Posted by Emme_V2 on December 31, 2012, at 22:20:56
In reply to Therapy and meds as a package, posted by Meltingpot on December 30, 2012, at 16:57:42
> I've never quite got how taking meds and having therapy together is better than having one or the other. Surely if you are taking medication to help you feel better while you are having therapy you are not dealing with the same issues.
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> For instance if you are having terrible, anxiety that is not associated with anything and then you take a medication that makes the anxiety subside then when you go or the therapy in this calm, altered state you are not having to deal with the issue because it is no longer there.
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> I can understand how therapy can help if you are having relationship problems or financial problems or grief problems but not really for depression or anxiety which doesn't seem to have an underlying cause.
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> DeniseI think there are lots of ways a therapist can help even if you've already cleaned out the cobwebs from any baggage you have (and most humans do have some baggage just by virtue of being human) and there don't seem to be any clear underlying causes.
1. A therapist who has a working relationship with your psychiatrist can help track your symptoms and provide an extra pair of eyes. Chances are you'll see your therapist more than your pdoc, and the extra feedback can help your pdoc.
2. He or she can help figure out patterns or indications that you're starting to slip so that you can mobilize your support system and contact your doctor if needed, hopefully shortening the duration of a relapse or nipping it in the bud.
3. He or she can help develop coping strategies for when you're in a depression.
4. She or he can provide moral support when you're way down (life support mode), holding hope for your when you feel you don't have any.
5. She or he can help you deal with debris from having experienced depression. I think having terrible depression is kind of traumatizing in its own way. You may feel like talking about what your experience has been like or discussing fears related to the illness itself.
6. You may need some coaching to plan to regain your life once you are doing better.
7. Even if you don't have major relationship or other issues, sometimes it's still nice to have some thoughts on new ways to deal with challenging situations as they come up.
Therapy really only provided items 1, 3, and 4 for me when my depression was bad. It was helpful in other ways when medication had brought my depression down to something more manageable. I'd say about 80% of remission for me is medication. But that other 20% is pretty useful, and I think therapy is a good place to help take you from remission to remembering who you really are and healing your spirit. Just some thoughts.
emme
poster:Emme_V2
thread:1034236
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20121231/msgs/1034325.html