Posted by Elizabeth on January 24, 2002, at 13:24:48
In reply to Re: David Burns , posted by OldSchool on January 24, 2002, at 10:30:56
> I have his book Feeling Good. I dont agree with much of the stuff in it.
I agree, and I'm surprised to hear that you have the book. Any particular reason you got it?
> He criticizes the idea of depression having a chemical imbalance root cause, but then goes onto giving rave reviews of MAOIs. MAOIs are the most potent antidepressants available.
Well, if they are the best ADs, maybe it just means he thinks the other ADs are weak and don't do much. (BTW, I'm guessing that you mean the *strongest* or most *effective*. Potency just means the effective dose is low -- so Parnate is more potent than Nardil, and Paxil is more potent than Zoloft, but MAOIs and other ADs can't really be compared in potency since they do different things.)
> What gives with that? What a hypocrite. Its obvious Burns is another idiot who has this mindblock many psychology buffs have to the basic fact that all of your thoughts, moods, feelings, perceptions, etc. are brain based. Everything starts in your brain.
A lot of people seem to have a hard time grasping this idea. Anyway, that must be why I thought Burns was a psychologist, because he's such a CBT cultist.
Out of curiosity, have you tried CBT or other talk therapy, and if so what did you think of it? (My experience with CBT was much like Cecilia's.)
> He also admits bipolar disorder is heavily biological and genetic, but denies depression is biological. LOL
So he buys the idea of a biological basis for some mental disorders, but denies that depression is one of them, huh? Personally I've never heard of *anyone* with serious depression who was cured by CBT.
Yes, the brain gets sensory input from external experiences, and in the long term these experiences affect what we call "personality," but whether or not a major depressive episode will occur is largely predetermined, probably at least in part by genetics. (There may be other factors, such as autoimmune conditions.) So I don't think that people with depression that has recurred for more than a couple times are likely to benefit from personality or behavior modification (the supposed effect of CBT).
-elizabeth
poster:Elizabeth
thread:75408
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020124/msgs/91422.html