For those of you that have a depression or anxiety disorder that is not always visible due to the ability to hide symptoms or put on a happy face, were you taken seriously when seeking treatment? And if not, how did you overcome it?
I’ve been managing for 6 and a half years now and while my illness is not generally noticeable to the public, on most days I am a complete wreck. However, this desire to hide my symptoms has seemingly resulted in doctors and therapists not taking me seriously. Each time I go in asking for more help, I feel like my psychiatrist brushes off my concern. I told him in my last visit that I had been considering hospitalization and he scoffed. I don’t know how to make people take me seriously without any physical evidence of my crippling mental illness. Any advice is appreciated, thanks in advance!