| Topic: |
Sociology > Depression |
| User: |
"kramer31" |
| Date: |
03 Feb 2007 01:30:01 AM |
| Object: |
CBT for Depression |
Hi. My wife is depressed. I'm not sure if she's "clinically"
depressed because I don't know what that means. She's despondent most
of the time and anytime any little thing goes wrong she just blames
her horrible luck (not that I think that's fair--she seems to be doing
okay in life otherwise).
Anyway, I heard some expert or other refer to Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy on the radio today. She mentioned that it compared reasonably
well with drugs and that the effects seemed to last (whereas the drugs
effects went away after the the patient stopped taking the drugs).
I'd rather she not have to take antidepressents her whole life. I
doubt she'd even be willing to take them. Anyway, I'd like to hear
what people have to say about CBT.
Also, we are part of an HMO and I'm not really sure that they will pay
for it even though there is a mental health benefit. I'm not sure it
will convince them, but could someone refer me to some studies that
demonstrate the effectiveness of CBT?
Thanks.
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| User: "David" |
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| Title: Re: CBT for Depression |
03 Feb 2007 05:01:35 AM |
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Am glad that you and your wife are beginning to realize that she may need
some help. There are many resources for depression on the internet.
It may be that you should see a counselor to get a professional opinion
concerning medication. Many of the newer antidepressants have fewer side
effects that can go away after the first few months of treatment. Therapy
and case management can also be of benifet. Most therapists and social
workers have knowledge of Cognitive therapy, it is helpful in recovery. Some
people say that they have low tolerance for the side effects, it often can
take many weeks to finally find the right combination of medication that is
benificial and has relatively few problems.
As far as any research you could do a search on cognitive therapy, or have
her take a depression screening test, the following are some helpful
resorces. Also you could check with the alliance for the mentally ill in
your area.
There could also be a medical cause for her depression, it might be helpful
to get some bloodwork done, and do some basic testing, such as a pet scan,
cat scan, mri, or eeg.
http://www.depression-screening.org/
http://www.noah-health.org/en/mental/disorders/depression/what/types/
Hope that this is helpful
"kramer31" <kramer.newsreader@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1170487801.844464.243300@h3g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
Hi. My wife is depressed. I'm not sure if she's "clinically"
depressed because I don't know what that means. She's despondent most
of the time and anytime any little thing goes wrong she just blames
her horrible luck (not that I think that's fair--she seems to be doing
okay in life otherwise).
Anyway, I heard some expert or other refer to Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy on the radio today. She mentioned that it compared reasonably
well with drugs and that the effects seemed to last (whereas the drugs
effects went away after the the patient stopped taking the drugs).
I'd rather she not have to take antidepressents her whole life. I
doubt she'd even be willing to take them. Anyway, I'd like to hear
what people have to say about CBT.
Also, we are part of an HMO and I'm not really sure that they will pay
for it even though there is a mental health benefit. I'm not sure it
will convince them, but could someone refer me to some studies that
demonstrate the effectiveness of CBT?
Thanks.
.
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| User: "kramer31" |
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| Title: Re: CBT for Depression |
03 Feb 2007 01:31:46 AM |
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One more thing. If anyone can recommend a therapist who practices
CBT, I'd be grateful.
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| User: "Contrarian" |
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| Title: Re: CBT for Depression |
03 Feb 2007 07:08:22 PM |
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kramer31 <kramer.newsreader@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi. My wife is depressed. I'm not sure if she's "clinically"
depressed because I don't know what that means. She's despondent most
of the time and anytime any little thing goes wrong she just blames
her horrible luck (not that I think that's fair--she seems to be doing
okay in life otherwise).
Anyway, I heard some expert or other refer to Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy on the radio today. She mentioned that it compared reasonably
well with drugs and that the effects seemed to last (whereas the drugs
effects went away after the the patient stopped taking the drugs).
I'd rather she not have to take antidepressents her whole life. I
doubt she'd even be willing to take them. Anyway, I'd like to hear
what people have to say about CBT.
Is she in any treatment now? In my experience, the worse
aspects of depression aren't helped much by non-drug
treatment.
Also, we are part of an HMO and I'm not really sure that they will pay
for it even though there is a mental health benefit. I'm not sure it
will convince them, but could someone refer me to some studies that
demonstrate the effectiveness of CBT?
Thanks.
I can't, sorry.
It's good you want to help your wife. It's not good you
are uncertain what your HMO will do. Right now it sounds
as if she doesn't think anything will help. The only
suggestion I have for you to give her is that one *cannot*
tell beforehand if something will or won't help. That's
the approach I took when I was first looking for an Rx-
oriented pdoc.
