Posted by sid on January 29, 2002, at 18:41:54
In reply to the hopelessness syndrome » sid, posted by Lou Pilder on January 29, 2002, at 15:20:21
Some known facts about depression, without meds:
- the more episodes of major depression you've had, the more likely you'll have another one;
- the more episodes you've had in the past, the more close together, in time, your episodes will be;
- the more episodes you've had in the past, the worse they become;
- given all the above, eventually, you could have a chronic major depression (I don't even want to imagine that!).So, depending on well and (how fast perhaps?) you heal from your first episode, your future may be bright or not. That's just how the disease affects us over time, it has been observed. It tends to be recurrent.
So if someone takes meds at the first episode and heals well (takes them long enough to avoid recurrence after stopping to take the meds), then this person can stop and be fine thereafter. Other things can help to, and other things can help prevent recurring episodes (CBT, relaxationtechniques, etc...). However, if someone does not heal well between episodes, if someone has dysthymia (more likely to have major episodes than someone without dysthymia), or if someone has had many major episodes already, then the probability of this person ever being well (i.e. without depression, dysthymia or major episodes) without taking meds for the rest of their life decreases.
In my case, I have had 1 major episode which took long to heal (perhaps 2 or perhaps 1 that lasted long, I am not sure), and ince I have had dysthymia for 21 years, then the probability of recurrence of major episodes and continuing dysthymia is high for me. I am taking meds now to try to break the cycle, byt perhaps it's too late. If, so I will liekly be on meds all my life. I certainly hope to break the cycle, but I'll know only in a year or two (given my history, I will be on meds at least a year once I have no more symptoms of dysthymia), when I get off the meds. Will it come back? Will be fine? How sensitive will I be to reccurent episodes of major episodes? I don't know yet.
I am not hopeless (far from it!), but knowing the facts and having read some statistics, I know that the best outcome may not happen for me. Although I am doing everything in my power, meds included, not to depend on meds forever.
- Sid
poster:sid
thread:91731
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020124/msgs/92071.html