Definition of "clinical depression" ?
Q.Would the following tests: Chem 20, CBC, thyroid panel, and sed rate constitute a "THOROUGH" investigation?
A.If a superficial history is one that includes questions about mood and enjoyment of activities then the histories that the many, many doctors who have "diagnosed" me with "depression" were much less than superficial. Because *NONE* of the "doctors" who "diagnosed" me with depression asked me those questions. One doctor actually "diagnosed" me with depression without even seeing me!!!!! They are a good starting point. I doubt your insurance policy is willing to pay for detailed PCR and cultures of all the various organisms from all your orifices without starting on the basic tests first. Even if the basic tests are negative, one should never put too much faith on one negative result. The reason US insurance premiums are so pricey is because less experienced physicians rely too much on expensive tests rather than on simple basic tests and clinical acumen. And do you realise how ridiculously expensive a SPECT scan is? For one SPECT scan, you could literally do thousands of all those tests which have been done on you (assuming the radiologist is willing to use his/her machine's time to scan you even if your doctor refers you). And some of them is bound to accidently read positive too! Also, I am doubtful that *only* a SPECT scan can detect this type of infection (whatever it is) since it is normally used in research or in the diagnosis of early brain damage (mainly in strokes) and has minimal value in normal clinical practice. A SPECT scan certainly does not fall into the category of reasonable investigation for infection (basic, advanced or even thorough). You may be 99.99% sure that it is this particular infection (whatever it is) but I can sympathise with your doctor's point of view that it is quite unlikely from simple statistical probability although I must admit I know nothing about your medical history. On the other hand, I suspect you don't have depression but you may have another condition which can be helped by antidepressants. However, clearly you have problems with your doctor so your healthcare relationship isn't working but that does not come up to the level of a malpractice (not in California, not in any country in the world, not in any time in history). And finally, if you are 99.99% sure of your condition and of the wrongness of your doctor, what on earth is the purpose of posting questions on this newsgroup? It doesn't do you any good, even if we agree with you. Our USENET posts won't convince your doctor nor a court. We're wasting your time and effort.
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