Should I start with a psychologist or a psychiatrist?

The best answer is to call and make an appointment with one of each. Therapy may be able to help you not only avoid future depression but also avoid the significant physical costs of long-term drug use. Clearly, if you need to start with only one then a psychiatrist who can prescribe meds or help you wean off your meds is your  most pressing need. Your GP is correct; long term antidepressant use should not be done without a psychopharmacologist involved and stopping antidepressants after long-term use without supervision by a psychopharmacologist can be deadly.

I am not a doctor, but since I was A2A this I would suggest that you listen to your doctor and see a psychiatrist. Depression and anxiety are physiological issues that confuse people because they have symptoms that appear as laziness, apathy, and other psychological or behavioral manifestations.  Head trauma can definitely be the cause of personality and mood changes, but neither you, me, or Quora is going to figure out what's wrong with you.  Only an expert can. I recommended a psychiatrist simply because you are self-medicating and the efficacy of your medication is wearing off.  You need a physician who is experienced in psychotropic drugs and psychologists are not M.D.'s so they do not prescribe medications.  Once your symptoms are stabilized, then you should talk to a therapist to address issues of ambition, motivation, and career. Being bored of things, or finding yourself unable to focus on tasks you deem unimportant is not important right now.  First and foremost get yourself to a psychiatrist and let him build a history and treatment plan for you.  Even if you are stuck in a pattern of ineffectiveness and inactivity, fixing your brain will help make it easier to effect change in your life.

Writes: "Since psychiatrists prescribe meds, they are, first and foremost, MDs with a specialty in psychology.  Psychologists gain a much deeper education in the subject, and I'd suggest a good one can evaluate you in relatively short order as to whether or not you truly need meds.  Consider finding a clinic in which an MD-psychiatrist works in partnership with an MSW-Counselor.  One can keep you chemically stable while the other helps with issues." I agree with him. You need to find out if there is a medical issue, such as a chemical imbalance first. Since I am not a qualified professional, that is as far as I can take you with this answer. It sounds like you may have a combination of depression and ADHD.

You need a psychiatrist, as they can prescribe the meds you need.  Psychologists can be helpful for figuring things out, but if you have a  biological need, you need the meds. Think of it as diabetes, a dietician can do  some good, but if you are born with an insulin deficiency, you need a  doctor.

Start with a psychiatrist.

This is a tough question, because you want the broader diagnostic skills and maybe even some screening exercises that a psychotherapist could provide, but the medication management and medical examination skills that a psychiatrist can provide.  The head trauma is a medical issue (let me guess, blow to the forehead, or the back of the head just above the neck?), but not one that can be addressed by medication. It could be that you need to start with a neurologist, to rule out any lasting effects of head trauma.  Then, if there is no damage, go to a psychiatrist who has familiarity with ADHD to help rule that out.  Wellbutrin/bupropion is a pretty good choice for depression with difficulty sustaining focus, but it may not be as effective for you as something that enhances dopamine (Ritalin etc) or something that improves working memory (guanfacine, marketed now as Intuniv).  Then, you may need a psychotherapist (clinical social worker, doesn't have to be a psychologist) to help you develop techniques to build your working memory and sustained attention skills. Disclaimer; I am not a physician and have not examined/tested you, nor have I even stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night, so this advice may be way off.

Since you already are on psychiatric medicine, probably a psychiatrist is the place to start - you likely will end up seeing one either way. Psychiatrists primarily prescribe medicine - very few do psychotherapy, and those that do often charge a lot.  If the medication issues are straightforward, they may pass you off to a nurse practioner who can monitor your medications.  In any event, once the medications are stable, then you will likely only see a psychiatrist once every month or two for "med checks" which are 15-20 minute visits to make sure: a) the medications are working and b) you are not having side effects. I also recommend seeing a psychologist.  The research on the treatment of depression is very clear:  medications and psychotherapy are equally effective.  Yep, it's true (by the way, regular exercise is better than either medication or psychotherapy alone).  Medications tend to work faster, but there is a higher relapse rate over the course of the lifespan than with psychotherapy. Psychotherapy takes longer, but the relapse rate (getting depressed again later in life) is substantially less.  Psychotherapy plus medication is better than either alone in terms of rapid response and resistance to having future depressive episodes. Understand, these are generalities, your mileage may vary depending on your specific circumstances (like your history of head injury).  Good luck.

I agree with seeing a psychiatrist and make sure and tell them about the head trauma that happen when you were younger. Explain to them just as you did in your details, about your everyday life. Be willing to try different meds. and combinations until you find the right ones, don't give up, it may take a while. Make sure to get out in the sunlight as much as possible, it does help.

I'm not qualified in any way shape or form.(I'm just a 3rd generation ADHD mom with 2 ADHD boys ) You are soooo ADD ! Its super common for undiagnosed ADDer's to suffer with depression. I have found most ALL psychologists and psychiatrists are completely ignorant when it comes to ADD. Even those who specialize in it. Find a doctor of psychology who specializes in diagnostics. That's all they do. Stick with it and good luck. The process isn't easy. But the outcome is worth it. You will feel relief that you can't even fathom.