Posted by noa on February 24, 2002, at 17:11:12
In reply to Re: You won't believe this!, posted by OldSchool on February 23, 2002, at 19:32:49
>>I just cannot believe with the severe symptoms I have had that some people honestly believe that talking will make things better...
You are right. With my symptoms, too, talking would NOT make it better. Not without medication, anyway. But with medication, for me, the medication makes it better, but not better enough in the sense that there are things that medication cannot help me accomplish in the process of recovering from depression that therapy can and does.
But if you have had what sounds like an incredibly frustrating experience of working with professionals who suggested that therapy would suffice for you, then I understand the anger that I sense in your posts. That kind of thing can really be maddening, as though people are telling you that the incredible pain you are suffering will go away if you would only just work harder in therapy. That kind of thing is crazy making, to be sure. (but, per my previous post, don't discount the value of therapy just because you've had the misfortune of this kind of crazymaking treatment by some therapists).
The truth is that while I strongly believe that therapy can be a powerful healing part of treatment for some people, I know that for many of us, it is impossible to find it useful without establishing some kind of minimum "floor" of neurochemical functioning. For many of us, when we are very depressed, talking is pretty useless except to establish basic safety and support structures to get us through the low-functioning time. As successful as I believe therapy has been for me, it would not be so without my medication (and vice versa).
And it sounds like you are having a rough time finding the right formula of meds. I know from experience how frustrating and demoralizing that process can be. Many times, I thought it impossible to find something that would work for me, and it took a long time, but it did happen. For whatever that's worth. I guess I'm trying to be encouraging--keep the quest going.
poster:noa
thread:18721
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20020223/msgs/18813.html