Depression: My Advice
Spring…it’s probably the greatest season. I woke up today and I felt good, I felt happy, I felt something I hadn’t felt in a long time…but it was a good feeling. It’s not too hot and it’s not cold at all. It’s perfect.
I’ve been doing a lot of research on depression. I’m not depressed right now, but I have been studying about it in my Abnormal Behavior class. I have found a lot of information on depression and negative feelings and I would like to share with you a method to help you feel less depressed (if indeed you are).
Aaron T. Beck created what s called the cognitive model of psychology, it is by far my favorite model. If you take prescription drugs for depression, like Prozac or Zoloft, you may want to reconsider. Now, I'm not telling you they are bad drugs but what I am telling you is to try to see a cognitive therapist. Studies have shown that cognitive therapy is just as effective as prescription drugs for depression. However, relapse time for a person who underwent cognitive therapy is 30%, in comparison to 70% for people using anti-depressants. If you don’t understand what I mean think of it this way; basically studies say that once you are done using anti-depressants and you don’t want to use them again, 70% of those people who stopped using anti-depressants went back to their abnormal depressive moods. Likewise, for those who underwent cognitive therapy, only 30% reverted back to their abnormal depressive moods.
This is due to that fact that cognitive therapy helps you deal with your emotions, as opposed to drugs which only help you relive your emotions for a short period of time; remember anti-depressants are not cures.
However if you don’t want to see a therapist here is some advice I will give you, using the cognitive model. Some people have irrational or rational beliefs, maybe both. But what causes depression are your irrational beliefs, such as “No body loves me” or “No one ever calls me, so that must mean I’m ugly.” Irrational beliefs lead to negative consequences, such as feeling of depression or worse. So to sum it up, don’t think irrationally, because then you are more likely to develop negative feelings about yourself and the world around you. Just remember, it’s not what happens in life that determines your future, it’s what you THINK happens in life that determines your future.
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