[vans1974]

I've tried CBT for bipolar depression and now and in DBT for 28 weeks and don't find any benefit from either types of therapy! What are your thoughts and experiences with counseling? For me it's all about being on the right med cocktail which I have to tweak every few months! Any suggestions for therapy?

[ThisWayOut]

my main issues are trauma and severe depressive episodes, but I have found that CBT and DBT are both pretty triggering (in that they remind me too much of childhood abuse). I have found meds also do not work for me (decrease my impulse control and make it harder to come out of a depressive episode). I have found to be able to successfully (and safely) address the trauma, I need an intensive therapy program with lots of support available. I'm not sure how that would help for bipolar depression though...

[learning1]

I don't know but I wondered too so I thought I'd bump the thread up & see if someone answers

[NowhereUSA]

i don't know anything about cbt, but i've done dbt now for a while. i did dbt five years ago and am doing it again as a tune up because of postpartum depression and other depression related issues.

medication doesn't work on me, or at least, hasn't so far and i've been on well over a dozen. because i lived with depression, untreated, for so long, i learned to cope in unhealthy ways. dbt has helped me cope in a healthy way and has taught me to 'check the facts' with regards to what my depression tells me.

i've learned to take a more nonjudgmental stance. i've found ways of dealing with stress and suicidal ideation. it hasn't cured me, but i didn't expect it to. instead it has kept me on an even keel. my bff says i'm the healthiest mentally ill person she's ever met