No need to worry

Hi, Dr. P,

I am an American here in Korea with my husband.

We live in Gangwon Province but would like to make an appointment to see you.

We don’t mind the travel, but I really need to see a doctor who can help me with my problems. It has been several months now that I have felt very depressed and suffer from consistent and never-ending ruminating thoughts.

I can’t seem to get a break aside from the times I talk with my husband about the kind of thoughts I keep having. We are afraid that we are helpless here since we are alone and going to a psychiatrist is taboo as well, but I can’t handle this much longer.

Please help me in any way you can.

Thank you so much, Doctor.

Dear sender,

One of the most distressing things about depression is having a great deal of anxiety or worry about something trivial. Sometimes depressed patients cannot fall asleep because of these consistent and never ending ruminating thoughts.

Then, how can we stop worrying obsessively about what could happen? In one word, the answer to this question is not to worry about tomorrow.

Jesus Christ also said, “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink ... Don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

Of course this is not easy in the beginning. If you repeat these sentences and make them yours, it will be helpful for you to escape the habit of worrying.

If you can combine both medication and meditation, you will achieve magnificent effects.

I hope this method will be helpful for you.

Dr. P

Hello,

I live in Seoul and work as an English teacher. I urgently need your advice. I see from your previous responses at the website that you have been very helpful and calming to a number of people. I am currently taking 50mg of Sertraline (Zoloft) a day and only have six days’ supply remaining from the supply I brought to Korea. I have been taking Sertraline for about three years for anxiety and panic, in which time my life and condition has improved beyond belief so I’m very concerned about not being able to get more medication.

I work from 9:30 to 6:30 Monday through Friday so the earliest time I would be able to come for an appointment would be on Saturday. This is also unfortunately the last time I am able to get a new supply of Sertraline before I run out.

So my question is — am I able to have an appointment with you on Saturday and can you prescribe and supply Sertraline on Saturday? Is your clinic based in Seoul?

I hope to hear from you soon.

Many kind regards,

We are open on Saturdays, because many foreign patients work on weekdays. Many of them can visit me only on Saturday like you. My clinic is open from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.

Zoloft is one of the most popular drugs together with Prozac in the psychiatric field. It is very effective for depression or panic disorder. If it is true that Zoloft was helpful for you and you have been taking this medicine for about three years continuously, it is not advisable for you to stop taking it suddenly, because some side effects could occur.

My clinic is located in the Gangnam area of Seoul, and I will try to do my best to help you get Zoloft. Please make an appointment to visit me on Saturday before coming.

Thank you,

Dr. Park Jin-seng is a psychiatrist who runs a clinic for foreigners in Seoul and operates personal therapist forums on www.lifeinkorea.com. Please submit questions to him, either in English or Korean, to mdoctor@korea.com or call the hotline at 02-563-0678. Those who have their questions selected will be presented with a copy of his book “Finding Yourself within Love” (Korean e-Book).