found Middle Ground. Diagnosing yourself isnt good because you're not a doctor and can't look at your own symptoms subjectively.

Firstly, seeing a psychiatrist would be good because they will diagnose you. Then according to what they think you have, they will decide how best to treat you. They will make necessary referalls to a counsellor or therapist or decide if you should try medication etc.

As control freak said... Please don't diagnose yourself, you can't see yourself from the outside so it really doesn't make any sense.
The way I see it is like having some food on your face! You can't normally see it or feel it, but it's blatent to anyone looking at you. For me, having a therapist is like having a mirror so I can see where to wipe.

Do you understand the difference from all of the above? I can't speak for anyone else and I'm not a professional, but these are the roles they've played in my treatment:

Counsellor: Before I sought help through mental health services, I tried counselling. For me, it was useless... She didn't give me any feedback or suggestions to anything at all.
GP: My GP reffered me to my local CAMHS unit for assessment. This was to check that I was in the right place for the nature of my problems and to assess my needs. Two months later I started CBT.
Psychologist/Therapist: Well, it says psychologist on the letters she sends me. The person I'm having CBT with once a week. If you need information on CBT then ask.
Psychiatrist: A month after I started CBT, I met with a Psychiatrist. He prescribed me drugs. I have a review every two months.

If you choose to seek treatment, one normally leads to another. I would recommend seeing a counsellor at first to see if that helps. If it's not useful, speak to your GP about appropriate steps.

Good luck, hope you find the help you need.

I think if you go to your GP they will refer you to the local CMHT and they will assess the situation and decide what kind of person you need to see.

I've had a therapist, a counsellor and a psychiatrist and personally i've found my psychiatrist to be of best help, but that is probably quite a lot down to his personality really.

Amy x

The OP lives in the USA so I don't think their mental health system quite works the same as ours (with CMHTs and CAMHS and stuff).

Oh, hadn't noticed they were in the USA.
Regardless, the roles of the professionals should still be the same.

I would start by going to your doctor who can refer you to the appropriate place, you don't really need to worry about who to see, that will be decided for you

I know that it's dangerous to diagnose myself (I doubt I have manic depression), but I do know that I have OCD. I can't really explain it well enough, but I know that I do have it. Plus, it's in my family (which I didn't find out until very recently). And, yes, I do know the differences between all of the docters I listed...
Thank you all very much! I'll get a referral from my doctor, I guess. ^_^