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| User: "lisa in mass." |
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| Title: Re: CBT for Depression |
03 Feb 2007 08:09:16 PM |
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kramer31 wrote...
Hi. My wife is depressed. I'm not sure if she's
"clinically" depressed because I don't know what that
means. She's despondent most of the time and anytime any
little thing goes wrong she just blames her horrible luck
(not that I think that's fair--she seems to be doing okay
in life otherwise).
Anyway, I heard some expert or other refer to Cognitive
Behavioral Therapy on the radio today. She mentioned that
it compared reasonably well with drugs and that the effects
seemed to last (whereas the drugs effects went away after
the the patient stopped taking the drugs).
I'd rather she not have to take antidepressents her whole
life. I doubt she'd even be willing to take them. Anyway,
I'd like to hear what people have to say about CBT.
Also, we are part of an HMO and I'm not really sure that
they will pay for it even though there is a mental health
benefit. I'm not sure it will convince them, but could
someone refer me to some studies that demonstrate the
effectiveness of CBT?
Thanks.
cognitive behavior therapy saved my life. i am absolutely
certain of this. however, medications made an even bigger
impact, once we found meds that could help. cbt has the best
track record for helping depression. but research has shown
that the greatest number of people were helped by a
combination of cbt and medication. the medication might be
needed for a year or for a lifetime, but i wouldn't rule it
out just because she wouldn't want it forever.
to find a cbt therapist, first contact your hmo. they'll have
a list of affilliated therapists. then call one or two, asking
if they provide cbt. if not, ask who might who's on your plan.
therapists usually know who else is in the area.
hope this helps.
-lisa
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| User: "kramer31" |
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| Title: Re: CBT for Depression |
14 Feb 2007 08:59:37 PM |
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I would like to thank everyone for their helpful responses. I'm happy
to tell all of you that my wife is seeing a therapist who has some
knowledge of cbt and who is working with her. Our GP prescribed for
her buproprion (wellbutrin), but it made her feel so awful that she
stopped taking it (after consulting with the doctor). It gave her
horrible stomach upset and made her listless and exhausted (aren't
those some of the symptoms that it is trying to prevent?).
I do have some concerns, though. As soon as she comes from a therapy
session, she is very upset. She says that the therapy really makes
her feel awful. Have other people experienced this their first few
sessions? Does it become easier?
As to the medication, I think that she is open to trying other things,
but I have some concerns there also. First, are anti-depressents just
a crap shoot? Why would an SSRI work better for one person while a
tricyclic work better for another person? Also, should I be concerned
that my HMO has my GP (who doesn't seem very bright to me--we should
probably look into switching) prescribing psychoactive drugs rather
than a trained psychiatrist who will have a better feel for
prescribing these drugs?
Also, on a more abstact sort of note, if so many people really require
antidepressant for their lifetimes, why? Did people in the past just
walk around depressed and not have anything to do about it, or is
there some fundamental change in the way that people live that has
made them depressed, or do people just get hooked on them?
Thanks
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| User: "Rhiannon" |
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| Title: Re: CBT for Depression |
14 Feb 2007 10:30:57 PM |
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"kramer31" <kramer.newsreader@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1171508377.365134.247880@a34g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
I would like to thank everyone for their helpful responses. I'm happy
to tell all of you that my wife is seeing a therapist who has some
knowledge of cbt and who is working with her. Our GP prescribed for
her buproprion (wellbutrin), but it made her feel so awful that she
stopped taking it (after consulting with the doctor). It gave her
horrible stomach upset and made her listless and exhausted (aren't
those some of the symptoms that it is trying to prevent?).
I'm so glad to hear she is getting medical attention.
I do have some concerns, though. As soon as she comes from a therapy
session, she is very upset. She says that the therapy really makes
her feel awful. Have other people experienced this their first few
sessions? Does it become easier?
For me, the first few therapy sessions were awful. Really awful. I had
repressed a lot of crap for good reasons. It was very ugly stuff that
needed repressing. Bringing it all to the forefront, having to face it,
feeling it suddenly overwhelm me was almost unbearable. But yes,
thankfully, it does get much easier as time goes on.
As to the medication, I think that she is open to trying other things,
but I have some concerns there also. First, are anti-depressents just
a crap shoot? Why would an SSRI work better for one person while a
tricyclic work better for another person? Also, should I be concerned
that my HMO has my GP (who doesn't seem very bright to me--we should
probably look into switching) prescribing psychoactive drugs rather
than a trained psychiatrist who will have a better feel for
prescribing these drugs?
