Posted by lucy stone on June 21, 2004, at 20:22:38
In reply to My experiences with therapy, posted by fires on June 21, 2004, at 14:34:23
> After some PT, it became apparent that all of the talking in the world was not going to help my depression. I had other therapists who combined meds and talk. When that failed I had 9 ECT treatments. No relief. The dep. eventually went away with time alone and some dietary changes (NO milk or wheat products), but I was still rather dysthymic.
>I think very few reputable Ts would treat a severe depression with only talk therapy.
> I had many more T experiences even after I was convinced that my "mental illness" was really a "brain disorder". Here's what ****I******* learned from my PT experiences and my reasearch about PT. Red Flags that my therapy &/or therapist wasn't/weren't "right" for me, and words of caution re: PT/Ts that I've accumulated from many sources over the years:
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> • T fell asleep on 2 occasions -- right during my therapy (sleep deprived Residents may not make the best Ts for Dep. people who are withdrawn and not talking much).I wouldn't let a resident treat me physical illness and I wouldn't go to a resident for therapy. Some people have no choice for monetary reasons and have to rely on resident but it isn't ideal.
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> • I did have a couple of Ts whom I liked, although their PT didn't help my dep., but did help me somewhat with assertiveness. One of them told me that there were at least 100 distinct types of PT. He then added that each particular type thought that their's was the one true type of PT. (Sound something like religion?)
>This is her opinion. The vast majority of Ts know that the different types of therapy are good for different problems and/or different patients. There are many different kinds of therapy just like there are many different kinds of medication. It's not one size fits all.
> • Be wary of any T/PT that doesn't clearly define a theurapeutic goal and a limited timeline. I was hospiatalized with a relatively young woman with dep., whom was told by her T that her "problems" were so severe that it would take 10+ years for her to regain her former health!!!
>Why would you be leary of a T who couldn't predict how long therapy would take? How can anyone know this in advance. I am assuming the person who was told that her problems would take years to resolve was a adult. If it took her her entire life to get to where she was, why should she expect to solve her problems in a short period of time. Why shouldn't you expect deep and long lasting changes in the way you think to take a long time? Also, why is long term therapy bad? If it continues to improve the life of the client and if the client has the resources and time it's hard for me to see why this would be a negative.
> • Avoid any T that rewards or encourages you to whine, bitch, blame, behave as an "emotional cripple" and or "drama queen/king". If they even tolerate such behavior say "bye" fast. I learned that from my years of working in special education, and Ts working with that population.
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My T lets me whine, bitch, or blame if that's what I need to do at the time. Then, we talk about why I need to act that way and what I think it will get me. It's a better way to change behavior that not "tolerating" it. I'm not a special education child and don't expect to be treated like one.> • Be leary of PTs that say that you must feel worse before you feel better! If your'e experiencing suicidal ideation, such "therapy" could very well push you to act on your impulses, especially if you have frontal lobe involvement (impulsivity problems can be due to frontal lobe problems).
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Sorry, don't buy this one. Going deeply into your thought processes can make you feel worse, but ultimately can make you feel better. Why should therapy only make you feel better? If you experiencing suicidal ideation your T should know that and and can help you, probabley including sending you to a pdoc for medication.> > • Leave any T who you become overly dependent on. A good T should not let you become overly dependent on him.
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Define "overly dependent." Being dependent on a person who you care about and trust is very healing. A good T know how to deal with dependence.
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> I may have forgotten some things learned during my 28 years, but I can add them later. BTW, Parnate and now Effexor can be thanked for making my life tolerable or better yet since 1988.
>I accidentily deleted the name of the book you recommended, but I recall that it was published in the mid 1980s. Psychological thinking has changed a lot in the last 20 years. I wouldn't rely on 20 year old information on physical or psychological health. The current thinking is that a combination of medication and talk therapy is most helpful for depression.
poster:lucy stone
thread:358678
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20040614/msgs/358794.html