Posted by Carol on February 5, 1999, at 7:10:45
In reply to Re: Doc. Bob,looking for some a success story!!!!!, posted by Tess on February 5, 1999, at 4:39:01
Harry, Paul, Tess and everyone:
I consider myself to be a success story, even though I am not free of medications, and may never be med-free.> I'm firmly in Tess's camp. I have tried repeatedly to "conquer" my disease and be a "normal" person. I use cognitive tools instinctively now, and I have been in a variety of types of counseling to improve my coping skills for a long, long time.
>There is an undeniable BIOLOGICAL component to my depression. During times when I have tried to deal with things without meds, some days were ok, but on many days I couldn't cope with life.
I have endured my husband and his attitude that the meds are a crutch and that I SHOULD be able to deal with all this without meds.There is an undeniable component of my "dysthymia" which is balanced out by the meds, and from there, the exercise, positive thinking, cognitive skills, and other therapy are able to keep me functioning at a very high level.
Part of my process in taking control of my problems, rather than being a "victim" of my disease, was to recognize that this is a long-term thing and that meds were necessary to give me a firm place from which to do all the work that Paul is referring to.
I accept myself the way I am, while still working actively to change the things I can change. For example, in high school I was afraid of other kids, to the extent that I never went to study halls or the cafeteria. Through a LOT of hard work, self-assessment and skill-building, I am now in a position where I interact directly with customers, I lead training sessions for the products my company sells, I present talks at symposia for 50-150 people, and I'm involved in lots of volunteer activities. The self-talk and skills are still very important, but for me, they did not "cure" my underlying problem by themsleves.
>>For any of "us" (people with mental/emotional illnesses) to believe that the only TRUE CURE or SUCCESS is to be totally off medications and away from therapy only feeds the negative impressions that are so widespread in society. I always have to keep my depression a secret, for if my supervisors knew that I was depressed, and being treated for a mental problem, my promotions and advancement and marketability in any job would STOP. This did happen in my first job, so since then I have had to be extremely careful.
Learning to deal with the realities of our own particular situations and accepting these realities is one of the most basic keys for sucess for anyone dealing with mental/emotional disorders. If your problem allows you to be med-free, congratulations. PLEASE don't look down upon those of us for whom that might never happen. For me, a meds combination that works assists me in taking control of my life. At age 23, I was told that maybe I wouldn't need the meds after I went through menopause. Since I'm not there yet, I still don't know.
>
poster:Carol
thread:2794
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19990201/msgs/2843.html