One of the biggest crap shoots IMHO. There are a myriad of reasons why a
drug might work for one person but not work for another person. Some
patients have to try several anti-depressants before they find the one is
right for them, but don't give up hope, she is more likely to find one that
works for her sooner rather than later. As for a GP verses a psychiatrist?
That depends on what you're most comfortable with. Myself, I see a
psychiatrist. I do trust her judgement over and above my family doctor
simply because this is not his area of expertise and that was decided with
the help of my family doctor who recommended the psychiatrist in the first
place.
Also, on a more abstact sort of note, if so many people really require
antidepressant for their lifetimes, why? Did people in the past just
walk around depressed and not have anything to do about it, or is
there some fundamental change in the way that people live that has
made them depressed, or do people just get hooked on them?
Thanks
I can't speak for all depressed people in my case, depression isn't my
entire problem. I have bipolar disorder formally called manic-depression,
caused by a brain chemical imbalance with a strong genetic component on both
sides of my family. My condition cannot be cured, only managed, the same
way a lot of illnesses cannot be cured. This means I have to take
medication the rest of my life the same way a diabetic has to take insulin
the rest of their life. They can't function physically without it and I
can't function mentally or emotionally without it. That's the way it is for
ME, but other people, and this may include your wife, might at some point be
able to stop taking medication. It depends on the illness, the person,
their situation, any number of other things. If there comes a time when she
doesn't have to take it anymore, that's wonderful, but if she does, it's
important that she not feel inadequate because of it. This isn't her fault
or her failure, it is simply an illness she has to learn to cope with and
even if that requires medication the rest of her life, you do what you have
to do to survive.
As for you...you deserve credit for being such a loving and supportive
spouse who cares enough about his wife to come here looking for help. She
is lucky to have you. Just hang in there and you will sort this out. There
is life after diagnosis. I, like a lot of others here, are living proof of
that, and if all you do is just love her, together you can battle anything.
Best of luck. I'll keep you in my thoughts. :-)
--
Rhi
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| User: "%" |
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| Title: Re: CBT for Depression |
14 Feb 2007 10:33:31 PM |
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oh , i was going to say this
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| User: "lisa in mass." |
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| Title: Re: CBT for Depression |
14 Feb 2007 09:33:37 PM |
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kramer31 wrote...
I would like to thank everyone for their helpful responses.
I'm happy to tell all of you that my wife is seeing a
therapist who has some knowledge of cbt and who is working
with her. Our GP prescribed for her buproprion
(wellbutrin), but it made her feel so awful that she
stopped taking it (after consulting with the doctor). It
gave her horrible stomach upset and made her listless and
exhausted (aren't those some of the symptoms that it is
trying to prevent?).
I do have some concerns, though. As soon as she comes from
a therapy session, she is very upset. She says that the
therapy really makes her feel awful. Have other people
experienced this their first few sessions? Does it become
easier?
therapy can often make people feel awful. first, it's
exhausting work. second, upsetting things can come up in
therapy as past or present issues that must be dealt with. i
used to usually come home from a therapy session feeling like
i'd been through a wringer. now i'm working on reinforcing
existing skills, so there's no emotional upheaval at all.
As to the medication, I think that she is open to trying
other things, but I have some concerns there also. First,
are anti-depressents just a crap shoot? Why would an SSRI
work better for one person while a tricyclic work better
for another person? Also, should I be concerned that my
HMO has my GP (who doesn't seem very bright to me--we
should probably look into switching) prescribing
psychoactive drugs rather than a trained psychiatrist who
will have a better feel for prescribing these drugs?
a psychiatrist is usually a better bet, though gp's do
prescribe antidepressants. psychiatrists can make a better
guess as to what might work based on symptoms. if your hmo
won't allow a psychiatrist, i guess you're stuck with a gp.
it's still often a crapshoot, but a psychiatrist can narrow
down the action that seems most or least helpful based on her
response to prior meds.
Also, on a more abstact sort of note, if so many people
really require antidepressant for their lifetimes, why?
Did people in the past just walk around depressed and not
have anything to do about it, or is there some fundamental
change in the way that people live that has made them
depressed, or do people just get hooked on them?
people used to walk around depressed and debilitated. lincoln
went through some very tough periods, as did many other great
and not-so-great people. some people have one or more discreet
depressed periods, other have life-long debility. from what i
understand, docs often start to wean people off
antidepressants, if they've been effective, after a period of
time. if the depression returns, the med is resumed. i
wouldn't say that people get hooked on antidepressants, any
more than they might from diabetes meds. they're either needed
or not. they don't make people who aren't depressed feel
better; they're not so-called happy pills. just a tool for
fighting depression.
i hope this helps.
-lisa
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