Posted by morganator on April 22, 2010, at 20:46:48
In reply to Re: nothing helps » morganator, posted by SLS on April 22, 2010, at 20:12:01
Hey Scott,
The first part of that post was meant for you, the second was meant for the OP. Sorry for not making myself more clear.
>Don't you find dissonance in believing these things and yet finding it necessary to pursue biological therapies to achieve success?
I really don't. I see pursuing biological therapies as just part of the overall solution. I think my and many others' issues with bipolar and depression are both rooted in biology and childhood environment/development and life experiences. We've had a similar discussion about this before.
>In other words, why can't everyone simply get their sh*t together and watch their depressions disappear? Is it that everyone who is depressed is characterologically incapable of getting their sh*t together?
I'm not necessarily saying this. Although, I have to admit, since forcing myself to work despite feeling worse than I've ever felt, things have seemed to improve some. Also, I am speaking more of people finding a way to love themselves more, maintain and create positive relationships, the pursuit of things that one is passionate about, etc. And like I said, life is pretty damn depressing if you ask me. Maybe many of us very sensitive people are more prone to depression as we find it hard to protect ourselves from the ugly sides of life.
I think the causes of depression and the development of it are extremely complex and multifactorial, leaving me to believe that many different approaches/therapies/treatments are necessary in the fight to relieve and hopefully eliminate major depression. Some of these treatments/therapies may take a very long time and require much hard work to ever be successful.
>How is it that two weeks of Prozac treatment can transform a life after two decades of failed psychotherapy? It has happened often enough not to take notice and deduce the obvious. For some people, a green and white pill is enough.
I agree with you to a certain extend. Though I think for a large number of people out there that experience this kind of remission with antidepressants, there are still underlying psychological issues that simply need to be addressed. Unfortunately, sometimes many people feel so good that they end up believing that they do not have any issues and in the long run relationships and other aspects of their life may suffer. Denial is the single greatest and most powerful coping mechanism we have in our arsenal. It helps to shield us from the pain and sadness deep seated in our psyche, and, prevents us from doing anything about it.
poster:morganator
thread:944355
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100416/msgs/944610.html