Posted by alexandra_k on September 25, 2006, at 10:03:44
In reply to Re: How well does CBT work for depression, posted by happyflower on September 25, 2006, at 6:01:22
though there are significant risks involved with ECT such as possible brain damage and whenever one goes under a general anasthetic there is a slight risk one won't wake up again. i think that is why it is considered a last resort strategy. some people experience horrible side effects with medications, but then some people experience an aversive reaction to a therapist or two as well!
> I have read that doing absoultely nothing will work too eventually on mild depression.
actually they reckon that doing absolutely nothing works on severe depression too. they reckon a depressive episode lasts around 3 months with no treatment. people usually wait around one month before going to see their doctor and it usually takes a month or so for the medication to kick in and what do you know you are all better right on schedule! same with therapy too... if it takes you a month or two to get into therapy...
though that being said i think the worst danger is suicide. if you are being monitored for meds or therapy i guess they figure they are keeping an eye on you which may make that less likely...
but that being said i'm fairly sure i've heard that therapy prevents relapse in a way that keeping on taking your meds after an episode hasn't been shown to do (not sure they have done the studies) and in a way that ECT hasn't been shown to do (not sure whether they have done the studies).
but this is from memory... and psychologists do push the successful findings of therapy the same way the drug companies / psychiatrists tend to push the successful findings of medication...
sometimes when depression lifts people find they have other problems...
i've been reading about dysthymia lately and social cognitive theories of what is going on with that... one notion is that their is a failure to understand the norms of reciprocity in the sense that the person comes to think that they are more giving to others than others are giving to them whereas objective measures show the reverse to be the case. one notion is that the person hasn't learned the culturally accepted value of certain acts of giving... but if i keep this up i'll get redirected to social, no doubt...
poster:alexandra_k
thread:688984
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20060911/msgs/689046.html