Archive for the ‘Depression’ Category

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Drugs and Depression

Sunday, March 29th, 2009

The cause of depression in most people is not medical, yet the most frequent treatment for depression is drug therapy. Why? There are really two key reasons. When is the last time you saw a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist advertise on TV? Because of the  money behind the pharmaceutical industry patients and doctors are exposed to this choice more than others. This is one reason. The other reason is that the drugs do help in most cases. But there are, of course, negatives.

Studies have demonsrated that one of the side effects of anti-depressive drugs is suicidal thinking. More important, in studies where drug therapy is compared with or coupled with Cognitive Behavior Therapies (CBT), CBT is show to at least as effective and more effective in preventing a relapse of depression!

One of the difficulties facing physicians is that the symptoms of depression may be the same for a person suffering from depression for medical reasons as for one suffering for cognitive reasons. This makes it risky not to prescribe drugs. The best course of action is to couple CBT with drug therapy and then test the results by withdrawing the drug after a period of time. I would love to say use therapy alone first, but then I too would be a risk in this of litigation. And while I realize that therapy can be expensive, a motivated person can do a lot of work on their own by learning some tools of CBT. Some of the best resources are books by Albert Ellis who pioneered the development of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). You can find his books directly at his site (http://www.rebt.org/) or at most book stores. See my reading list for suggestions.

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Redefining Our Past

Tuesday, March 17th, 2009

Most of us know at a conscious, rational level that the past is gone and cannot be changed. Yet we may experience past events over and over again in our minds, and if these events are perceived as negative, they can cause feelings of distress, anxiety and depression. The key word here is perception. Even the original event was filtered through our system of values and beliefs to create our own unique perception. That perception, in all likelihood, is not an accurate representation of what actually happened, and the feelings one chooses to have about them are just that – choices.

Since our interpretation of the past is subject to the fallacies of perception anyway, why not choose to perceive those events in ways that are empowering. If you have an event that you ruminate on and it causes you anxiety or depression, ruminate on it in a new way. Make yourself the victor in a challenge you think you lost. Make a broken relationship the fault of the other instead of your own. If you failed at something, imagine you won and feel what that is like. It’s all in your imagination anyway, so make your imagination serve you so that you feel better. When you feel better, you perform better and your perception changes. When your perception changes, your thoughts change and therefore your memories change and it becomes a habit of thought; in the same way the old pattern of thought was a habit.

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Posted in Depression, General, Relationships | 3 Comments »

Are Your Beliefs Hurting You?

Monday, March 16th, 2009

Beliefs, in particular, strongly held unexamined beliefs, can be one of the key causes of depression. Especially when you or the world around you does not behave according to those beliefs. In my upcoming program on overcoming depression, I deal with this more thoroughly, but here is the central idea.

Many of the beliefs we hold in adulthood were absorbed without question as children, and some before we are even able to question. At young ages we trust our adult caregivers to teach us how the world operates. This gives us structure and helps us make sense of the world. That’s why the discovery that Santa Claus is a myth can be so upsetting – we’re forced to reevaluate and it’s uncomfortable. For perhaps the first time, we consider that we must question what we are told.

This extends to one’s religious, political, gender and ethnic beliefs, as well as a host of others about work, money, sex, etc. If one develops rigid beliefs in these areas, s/he also builds expectations about behavior in others. Should one be exposed to situations and circumstances that are contrary to these, the result can be frustration, anger and depression. It’s a desire for the world to work according to one’s internal map.

One doesn’t have to give up his/her beliefs to overcome these feelings. What is important is to examine them with the idea of allowing for other possibilities. Doing so acknowledges reality and fosters acceptance. Once there is acceptance, anger and frustration diminishes, and depression can too.

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Welcome!

Tuesday, February 10th, 2009

Welcome to the regular post from Catalyst4Success. Here you will find tips on keeping yourself emotionally fit, discussions about relationships, and guidelines to living a more enriched life.

Posted in Depression, General, Money, Relationships | No Comments »

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