Did you see my post the other day about depression and IBS? Granted, it's very likely that depression affects you differently than it does me. But for me, therapy has been the default treatment, and medication has only been for the worst of the bad times. But it can be hard for me to articulate why, because it's an assumption I've always taken for granted.
I think in part it's because I don't feel comfortable completely divorcing interal biochemistry from external factors. So the things that go on around me, and the way I interpret them and frame them and react to them, are part of the equation. And while my neurotransmitter levels are a factor in determining my interpretations and reactions, so are my conscious efforts.
But then, I've always been comfortable in a therapeutic setting. It's something that's Just Done in my family, and while I've had problems being completely and ruthlessly honest (I lied to the woman I saw when I was 14, so I could stop seeing her), in general opening up has not been an issue.
And you know, not all of my problems are caused by depression or anxiety. Some of them are my own personal neuroses - and while being depressed at varying levels since childhood will contribute greatly to those neuroses, it is not always necessary to remove the depression in order to combat them.
no subject
I think in part it's because I don't feel comfortable completely divorcing interal biochemistry from external factors. So the things that go on around me, and the way I interpret them and frame them and react to them, are part of the equation. And while my neurotransmitter levels are a factor in determining my interpretations and reactions, so are my conscious efforts.
But then, I've always been comfortable in a therapeutic setting. It's something that's Just Done in my family, and while I've had problems being completely and ruthlessly honest (I lied to the woman I saw when I was 14, so I could stop seeing her), in general opening up has not been an issue.
And you know, not all of my problems are caused by depression or anxiety. Some of them are my own personal neuroses - and while being depressed at varying levels since childhood will contribute greatly to those neuroses, it is not always necessary to remove the depression in order to combat them.