how long does it typically take to hit the right dose and no longer be told to find yourself a new psychiatrist? (depression, medication)

[w99w]

Back in the day when I whined about my life random internet people told me to get therapy. I did therapy but obviously it didn't work.

Then I was told to find myself a psychiatrist. I found one but after a year of working with him we are still trying new medications.

Now I'm told that I need to find a new psychiatrist because now it turns out that according to random people on the internet my problem is way deeper than ADD, since the medications still haven't made my resume stand out and make me desirable to employers.

The question that I have is, in light of the fact that I still haven't solved the problem of making other human beings want to hire me even though I keep applying for jobs and have had my resume polished by two "experts", and in light of the fact that going back to school and getting a certificate didn't get me anywhere, and in light of the fact that I need to find an income before I reach the point where I'd rather kill myself than literally live out on the street and eat food out of dumpsters, should I seriously be thinking about finding a new psychiatrist?

Will we have to start again from zero and spend another year going through the same drill or will the new psychiatrist continue where the current psychiatrist left off?

Frankly I'm not sure what new doses/medications there are to try. According to my psychiatrist higher doses would be harmful to my health (I'm already taking really high doses of my meds) and unless he is lying to me, there is pretty much nothing new for me to try.

Since according to internet people there is a direct relationship between my unemployment and my mental illness (nevermind the fact that I have little relevant experience and almost no skills and that my resume, no matter how I format it, still sucks, and nevermind the fact that I am hispanic which means that at almost every job interview I go to I'm bound to find some amount of conscious or subconscious prejudice and possibly even racism on the part of the interviewer), does it mean that my own salvation is a new psychiatrist who will either pull an ace from under his sleeve or have the balls to increase my current dose to dangerously high levels?

[AnonChick]

Here's a fun little paradoxical answer for ya:

Stop asking for, and taking advice from, strangers on the internet.

[maryanne10]

I agree with the above post. With that said, bipolar disorder symptoms sometimes look like those of ADD....maybe it's time to explore a fresh opinion from a highly skilled diagnostician. Look for a new psychiatrist. It can save your quality of life. Be well.

[Doll Eyes]

It's endless. They will keep telling you that and also to 'keep hope alive' through the dozens of meds and doctors, as if that is actually possible.

[blossom4792]

Let me back up and I apologize if you've covered this. Are you getting interviews when you send out your resume? Or are you getting interviews and then not getting hired?

On the job front, I would first of all expect to send out 100+ applications to land one job. Just expect that. At the same time, do whatever you can to build up your skills, polish your resume (which it sounds like you are doing), practice for interviews, etc. I would also suggest you do an internship or a volunteer position to keep busy, build skills, build contacts, etc. [I like to tell people the story of the person who applied to 60 medical schools with the hopes of getting into one - he didn't care if he got into 30 or 10 or 3, he just wanted to get in. That's the sort of perseverance that makes people succeed].

In terms of the psychiatrist, I would typically not suggest that you switch psychiatrists based on what you have described! I especially do not see any correlation between your employment and your doctor/medication.

However, different doctors see very different things, take different approaches and have new and different ideas. So maybe you could go for a second opinion and see if someone sparks something in you. That said, I think sticking with one doctor in itself is a sign of mental stability.

[purehuman]

w99w...you are one of the almost 14 million people in the States currently unemployed and looking for work....you are not alone....medications do NOT mean that your resume will "stand out"...and the fact that you've said that you've had 2 "experts" polish your resume is proof of that......I don't really have any advice on how to help with the depression you so obviously feel....though I do find it concerning for you that you seem to have mixed "finding you a job" ..with a psychiatrist pulling "an ace from under his sleeve"...and worse still....."have the balls to raise my medication to {DANGEROUSLY} high levels"....is that what you want???....I don't mean to sound harsh w99w but from what I read you seem to be setting store with the idea that just because you take meds and therapy...you're going to find a job!