Posted by Carol on March 5, 1999, at 6:56:56
In reply to Skeptic about antidepressants and therapy..., posted by David on March 4, 1999, at 12:13:31
David,
It definitely sounds like you need a new doctor. There are always several ways to approach any problem, and a "pure" psychotherapy approach is probably the longest (and most expensive) way to try to deal with your problems. The immediate diagnoses that he gave you are surprising, since many doctors will refine a diagnosis over several sessions.It is very common now to use medications as an adjunct to therapy. There are some very good meds with much lower degrees of side effects than there were even 15 years ago. My personal experience is that I have not been able to keep my depression under control without the help of medications. When the meds stop working, then all the talk therapy in the world can't bring me out.
There are many types of therapy as well. I don't know what works for most people, but for me, a cognitive approach has been most helpful. This allows me to focus on my day-to-day activities, emphasizes coping and succeeding at daily activities, and in general, allows me to function like a "normal" person. The 2 or 3 times that doctors have tried to go back and do more traditional analysis with me haven't worked well, and have made the problem much worse. We all are viewing the world through our own set of lenses and filters, so even recalling the past is tricky because we're interpreting things, as well as remembering. Working on what's happpening in my life NOW, and how to learn to cope with wht might happen tomorrow has been much more useful.
You're at the beginning of a process. Sometimes the most difficult step is to recognize that you have a problem, and that you want to begin to solve it.
Good luck and stay in touch. This group has a variety of contributors, and a lot of different points of view.
Carol
poster:Carol
thread:3400
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19990301/msgs/3418.html