A calm, plain-language guide to what happens at a first psychiatric appointment in Tempe, AZ, what to bring, and how to prepare.

If you live with chronic pain, someone has probably asked you a version of this question: "Do you think you might be depressed?" Depending on who asked and how, it may have felt like they were suggesting your pain is not real, or that it is somehow your fault. So let's be clear from the start: chronic pain is real, depression is real, and having one does not make the other imaginary. The honest answer to the question is yes, chronic pain can lead to depression, and it does so