Quote:
Originally Posted by DechanDawa
Yes, I agree with you, te. Maybe others would not...but having followed the CBT model with professional support...it seems possible, I think, to reverse depression on one's own without medication. Well, that is my hope! It has been my hope for three long years, especially since I realized I have become somewhat treatment resistant to conventional methods i.e. medication, and counseling.
There are some who would argue depression is biological and one needs medication. However, not all mental health professionals believe this to be true. For instance, in the case of borderline personality disorder depression, Dr. Marsha Linehan believes that medication and hospitalization are not the correct therapy, but rather, learning coping skills is the right therapy, and new behavioral skills are necessary to break out of a sort of mental prison. My therapist of last year pointed out that all actions cause biological change. Getting up off the couch and running around the block causes brain change! 
Unfortunately, this is extremely difficult work. Not just running around the block, but changing one's mental state-of-mind. I was mentally (and physically) tired when I wrote this thread. It is tiring work to grow stronger mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Maybe talking about it here (and whining, too, a bit  ) helped me a lot and for that I am grateful to Psych Central members and their great peer support. 
I agree with everything you posted here, te. Let's keep up the work of progressing along the path. Change is not easy. But we can support one another as we do the hard work.  |
Hey DechanDawa,
I often feel when I read your posts that we are kindred spirits. I agree with everything you wrote.
One point comes to mind. I don't think depression is one thing even though we use the same word to describe moods in different conditions, in different people, and even in the same person over time.
There are different kinds of depression. I'm thinking in particular of that recent gene expressions study of 700 brains that found that although schizophrenia and bipolar overlap considerably, there is little overlap with major depression and either bipolar or schizophrenia. Indeed there is more overlap of these two conditions with autism spectrum disorder than with major depression.
The way my depression is manifesting these days is that I want to hide from the world and lie on my couch all day. This is a literal statement. I fear that my immediate future will be one miserable death spiral and I am seemingly waiting for another piece of bad news to drop. I just don't want to face the lonely cold world that I live in. This is a mental prison like what you write about for borderline.
Sometimes I wish that I had never asked for that chest xray after I quit smoking and discovered I had lung cancer. I would most likely be dead already if it weren't for that. But then I remember about hope. I don't actually wish to be dead. That whole stream of thought is rather sobering and helps me stay grounded.
I used to have hope for a better future. When i am depressed my future seems bleak and indeed hopeless. And I think that no one will like me or want me in their lives and my loneliness will only get worse or I'll make bad choices and bring the wrong people into my life.
I have to make myself get up of the couch and go out even when I don't want to. That is one thing I learned from CBT a few years ago that not only do feelings affect behavior but behavior effects feelings too.