Thinking about quitting counseling...

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An addiction to what exactly? If you're referring to the cannabis I have to disagree.....I have gone months without it, though I prefer to have it. Obviously if I don't have any I have to just deal with how I feel and if I honestly cannot handle it I might drink but not in excess, I don't really want to end up as an alcoholic like half the rest of my family.

As for outside help not being very good, I have been experiancing that first hand ever since I was 15.

I think it is good that DON'T have an addiction. So many people that have chronic depression do end up being alcoholics.
Cannabis is far less addicting than alcohol anyway.

As far as "outside help", my experience has been that psychotherapists range anywhere from "helpful" to "waste of time". It has a time and place but there is only so much that can be done with it. My frustration has been that some therapists don't listen. I am appalled sometimes by the lack of communication skills that some therapists have, you would think that that would be required for the job. I have 2 very close friends now that can listen to me and help with whatever though. I very much appreciate it when someone can break down my problems for me and help me find solutions. I know that I have make those solutions happen though.

And psychiatrists--well I will save that rant for another time. I deal with them out of necessity, because I need medication, not out of any great desire.

Take care of yourself and don't let your depression get too bad.

It sounds like you need to be told that it is possible, very much so.

I agree with him, I think it is something people usually have a choice in, and you need to be able to see that. I wouldn't call it a flaw in thinking, more a bias... some people are biased towards negative, when it's perfectly possible to have a positive bias, or at least a neutral one. People can and do change their outlook to make life more enjoyable and less depressing. I've done it myself.

Have you discussed your feelings that arise from his approach? A discussion might bring about better understanding and changes.

I get the impression that you aren't really giving his advice a good try. I find measured breathing a very effective way of relaxing.

You have to have a bit of faith and try things out. The alternative is to remain as you are forever.

I have clinical depression, that means as much as I attempt to think positivly and such I don't feel any different because its an issue with brain chemicals not doing what they are supposed to. Its not really my choice, the only choice I have in the matter is how to deal with it. But I don't get to choose whether or not I have depression. Thats just the trouble he is using the dissucssing feelings approach and things like that but those things don't do much to help just brings me further furstration.

I was going to have a little pendatic talk about depression and chemicals; I know very well how serious and unpleasant and unfortunate it is to be afflicted with clinical depression. But I don't think it would be very helpful.

I would like to restate a question I asked in my last post to you;



If feelings don't do it for you, how about thoughts?

Hmm well I have pretty much explained to him how I feel and all that, and thoughts don't make me that depressed as a rule...I mean obviously if something that upests me happens I feel sad/upset about it, but its not thoughts that bring on the feelings of severe depression.

First of all I have to admit that I have jaded opinions about therapy, so don't let me dissuade you from getting help.

You do need to take care of your mental health. Maybe when you are not so depressed, someone--counselor or friend can sit down with you and start working on practical solutions that you can use. I am not an expert, and don't claim to be but medication might be helpful as PART of the solution. As I said before, Taking medication won't fix your problems, but it will get your brain working better so you can work through your problems.

Gee this thread is really triggering for me. I just deleted about a whole page of rant (I didn't post it) about how one of my former therapist just kept asking me for my feelings when I was severely depressed. I just kept saying something like the world sucks. After about 2 or 3 weeks on paxil I talked with another (second) therapist about how things were, that combined with my close friend (seperately) and I was picking up the pieces that was my life at the time. I honestly don't think I could have started to sort out my employment problems (I lost my job), as well as more practical issues like where I would live, and how to discuss this with my parents (I was in my 20s but they were involved), unless I had started the whole process with some meds, because my brain wasn't working right. Things eventually worked out and then I had the difficult problem of getting off the meds, but hey at least I survived, just please don't ask me how I FELT about it (hint: it really sucked).

okay, I have decided not post anymore on this thread, I will find other threads to post on. I think that I have said everything that I need to say. I hope I did not offend offend anyone. This was NOT meant as an attack against Moog.

Your thinking quite clearly there, whereas he seems to be subscribing to the mind over matter baloney. I think some of these people think you can cure cancer and grow new limbs by 'thinking positive'

OK, yeah I guess really its a bit of both, sure it is good to talk, and its good to think about how you can improve your lot through a different perspective and changing your thinking and that will help, but sometimes its more than can be dealt with through just that, and there's meds that can help and they are there to be used for that reason! They can lift you out of the basement to the ground floor so to speak, where you can then find the stairwell and start walking up.

I have considered possibly trying anti-depressants again once i can get some sort of medical care.....today i applied for SSI and some sort of medicaid program. But yeah if that does not get approved then it won't even be an option. my other concern is having a worse reaction to a different type of anti-depressants then the ones I tried. I think I had a generic version of prozac or something(not sure) and I had such a bad reaction I immeaditly quit taking them and threw the rest of them in the garbage I was only on them for maybe a little over three weeks but if I had been on them longer before that reaction instantly quitting them might have been potentially dangerous.

Relax! I don't feel attacked. In fact I don't really see anything to do with me at all there.

I have clear views on how I'd like to see depression treated, but I can't always bring those in an effective way to people who are still in the worst throes of depression.

We talked about SSRIs on the other thread, and while I feel negatively about them (and positively about almost any other way of treating depression and anxiety), Sweetleaf you could probably benefit from a short course.

You're right I do need to relax, thanks moog

I've had therapists that have worked very hard to help me feel better by having me pop a pill or think my way to happiness. In the past, this has worked for a while. But now I realize that "thinking my way to happiness" did not change the fact of what put me in a pile of s**t in the first place. It was like I was told to just feel happy and it really doesn't matter whether you get out of the pile of s**t or not. In fact, they thought they were doing a good job if I only started to feel better. They really weren't all that concerned that I change the fact that I was in a pile of s**t already. As long as I was happy.

Some people just don't understand that you want to change your attitude by changing your station, not just by changing your attitude. they don't understand that simply trying to change one's station can make incredible improvements whether or not success comes easily.

Didnt read through the thread, but I can say for me counceling did NOTHING. Total waste of time and money together. If anything it reaffirmed my feelings of doing the right choice in ending it all.

"Ending it all" meaning counseling, not life?

Well yeah I feel like things might feel a little better one my actual situation improves...I am in college and hoping to move out in the next couple of months because me, my sister and my cousin are planning on getting an apartment. So that might make a difference, and it might not make a difference. But I have to convince myself to look forward to something. But at the same time that idea kind of makes me anxious because I feel like it will work out well at first and then something will happen that rips everything apart......I mean in the past i have hung around people(sometimes have had people I consider friends) and every time they either abandon me or its more of a mutual thing where they hint around about having a problem with me and I decide they arent worth my time and leave. So I am afraid this could happen with me and my sister and cousin living together. I mean I see this combination of college and moving out as a final chance to see if I can find anything worth living for and if the path towards maybe getting somewhere in life is possible. So I am trying to change my situation in life, but if things go to hell this time it will be even worse because I've always been close to my sister and cousin and well if things go the way they always do go with me I will have no problem walking away from them(and probably the rest of my family). Its like something i can't stop when someone does enough to really get to me it tends to completly get rid of any positive feelings i might have for them.