Heal The Abuse - Recover Your Life by Jason Goodwin (great books for teens .txt) 📕

feelings of depression canbecome crippling. There have been times in my life when I had ahard time getting out of bed. I lost weight, lost interest in life,isolated myself in a one-bedroom apartment, and slept late into themorning. When depression becomes extreme, a condition described bythe DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)as Major Depression, it is important to be willing to trymedication.

My own depression was genetic in nature, butenhanced by circumstances. My grandmother on my mother’s sidesuffered from depression and took antidepressants for the secondhalf of her life. I often felt depressed as a child for no apparentreason, and I wrote a lot of violent, morbid poetry. I feltresistant to taking medication for the first 34 years of my lifebecause I didn’t want to believe that I was crazy. Taking pills tochange my brain chemistry would be admitting there was somethingwrong with me.

My stubborn resistance to medicationtreatment was illogical and self-destructive. When I went tograduate school, I learned about the physiology of the brain andthe reasons why antidepressants work. I finally concluded that ifmy depression was genetic in nature, it was a physical problem. Anda physical problem demands a physical solution. For me, thinkingpositive was never enough. My attempts to improve my outlook onlife certainly helped, but the aching in my head never wentaway.

I finally decided to try an SSRI (SelectiveSerotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) five years ago. It is one of thenewer antidepressant medications, and I experience no side effects.I can tell you that this medication changed my life.

In the past, my emotional response to thetrauma of sexual abuse had turned my genetic depression into aliving nightmare. I suffered for many years before givingmedication treatment a chance.

Before antidepressants, my life had movedfrom one depression to the next. I can attest to the fact that thisis no way to live. Stubbornness and fear prevented me from makingrational decisions about treating my depression. My attitude isvery different now. I have more authority in recommendingantidepressants to my clients, because I take them myself.

Antidepressants do not make you happy. Theyare not addictive, and they do not get you high. But they do helpbalance your brain chemistry so that when you wake up in themorning, you can have an even chance of feeling happy or depressed,depending on your circumstances.

This is the way most people experience theirlives. They do not wake up feeling depressed for no reason. Ittakes a specific event or set of circumstances to make them feelhappy or sad.

Even the most positive life includes ups anddowns, but chronic depression can rob you of the good times. Ittook me a long while to decide that I deserved a normal chance offeeling happy. Now I have that, and my quality of life has improvedmore than I can say.

Even if you are depressed solely as a resultof the sexual abuse, anti-depressant medication may help youthrough a difficult time. If you are struggling with depression,ask your doctor or psychiatrist if medication treatment isappropriate for you.

Of course, antidepressants are not asubstitute for working through our emotional issues. For most ofus, counseling is another very effective way to reduce depression.Challenging our negative thinking can help to reverse ourdepressive symptoms.

People who do not suffer from a genetic orbiological depression can often discontinue the use ofantidepressant medication over time. If you are like me, and yourdepression has a long, family history, take heart in knowing thatyou may be able to find an antidepressant that works well withminimal side effects.

Part of the reason I avoided medicationtreatment for so long was because I wanted to punish myself. Ibelieved that only bad little boys were sexually abused.

It requires a certain amount of self-esteemto seek medical attention. We have to realize that we deserve tofeel better, or at least that we deserve a normal chance of feelinghappy.

Depression is a normal emotion. Everyoneexperiences depression from time to time. If your depressionbecomes crippling, please get the help you need.

Exercise12-1

Depression Self-Test

-These are the criteria for major depressiontaken from the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of MentalDisorders).

_____ 1. I feel depressed most of the day,almost every day.

_____ 2. I am less interested and get lesspleasure than I used to out of all, or almost all,

of my activities during the day.

_____ 3. I have experienced a change of morethan 5% of my body weight in a month,

or have a decrease or increase in appetitenearly every day.

_____ 4. I have trouble sleeping, or Ioversleep nearly every day.

_____ 5. I feel either agitated or “slow”nearly every day.

_____ 6. I feel tired and have low energynearly every day.

_____ 7. I feel bad about myself or feel alot of guilt nearly every day.

_____ 8. I have a hard time concentrating ormaking decisions nearly every day.

_____ 9. I sometimes have thoughts of death,or feel suicidal.

All of these symptoms can be indicators ofmajor depression. If you are experiencing one or more of thesymptoms above, see your doctor or psychiatrist to get a screeningfor depression. Remember, suicide is never the answer. If you everfeel suicidal, or know someone who is feeling suicidal, immediatelycontact a suicide hotline, a counselor, or the police to ensureyour safety or the safety of the person involved.

Process Questions

How often and in what circumstances do I feeldepressed?

What does depression feel like to me?

Have I seen a doctor or psychiatrist to get ascreening for clinical depression? Have I followed through on anyrecommended treatment?

How would my life improve if I overcame mydepression?

Which techniques help me to cope withfeelings of depression? (Medication, counseling, keeping a journal,talking about it, getting out and engaging in social andrecreational activities, exercising at least 3 times a week, lighttherapy, creative outlets like art or music, positive thinking,etc…)

Stepping Stones to Health

Depression

-Try to identify where you are in thestepping-stones to health, and the next step or steps you need totake.

_____ 1. I feel depressed a lot, and havenever done anything to try to reduce my depression.

_____ 2. I was told by someone that I shoulddo