My severe depression lasted about 3 1/2 years and included many suicide attempts as well as self-injury. Many things helped me improve my health, but there was one thing that I attribute as saving my life. It's the same thing that has been recognized by the medical community as being one of the MOST successful treatments for depression; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (or CBT for short). Unfortunately it took me a long time to know what CBT was and to truly understand it. When I began to reap the benefits of it, I lamented that I didn't know or understand this tool earlier. Unfortunately I think it's rarely explained in simple terms to those with depression to use themselves. Hopefully this blog can help others understand it.
There are lots of books to give you fancy and impressive descriptions of CBT, but that's not what I care about. I care about helping others with depression, so my explanations are going to be very simplified and uncomplicated by clinical jargon. Basically, CBT is thinking positive, but more importantly researchers have learned that when we force ourselves to have positive thoughts (even if we don't feel like it, or hate doing it), we can literally reprogram our brain and change our brain chemistry. Through PET scans they've discovered that when people use CBT (or positive thinking exercises) that the brain actually changed through this process. I started reading positive affirmations by the author Louise Hay. I didn't feel like it when I started, I just read them. I didn't want to think positively, and the idea of trying was appalling. But slowly as I read her affirmations I found myself quickly becoming less resistant to it. As I started seeing improvements I bought CD's and DVDs and would put a CD player next to my bed. Often when I woke up feeling depressed I would turn on the CD. At first the words and phrases would annoy me, but I allowed myself to be annoyed and listened anyways, and slowly I turned from annoyed to feeling somewhat optimistic. I kept getting better and better. Sometimes I would stop doing it and find myself quickly spiraling downhill again, suddenly realizing that I had stopped reading or listening to these positive affirmations, and I would start again.
Many therapists and counselors utilize CBT, but they don't necessarily explain to us how they're doing it. I wish that they had explained it to me so that I could have been doing it outside of my counseling sessions as well. Many of them will point out when we're having a negative thinking pattern and how we can look at it more positively, often we don't even realize what they're doing, but they're trying to teach us to look at things from a positive manner instead of negative. It sounds simplistic, but it's the "fake it till you make it" principal. Similar to how scientists have discovered that if you fake a smile your brain doesn't know the difference between a genuine smile and a fake and will release the happy hormones either way; when you create positive thoughts, even if they aren't genuine, if you repeat them eventually you will start believing them.
I think the hardest thing about using CBT for yourself is that when you're depressed, positive thoughts seem impossible and annoying. My advice to anyone suffering depression is to start by reading the positive thoughts of others (i.e. Louise Hay) because this is easier than trying to create positive thoughts on your own. Also, allow yourself to be annoyed by the positive thoughts, but keep going. By accepting your annoyance, you can keep going on, if you don't accept it, you'll probably quit trying. Slowly, the annoyance will fade and you will reap the benefits of the positive affirmations. Take baby steps, start by reading some positive affirmations, then try writing some of your own, then try saying them out loud. Don't try to push yourself too hard right away, just like physical exercise pushing yourself too hard too soon can be detrimental.
Here's a great article on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy http://depression.about.com/cs/psychotherapy/a/cognitive.htm
Also, one of the best books to read on the subject is "Feeling Good" by David Burns, however, if you are the depressed person I recommend you simply get his "Feeling Good Workbook" and do the exercises which are easier than reading all the clinical stuff.
Showing posts with label depression. Show all posts
Showing posts with label depression. Show all posts
Sunday, April 26, 2009
"Welcoming" your depression and losing the shame
Each persons experience with depression is different. I experienced a lot of shame simply about being depressed. I felt that this somehow made me weak, inferior or flawed. In turn, this shame made me more depressed. It took me about a year to simply accept that I was depressed an actually seek treatment for it. For many people like me, simple learning to accept the depression and lose the shame surrounding it is a difficult but vital step to take. Once I stopped being so ashamed of my depression I was able to more rapidly and successfully work on it with less pain.
My mother once found an article on depression that I recall bringing me a lot of relief. Ironically (since I'm a woman) it was on Men and depression. However, it brought me comfort because it talked about a number of very successful, smart, accomplished men who suffered from depression. This was an important thing for me because I felt like I was somehow flawed or weak for getting depressed, but after reading their stories I realized that depression often happened to very smart, capable and accomplished people. http://www.newsweek.com/id/42930 This might sound silly to some people, but it was extremely comforting to me.
If I could offer advice to those going through depression, I would definitely encourage people to not feel shameful over being depressed. Allowing yourself to be depressed and working in a positive way to overcome it rather than in shame or disappointment, you will be much more successful and in much less pain during the process.
My mother once found an article on depression that I recall bringing me a lot of relief. Ironically (since I'm a woman) it was on Men and depression. However, it brought me comfort because it talked about a number of very successful, smart, accomplished men who suffered from depression. This was an important thing for me because I felt like I was somehow flawed or weak for getting depressed, but after reading their stories I realized that depression often happened to very smart, capable and accomplished people. http://www.newsweek.com/id/42930 This might sound silly to some people, but it was extremely comforting to me.
If I could offer advice to those going through depression, I would definitely encourage people to not feel shameful over being depressed. Allowing yourself to be depressed and working in a positive way to overcome it rather than in shame or disappointment, you will be much more successful and in much less pain during the process.
Navigating Antidepressants
I'm a firm believer that antidepressants alone cannot cure depression or other mental health disorders, however, for me antidepressants were the first core component. Without the benefits I received from my antidepressant I was too depressed to even want to try other things to help, but with the medicine I improved enough to want to try other treatments such as exercise, healthy eating, cognitive behavioral therapy, etc. However, starting antidepressants isn't cut and dry and there are some important things to understand before you head down this road.
