Posted by pej on March 4, 1999, at 16:16:28
In reply to Skeptic about antidepressants and therapy..., posted by David on March 4, 1999, at 12:13:31
> Hello everybody,
>
> I have been mildly depressed for a long long time,
> without actually knowing it. But it seems to me
> that it has been forever.
>
> >Hello David,I feel like I already know you. What you wrote is pretty much what I guess most all of us have felt from time to time.
I am not a professional but here are my two cents worth. We all have felt we could put off getting help and just "bootstrap" the problem...forget it. Depression is not fixed with willpower unfortunately.
Your psychologist seemed to have your best interest at heart-getting you help quickly since you were leaving the country. In my opinion, I would run from that psychiatrist as fast as my feet could move. Anyone that would say what they said to a patient is an idiot. First of all, therapy is hard for anyone! That's why people resist it and why they give up so fast. They realize it is a painful journey and want no part of it.
We all have behaviors that make our recovery difficult because we are all human beings. People who think they have life under some sort of perfect control are the ones that should be avoided at all cost.
Anyway, my point is, find a medication that works from a good psychiatrist and then get into therapy. When you are depressed a therapist can talk til they are blue in the face and you probably won't benefit as much until you get the chemical imbalance under control.
Also, when a good friend asks how you are doing, if you feel depressed, say so. Honest communication is a very nice start at recovery.
Have faith. Switch meds if you have to but supplement with talk therapy. When we're depressed it seems impossible but in my humble opinion you are very close to getting this under control. Sometime us depressed folks just don't have much fight left in us but I know the truth.
Depressed people that keep working to find answers are some emotionally tough sonsabitches.
You WILL get there. pej
poster:pej
thread:3400
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19990301/msgs/3403.html