Posted by Noa on January 8, 2002, at 19:23:27
In reply to Re: fear of depression » pedr, posted by ELA on January 8, 2002, at 14:35:14
I think that cognitive approaches in therapy can really help with this, BUT, I think that this needs longer term therapy than is sometimes offered with cognitive therapy. I have been in therapy for years, and the cbt strategies do help, but wouldn't have if I were only in treatment for short term therapy. My therapist uses CBT approaches, but not exclusively.
I think my learning to deal with the fear of depression also meant learning to accept that there are some bad days, low moods, etc.
AND, to learn to understand the causes of some low moods, bad days. For example, if I haven't gotten myself to sleep at a reasonable hour, I am very grumpy in the morning. When I was in that fearful-of-depression phase, those grumpy moods really scared me--felt like the deprssion was returning. But slowly I am learning to draw different conclusions--I ask myself, ok, I'm grumpy, what is going on? Did I get enough sleep? is there some other reason, etc.? What can I do about it? Does it have to mean that the depression is back?
And to realize that people who arent' depressed have grumpy moods and bad days, too.
The panic about becoming depressied was potentially pretty paralizing for me. My therapist helped a lot--with the strategies I mentioned, but also with helping me to learn to not see it as so black and white, all or nothing--ie, depressed or not depressed.
poster:Noa
thread:16440
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20020102/msgs/16494.html