1. Doctors are not necessarily experts in which antidepressant is best for you. Most primary care physicians have very limited knowledge of the various antidepressants. Psychiatrists are a better option but even they have to play a little bit of a guessing game. The best thing to get the recommendations of a Psychiatrist but then research those suggestions yourself. Ask your Psychiatrist to list several antidepressants that may be useful to you and ask them the pros and cons to each one. I had anxiety and often doctors would recommend antidepressants that exacerbated anxiety without realizing it. I also had a negative reaction to Effexor and then had a doctor recommend an antidepressant that was in the same class (type) of drug as Effexor, when I pointed it out she quickly acknowledged that this would be a bad one to try.
2. When trying a new antidepressant be prepared for subtle side effects, monitor them and keep in mind that some side effects are only temporary when your body is adjusting to the medication. Many medications may cause side effects for a day up to a few weeks until your body is used to the medication. However, if the side effects are detrimental to you (increased suicidal or self harm tendencies) then you seek medical help immediately. Quitting an antidepressant cold turkey can sometimes create severe withdrawl symptoms, so you want to be under the supervision of a doctor when going off of a medication to determine how to best do so.
3. Feeling Better? Don't quit the medication. One of the most common tendencies for people taking new antidepressants is that they slowly and subtly start feeling better over the course of a couple weeks and quit taking the medication because they're feeling better. They often fail to realize that they're feeling better because the medication is working, this is because it happens subtly. I recommend you track your moods and though patterns on paper, and if it is improving over 2-3 weeks than your medication is being effective, if not you will want to consult your doctor to see if you should consider an alternative medication.
4. Supplement your antidepressant with other things! An antidepressant alone is not a complete fix for anything. It is highly recommended that people with depression also consider taking 5-htp which is the body's natural chemical that helps create seratonin, as well as Fish Oil which has been shown to aid in depression. However, you always want to consult your doctor first as supplements (including vitamins and herbs) still can interact with your antidepressant so you want to be sure that there are no contraindications for taking these supplements.
One of the most effective treatments for depression is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which is essentially training yourself to think positively and not negatively. This may sound simple at first but it has been shown to physically change your brain chemistry. There are therapists that can help you with this process or you can read books (i.e. "Feeling Good"). I also recommend simply reading positive affirmations everyday such as those by Louise Hay. Even if you don't feel like doing it, these exercises can still work, just like physical exercise is often unpleasant but leads to good results and gets easier over time. This was the most instrumental treatment in getting me through my depression and suicidal thoughts.
Other things to supplement medication include exercise, social interaction (with trusted friends), music therapy, laughter (watch lots of comedies) and reducing stress.
I highly recommend you read up on antidepressants before simply following a doctor blindly. Here is a great article on antidepressants. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/depression/DS00175/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs
Also keep in mind that if you have the ability, it's a great idea to seek the opinion of more than one doctor or psychiatrist on which antidepressant is right for you.
1. Doctors are not necessarily experts in which antidepressant is best for you. Most primary care physicians have very limited knowledge of the various antidepressants. Psychiatrists are a better option but even they have to play a little bit of a guessing game. The best thing to get the recommendations of a Psychiatrist but then research those suggestions yourself. Ask your Psychiatrist to list several antidepressants that may be useful to you and ask them the pros and cons to each one. I had anxiety and often doctors would recommend antidepressants that exacerbated anxiety without realizing it. I also had a negative reaction to Effexor and then had a doctor recommend an antidepressant that was in the same class (type) of drug as Effexor, when I pointed it out she quickly acknowledged that this would be a bad one to try.
2. When trying a new antidepressant be prepared for subtle side effects, monitor them and keep in mind that some side effects are only temporary when your body is adjusting to the medication. Many medications may cause side effects for a day up to a few weeks until your body is used to the medication. However, if the side effects are detrimental to you (increased suicidal or self harm tendencies) then you seek medical help immediately. Quitting an antidepressant cold turkey can sometimes create severe withdrawl symptoms, so you want to be under the supervision of a doctor when going off of a medication to determine how to best do so.
3. Feeling Better? Don't quit the medication. One of the most common tendencies for people taking new antidepressants is that they slowly and subtly start feeling better over the course of a couple weeks and quit taking the medication because they're feeling better. They often fail to realize that they're feeling better because the medication is working, this is because it happens subtly. I recommend you track your moods and though patterns on paper, and if it is improving over 2-3 weeks than your medication is being effective, if not you will want to consult your doctor to see if you should consider an alternative medication.
4. Supplement your antidepressant with other things! An antidepressant alone is not a complete fix for anything. It is highly recommended that people with depression also consider taking 5-htp which is the body's natural chemical that helps create seratonin, as well as Fish Oil which has been shown to aid in depression. However, you always want to consult your doctor first as supplements (including vitamins and herbs) still can interact with your antidepressant so you want to be sure that there are no contraindications for taking these supplements.
One of the most effective treatments for depression is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which is essentially training yourself to think positively and not negatively. This may sound simple at first but it has been shown to physically change your brain chemistry. There are therapists that can help you with this process or you can read books (i.e. "Feeling Good"). I also recommend simply reading positive affirmations everyday such as those by Louise Hay. Even if you don't feel like doing it, these exercises can still work, just like physical exercise is often unpleasant but leads to good results and gets easier over time. This was the most instrumental treatment in getting me through my depression and suicidal thoughts.
Other things to supplement medication include exercise, social interaction (with trusted friends), music therapy, laughter (watch lots of comedies) and reducing stress.
I highly recommend you read up on antidepressants before simply following a doctor blindly. Here is a great article on antidepressants. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/depression/DS00175/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs
Also keep in mind that if you have the ability, it's a great idea to seek the opinion of more than one doctor or psychiatrist on which antidepressant is right for you.
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