Max: Logic > Depression?
It's no secret that I have depression. It runs in my family and I can't think of one of us who has managed to really beat it. There have been victories, but they have been small and/or short lived. For years, emotions that have no relationship with what is going on in my life have controlled me. For instance, I have a job that would generally be considered cushy. Logically, I know I am lucky to be here and have it pretty good. But part of me keeps telling me that my job is a little slice of hell.
I am being treated. Every day I take a handful of pills in the hope that they will shut the crazy side of me down enough for the reasonable side to function. They help a little, but not enough. Fo a long time I have feared I would never really get it under control, that every day for the rest of my life I will have to fight the demons just to function like something resembling a sane person.
Then a thought occurred to me. The purpose of the antidepressants is to control the irrational emotions that lead to the irrational thoughts. I wondered if it could work the other way around. What if I test my thoughts against simple logic, try to see if they really make any sense given my circumstance at that time? I could start catching and rejecting the irrational thoughts. Maybe by controlling the irrational thoughts I can start to control the irrational emotions.
It turns out that I am far from the first person to have this thought. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and rational emotive behavior therapy are largely based on this idea. Further, there have been quite a few recent studies that show CBT to be as effective as, in some cases more effective than, antidepressants.
So far I have had one success, dealing with the aforementioned job. Since I started trying to filter the irrational thoughts, my job related stress has been significantly reduced. It used to be that I would be overwhelmed with dread every time a call came in. Now I hardly stress about the calls at all. I still have a long way to go. I have a whole life I need to re-examine, 37 years worth of cognitive habits to reshape.
I don't know for sure where this is going to lead. This certainly wouldn't be the first time I've conquered depression just to end up relapsing. But for the first time in a long time, I feel like I have a shot at taking my life back.
I am being treated. Every day I take a handful of pills in the hope that they will shut the crazy side of me down enough for the reasonable side to function. They help a little, but not enough. Fo a long time I have feared I would never really get it under control, that every day for the rest of my life I will have to fight the demons just to function like something resembling a sane person.
Then a thought occurred to me. The purpose of the antidepressants is to control the irrational emotions that lead to the irrational thoughts. I wondered if it could work the other way around. What if I test my thoughts against simple logic, try to see if they really make any sense given my circumstance at that time? I could start catching and rejecting the irrational thoughts. Maybe by controlling the irrational thoughts I can start to control the irrational emotions.
It turns out that I am far from the first person to have this thought. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and rational emotive behavior therapy are largely based on this idea. Further, there have been quite a few recent studies that show CBT to be as effective as, in some cases more effective than, antidepressants.
So far I have had one success, dealing with the aforementioned job. Since I started trying to filter the irrational thoughts, my job related stress has been significantly reduced. It used to be that I would be overwhelmed with dread every time a call came in. Now I hardly stress about the calls at all. I still have a long way to go. I have a whole life I need to re-examine, 37 years worth of cognitive habits to reshape.
I don't know for sure where this is going to lead. This certainly wouldn't be the first time I've conquered depression just to end up relapsing. But for the first time in a long time, I feel like I have a shot at taking my life back.
posted by Max Dobberstein at 1/14/2009 10:56:00 AM
3 Comments:
So, did you come up with the idea yourself, or is this from that book, with the "infinity lame title"?
I hope it works. Logical thinking is very hard for me, as you know. But you're becoming a pro at it. :) Keep up the good work, Luv.
I got the general idea on my own. That led me to the book which is helping me refine my technique.
Wow. That's very cool, Max. I thought you would need pills the rest of your life, too. And more and more pills as you went.
I really hope this works.
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