sharpchick said:
During the times when I've needed my antidepressants, they have actually helped me. One of the worst initial symptoms of my depression is not being able to order my thoughts - thoughts tumble over one another and I can't concentrate at all.
So for me, it helped.
Indeed. Lots of dangerous thought flying around my head. Oh...my memory of those days is painful.
I agree, bigcaat. Therapy is essential. I was in therapy for a bit before they decided to use medication too. And even now I still see a psychologist periodically. She's taught me a lot of self-care, which is great, so as long as I do it I only have to report in once a month. And my fiance helps me do it. Fortunately, too, I know enough to know that I should go to her if things start to feel really really bad. (now, this isn't Freudian therapy or Jungian, it's cognitive behavioral therapy. I don't know how well the others work, if at all. the goal of this one is that the client become self-sufficient).
One thing which helps with self-care is David Burns's book
Feeling Good, which is a part of the cognitive therapy method. We worked through it this fall and I think it helps me way more than the meds. Or even than going to see her. It's actually similar to some things I've found in Buddhism. Not identical, but I do know a Buddhist psychologist who uses cognitive therapy and mindfulness. They work well together. As does Tarot, or some ways of reading Tarot. I find it quite comforting, actually.