Who it is for
Adults whose low mood, loss of interest or exhaustion has lasted for at least two weeks and is getting in the way of work, relationships or daily life; people whose depression keeps coming back; and people who have tried one or more medicines without enough benefit. Depression can also hide behind irritability, poor sleep, aches and difficulty concentrating, and it often sits alongside anxiety.
How the assessment works
Dr Szigeti
Your story in your own words first; then a structured look at your symptoms, sleep, energy and thinking, your medical history and medication, alcohol and drugs, and what has helped or not before. Physical causes such as thyroid problems, anaemia or vitamin deficiencies are checked with your GP. I look carefully for bipolar features, because they change the treatment, and for anxiety, ADHD or trauma that may be part of the picture. The findings are explained clearly, whether or not a diagnosis is made.
Validated scales such as the PHQ-9, the DASS-42 and the Kessler K10+ give a baseline and track how you are doing; the diagnosis is made against DSM-5-TR and ICD-11 criteria. Before you meet, you complete the Pre-Assessment Form at home: it saves time during the appointment and helps Dr Szigeti tailor your care from the first meeting. Return it by hand when you meet or through the encrypted upload link we send you, never by email or WhatsApp. The appointment can be in person or by secure video.
Treatment options
- Medication. Chosen with you for your symptoms, your health and the side effects you most want to avoid. It takes four to six weeks to judge the effect, which is reviewed in thirty-minute follow-ups; when the time comes to stop, it is reduced gradually, never abruptly.
- When medication has not been enough. A change of medicine or a combination, and non-drug options: tDCS at home under supervision, or rTMS by referral to a colleague, discussed when adequate trials of medication have not helped.
- Sleep, daylight, movement and alcohol. Small, specific changes that measurably help, planned with you rather than handed out as advice.
- Psychological therapy, alongside. Therapy can support and strengthen the treatment Dr Szigeti provides, and he will say when he thinks it would help. He does not provide psychotherapy himself; he can point you to psychologists and therapists, including those at the Dún Laoghaire Therapy Centre, and works alongside them.
All treatment options are discussed with you before anything is prescribed or started, including their risks and benefits.
If you are in crisis
Seaward Clinic is not an emergency service. If you have thoughts of ending your life, or you cannot keep yourself safe, call 999 or 112, go to your nearest emergency department, or call the Samaritans on 116 123, free, day or night. Depression is treatable, and help is available today.
Fees
| Appointment | Fee |
|---|---|
| Psychiatric assessment, one hour | €500 |
| Follow-up appointment, thirty minutes | €180 |
A course of tDCS is priced in writing before it starts; rTMS is provided by a colleague’s clinic, which sets its own fees. Laya Healthcare, Vhi, Irish Life and other insurers may cover part of the cost. Fees and insurance