Posted by Larry Hoover on August 29, 2004, at 11:14:26
In reply to what is remission?, posted by shadowmon on August 29, 2004, at 0:20:14
> my dr. says that the goal of antidepressiant therapy is to get yourself into remission.
>
> Now, I ask you how do you know you are in remission. Sometimes I think I may be well (or at least ok) but my dr. has stated that he thinks that I have never been truly remissed.Your doctor is specifically trained to observe certain characteristics that suggest the patient has remitted. You, on the other hand, have a very subjective perspective. You may have returned to a state that is typical for you, but that state may not be remission. Your typical may well be dysthymic, according to the way your doctor assesses your state of well-being.
> I mean, come on, who can be in remission these days? right now I am still depressed, I know that for sure, but when I do feel better even though I have anxiety, does that mean I am in remission? I look at the money in the bank
> (which is not much) and I get depressed.I understand your perspective. I have what is known as "double depression", wherein my normal or typical state is dysthymia, and over top of that, I can have major depressive episodes. To me, dysthymia feels like euthymia (i.e. full remission), but lengthy periods of observation and feedback from my doctor and counsellor have convinced me that my own scale of measurement is skewed. What I once took to be hypomania may just have been normal functioning, a rare break from my typical dysthymic existence.
> where does the fine line of "normal emotional reactions" end and abnormal ones begin?That's best assessed by a trained professional, IMHO. If you don't like that professional's opinion, is it possible to obtain another one?
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:383535
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040825/msgs/383637.html