Meds, Therapy, or both - CBT?
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| Tue, 04-03-2007 - 12:11pm |
I've been wondering what has worked best for most of the people here. Is it a combination of meds and therapy, just meds? Recently it was recommended to me by a therapist, who is nothing more than a social worker, that CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) works. I know that a positive outlook helps, but that's hard to have when you are in the midst of a depressive episode. I have been working very hard to try to change some of the negative messages that I send myself, and that's a little easier to do now that we have more daylight and I'm feeling a bit better. Now I am looking for a new PDoc, have a call in to a depression center at a major university. I'm tired of my family doc trying to get me to try the rx of the week, and I'm tired of trying to find a therapists who I "click" with. Is it best to stick with psychologists/psychiatrists? I'm just kind of stuck - trying to figure out what to do to make the rest of my life better than it's been up until now. I don't know if I have the heart to try more antidepressants, just to find out they don't work. I have been on so many over the years. Any advise or stories on what has worked for you would be helpful. I thought if I could get started over the spring/summer months it might be easier for me. I also am a bit rx paranoid, as I own a horse farm and can't take days off to adjust to a new med. My job is 24/7 365 days a year.
I have to be able to function every day to care for horses.
I realize I just covered a lot in this post, I apologize.
Thanks,
Robyn
*who doesn't know where to turn next

I am on meds only currently....going to start seeing a "therapist" soon....appt is in May, but might get in sooner. Don't really know about psychologist/psychiatrist....I know with DS, it took a psychologist to finally figure out what was what. I felt the psychiatrists just wanted to throw meds at him and see him again in a mo for a 15 min appt and see how things were going.
DW was depressed allot and we both thought her issue was depression alone. She found a web site though, that described bp as a "spectrum" and that some people tended towards the "classic" bp and others tended towards a "depressive" type where the highs were closer to a normal persons normal and where their lows were crushing depressions. A/D's didn't seem to work or worked for a short time (Prozac poop out), but when the later type people were put on a mood stabilizer they responded well and their life was improved.
Good Luck,
tk
I find a combo of meds and therapy is best, but I've never tried CBT.
And yes, it is better to stick to psychiatrists as opposed to GPs. But for therapists, social workers and psychologists with MSs can often be as good as PhDs.
Express!
Beth "Petrouchka"
Hi Robyn!
I currently am only on maintenance meds. As everyone knows here I have gone through the ZILLION meds out there, several therapists, and many inpatient stays...I finally figured out that the meds, the pdocs, the therapists, the other BPers, the programs...they are not a cure. I put all my hopes into the "cure" they would be, and went through 5 years of hell.
Lithium was the only medication (and only a small dose, at that) to work for me.
I can't (and won't) do therapy anymore. Another thing I learned was that I have to CONSCIOUSLY rid myself and my life of negativity...ALL THE TIME. Its really really easy for me to become sucked in, so to speak to anything negative...now, I just don't allow it. It wasn't an easy thing to learn, but I did it.
Best of luck finding a good pdoc. I had the same one for 4 years, then she retired...I resisted the "new" one, didn't like her...hated it! But, she ended up helping me more in 2 months than my old beloved pdoc did in 4.5 years.
I have many issues in my past that I've had resurface...and it wasn't until I let them all go, once and for all, that I was able to achieve stability.
Stay strong!
Hugs,
Keli
Robyn,
For most folks I think a combination of therapy and meds works best--I know it sure does for me.
Thanks to everyone who posted in response to my questions. I don't feel so alone, now. I did have a t-doc who I connected quite well with, but was seeing her for a life problem unrelated to depression. I'm just not into going back to my childhood for the upteenth time to try to find someone to "blame" for my problem. I'm quite a practical person and some of the books I've been told to read were so..... corny? to me. Over the years I have seen everything from ACSWs to psychiatrists and I do agree that psychiatrists seem mainly interested in getting you on Rx'd and not therapy. They are in short supply here, too. As far as the mood stabilizer, that is what the tdoc that I only saw a couple of time recently (the one I didn't really care for) recommended. But after years of side effects from A/Ds, and now having been off any at all for several years, and being older, the side effects of any Rx'd seem to be more bothersome than when I was younger. I did try a mood stabilizer, and it made me sleep great, but I can't take it in the day. Do the sleepy effects of these type Rx'd pass? I also feel a lot of guilt because my daughter and one of my sons has the same problems as me. I will continue to fight to be positive and see what this depression clinic that I found has to say as far as Rx'd. I'm just tired of living my life and feeling defined by my depression/anxiety. I'm sure that's something I need to rewire my brain about, too. I am not just depression or bp, I'm me! If anyone else has anything to add, or their experiences to share, I would be grateful. Sorry this post is so long - maybe I should have started a new thread? I'll get the hang of this, I swear. :)
Thanks again.
Robyn
Robyn,
I know the guilt feelings very well--my DD was conceived before I knew her father had been dx'd paranoid schizophrenic, then 15 years later I'm dx'd BP--what a genetic stew she inherited!
Thanks, Marci. I carry a lot of guilt - deserved or not - just the way I've always been. I worry that my 7 year old granddaughter or grandson will end up with it as DIL is on A/Ds and her mom is BP, too. I worry about my other son's kids because he is depressed a lot. You are right about knowing better how to help them, though. Both my younger DS and my DD, learned early in life how to do self relaxation from me and DS was put in counseling for a while. But, on the down side, they also saw what I went through on various Rx'd and DS is very reluctant to take anything. DD is on Effexor, but I still sometimes see signs that all is not right. She is 2 semesters away from her masters in Social Work. Almost 6 long hard years of college, only missing one semester due to being totally overwhelmed. I guess you can tell I'm pretty proud of her. All 3 of my children have done well in their fields, I just wish that two of them didn't have to go through what I do. I guess that is what we all wish for.
You have made me feel very welcome on this board, it means a lot as I don't have any friends who have lived most of their adult lives like this. It's good to find others who understand.
Robyn
Robyn,
We certainly have some things in common--since you have grandkids, I'm assuming you're a bit older--nice to have someone more mature agewise, at 53 I'm usually the old lady on the board.
Marci,
Well, move over girl, you are no longer the old lady on the board - we are the same age. ;) I just started having kids earlier. My oldest DS is 36. I have twin 7 year old grandson and granddaughter, and my "middle" child, DS2 has a son almost 3 and a new baby as of last September. He is in the service, so I don't get to see his kids much. I do not like the long distance grand-parenting!
DD is doing an internship at a social service agency and handling cases now. She works with teenage girls who have been removed from their homes for various reasons. She also teaches them independent living class. She likes her work and the girls think she is cool since she is only 23.
Good for your DD, going to get her degree and having a child! What a good example she is setting for her son.
As for the horse farm. Be careful what you wish for. lol. Never a day off. I'm waiting for it to warm up and be able to get a couple of horses back to work and hopefully a couple of students ready for shows later in the summer. I started my granddaughter riding at 5. Last year she started "real" lessons at age 6. I used to own a riding academy, so I am used to working with young riders. I always do much better in the summer. Keeping busy seems to help me. It is the hum-drum, one day after another all exactly the same in the winter - that's the killer for me. I never even know what day it is. March is always my worst month for some reason.
Horses are good therapy, though. I hope you get to ride soon!
Robyn