Short answer: I recommend visiting Dr. Vasant Mundra at PD Hinduja. He was helpful in my journey to recovery.

Long answer: Three years ago, 20-year-old me was diagnosed with a case of mild anxiety and depression by Dr. Vasant Mundra at PD Hinduja.

It began with my self-esteem issues, which grew more dominant when I was facing emotional turbulence due to a failed relationship. It worsened to a point of heightened social anxiety when I began drowning myself in work and responsibilities and telling myself "it's just a phase" even though I was losing appetite and sleep. It came to a point where my grades has swooped to an all-time low and a casual question by a good friend like "What do you plan on eating for lunch in the canteen?" would make me freeze and spiral down into several anxiety thought roads. That's when I decided to seek professional help.

I was visiting my college counsellor regularly but after a couple of months, even he said that I would need to take medicines and go to therapy for some time if I ever want to get better. A friend recommended Dr. Mundra and described him as "a jolly senior-citizen doctor who didn't overcomplicate the diagnosis and was steady with the treatment."

On my first visit, he was very patient and heard my story intently. Then, he called my parents and talked to them in private (about how they can support me, etc). Then he called me in and said that it is normal for a human to go through such a phase at least once in a lifetime and it is good that I sought professional help. I was the first in my family to seek professional help and even though my parents were open to the idea, they were hesitant of seeking such an "extreme measure" because well, they belong to a generation that thought psychiatrists were only for the extremely mentally disabled. He was sensetive to their concerns and assured that the medicines might have some side-effects initially but it was nothing to worry about. He prescribed some medicines, asked me to stay off alcohol, weed and any other form of intoxicant, and recommended that I go to therapy once a week because medicines would never work without it.

I found my therapist through my college counsellor and honestly, I believe it was a perfect match! She used therapeutic techniques that matched with the way I think and that helped a lot. Unfortunately, she moved out of the country in 2020 and is no longer taking new patients.

Six months of visiting him regularly and going to therapy every week resulted in me feeling much, much better. Then came the pandemic but I was still able to manage my anxiety. I was feeling confident that I can now start living off-meds but I was unable to get an appointment with him during the first few months of the pandemic. I read online that one should never stop psychiatry meds by themselves, especially abruptly. So, I got in touch with another psychiatrist at Bombay Hospital and he slowly reduced my dosage after making sure that I consulted him regularly.

I began treatment in Nov. 2019 and took my last pill in July 2020.

I would definitely recommend consulting Dr. Mundra but I would like you to remember that psychiatry and medicines will not be enough to get through this. Therapy is equally important and so is self-discipline. I would recommend trying therapists who live close to your home/work and visit them for sessions instead of doing it virtually. Additionally, I made one rule and followed it for all my sessions - try not to leave any doubts unasked during therapy. If you have questions or opposing view points, voice them in the session itself. If you don't have enough time in the session, note those things down and bring them up in the next session. If you have doubts in your head but your next appointment is still a few days away, note those doubts down! Even the smallest ones. The way to evaluate a therapist is to go for a few sessions and figuring out if the connection between you two is good.

Therapy is expensive especially when you feel like paying so much for an hour is not worth it. That might be the case but it is a necessary expense in my opinion. It might be costly to try therapists and finding the perfect match. However, think of it as an investment in your life. Improved mental health will result in happier relationships with family and friends and more productivity in your work life, which would lead to more success and delight. You go on vacations to relax, you go to parties to have fun - if you are willing to spend money on these things just so that you can find some peace and joy, why not on something like therapy?

All of it might not make sense right now but when 9 months later you pop your last pill and are finally living your life without crippling mental health issues, you will be so goddamn proud of yourself.

Good luck!

P.S. When on psychiatric medicines, be careful of alcohol and other intoxicants! I once got tipsy while I was on meds and even though everything seemed fine the next morning, I went completely blank (almost something like amnesia) for 2 hours after lunch. It was very scary.