Posted by pegasus on June 5, 2006, at 9:28:08
In reply to Severly depressed, cognitive approach not working, posted by Reggie BoStar on June 4, 2006, at 14:32:16
Hi Reggie,
It sounds like your working definition of your life "amounting to nothing" is tied to what gives you a sense of fulfillment. Since you say that nothing since you were 10 has given you the slightest sense of fulfillment, it seems reasonable (i.e., not irrational) to me that you conclude that your life will not amount to anything in the future.
But also, it seems to me that the way you equate fulfillment to your life amounting to something leaves a bit of room for hope. The hope would be that you may someday be able to find something that does give you a sense of fulfillment, however small. If you can find even a tiny toehold on fulfillment, then cognitive therapy is designed to help you build on that. And then your life can start "amounting to something".
That's where finding the right therapy/therapist, medication, dietary or lifestyle changes can also potentially help. Being able to find nothing fulfulling can be caused by physical issues with which medication, diet, exercise, sleep, etc. often help. Also, developing a good therapeutic relationship often brings meaning to people's lives. It can help you develop other relationships in your life as well, which can add to the sense of a fulfilling life.
I don't know if this will work for you, I just want to point out that from my perspective (a lifetime struggling with depression and anxiety) your situation doesn't necessarily seem hopeless. I recognize, though, that within the middle of depression, these types of arguments don't carry much water. It's part of the suite of symptoms of depression. That's also where a good therapist can help - sometimes you need someone that you can trust to see things outside of the veil of depression when you can't see there yourself.
I wish you much luck.
peg
poster:pegasus
thread:652797
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20060604/msgs/653146.html