Posted by Reggie BoStar on June 7, 2006, at 19:15:13
In reply to Re: I don't think CBT works well for severe depres, posted by Jost on June 6, 2006, at 23:06:09
Hi Jost,
Sorry that first question depressed you. It was quite a poser to be tossed out in a psych board; I should have been a little more considerate about the feelings of other readers.Unfortunately, for my sake I had to raise the issue in at least some form, and as my bad luck would have it, I couldn't come up with a better way.
One thing is certain: beating it down is going to take a lot of work in terms of re-evaluating some of the things we were a little too hard on ourselves in the past.
On the way out of the clinic, for example, I held the door for a wheelchair patient who was entering the building - the doors are automatic, but because of the way they swing they can jam a wheelchair between the sets of doors; so I got there ahead of time to keep that from happening. The guy thanked me profusely as he passed.
Perhaps part of the solution to trying to answer the question of meaning is to add up the smaller episodes of fulfillment like the one I experienced when I held those doors. This won't make the big issues go away, but at least the sum of those episodes will give us something to work with.
I picked up another clue today. In taking up the question with my therapist, I added a few more detailed questions which are also constantly on my mind. She observed that ruminating on even one such question is not just a sign of severe depression - it can also indicate a combination of anxiety and OCD. This triple threat - depression, anxiety, and OCD - can be caused by a major neurochemical problem of some sort. Thus, meds as well as therapy need to be considered in attacking the problem.
She also cautioned me to remember that the sorts of things we've been talking about in this thread are incurable; they can be managed, but not cured. To me this meant that I'll always be grappling, to some degree at least, with the question of whether or not my life has or will have any significant meaning; but with the help of meds and therapy, I'll be able to manage it better, live with it, and learn to make room in my mind for a more positive outlook.
I hope I made some sense in that last paragraph. It's the gist of what I've been thinking since my visit to the therapist today: the door-holding idea, and the perspective about managing the tough questions with therapy and meds so a positive outlook can get a foothold.
Hope this helps,
Reggie B
poster:Reggie BoStar
thread:652797
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20060604/msgs/654196.html