Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - maybe I do need anti-depressants

lurkette · 09-25-2005, 06:01 AM

I don't know if drugs are the answer for you, but you clearly need to do something to get yourself out of this funk.

My own theory on depression (and this is ONLY my theory, I'm not a doctor or anything, just have had first-hand experience with depression, and work around a lot of mental health research) is that it is a learned pattern of thinking that becomes embedded in your neurochemistry and neural structure. You have an experience that makes you very sad or creates self-loathing, and that lays down the initial pattern for later responses. Think about it like water cutting a pathway in dirt or rock. The first time it happens, it causes a little rut, which makes it easier for water to follow that pathway next time, which makes it easier for water to follow the pathway next time, and pretty soon you've got a river and the water is pretty much guaranteed to follow that path. The same thing happens to you cognitively (and even neurochemically). You have a thought in response to a situation (e.g., I'm worthless) and the next time a similar situation happens, the automatic response is "I'm worthless." Etc.

The bottom line of all this is that depression has two components: the chemical side and the cognitive side. And unless you deal with both you're unlikely to be successful dealing with the depression. If you deal with the chemical side but not the cognitive side, those "channels" and negative thought patterns are likely to stay in place, and once you stop taking the drugs the depression will be more likely to recur. If you deal with the cognitive side without dealing with the chemical side, you're going to be fighting an uphill battle to cut new channels with the new thought patterns.

Now, the chemical side doesn't have to be dealt with with drugs. But the alternative takes some discipline. Exercise for 20 minutes 3-4 times/week has been shown to be as effective as Prozac in dealing with clinical depression. It really does change your neurochemistry by releasing a host of neurotransmitters and balancing your brain chemistry. However, you need to be dedicated to doing it, and it takes about as long as the drugs do to take effect (about 3-6 weeks). It would also help either to do cognitive-behavior therapy or to get a book called "Feeling Good" by the originator of c-b therapy, which is focused on changing those negative thought patterns.

Best of luck to you.

09-25-2005, 06:01 AM	#4 (permalink)
lurkette My future is coming on Moderator Emeritus Location: east of the sun and west of the moon	I don't know if drugs are the answer for you, but you clearly need to do something to get yourself out of this funk. My own theory on depression (and this is ONLY my theory, I'm not a doctor or anything, just have had first-hand experience with depression, and work around a lot of mental health research) is that it is a learned pattern of thinking that becomes embedded in your neurochemistry and neural structure. You have an experience that makes you very sad or creates self-loathing, and that lays down the initial pattern for later responses. Think about it like water cutting a pathway in dirt or rock. The first time it happens, it causes a little rut, which makes it easier for water to follow that pathway next time, which makes it easier for water to follow the pathway next time, and pretty soon you've got a river and the water is pretty much guaranteed to follow that path. The same thing happens to you cognitively (and even neurochemically). You have a thought in response to a situation (e.g., I'm worthless) and the next time a similar situation happens, the automatic response is "I'm worthless." Etc. The bottom line of all this is that depression has two components: the chemical side and the cognitive side. And unless you deal with both you're unlikely to be successful dealing with the depression. If you deal with the chemical side but not the cognitive side, those "channels" and negative thought patterns are likely to stay in place, and once you stop taking the drugs the depression will be more likely to recur. If you deal with the cognitive side without dealing with the chemical side, you're going to be fighting an uphill battle to cut new channels with the new thought patterns. Now, the chemical side doesn't have to be dealt with with drugs. But the alternative takes some discipline. Exercise for 20 minutes 3-4 times/week has been shown to be as effective as Prozac in dealing with clinical depression. It really does change your neurochemistry by releasing a host of neurotransmitters and balancing your brain chemistry. However, you need to be dedicated to doing it, and it takes about as long as the drugs do to take effect (about 3-6 weeks). It would also help either to do cognitive-behavior therapy or to get a book called "Feeling Good" by the originator of c-b therapy, which is focused on changing those negative thought patterns. Best of luck to you. __________________ "If ten million people believe a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing." - Anatole France