Anxiety, schmanxiety

OK - I started to put this in the comment roll, but it got too long, so here goes:

Gail ~ yes, I absolutely second your assertion that when dealing with depression and anxiety
some kind of therapy (whether counseling or pharmaceutical intervention or both) makes a person feel more like themselves rather than less.

My previous post was about my frustration with the therapeutic process, which isn't easy. But it is ABSOLUTELY worth it.

Kelly ~ The only wisdom I can offer is that, despite my personal frustration with trying to find the right therapuetic fit, I am so happy that I have done something, and I wish I had done something sooner.

What you describe is very familiar to me. Counseling helped a great deal, and medicine made a huge difference. For me, I needed the combination of the two.

And, as many people will tell you, it will be much easier to find what will work for you if you can see someone who is a really skilled diagnostician and has a good reputation for working with these types of medications. It is entirely too easy to get a GP who is less than cautious with the scrip pad, and doesn't care if you have to go through a dozen medications and a couple years of frustration.

I guess I'm saying the important thing is to talk to someone, and talk to someone who knows what she or he is doing.

The really nasty thing about those evil sisters Depression and Anxiety is that they have a cruel gift for self-preservation. They sit around all day - and all night - convincing you that it would be a terrible mistake for you to kick them out of your head.

"You don't want to get better," they tell you. "You won't know what to do with yourself. You won't be funny anymore. You couldn't hack being healthy. You won't be YOU without US."

The thing is, they are filthy frikkin liars, and you should drive them as far as you can into the darkest woods and boot their spiny asses out of the car. Show no mercy.

Or, you know, make an appointment to talk to someone.

Comments

[peripateticpolarbear]

The thing is, they are filthy frikkin liars, and you should drive them as far as you can into the darkest woods and boot their spiny asses out of the car. Show no mercy.

Or, you know, make an appointment to talk to someone.

I so heart u, bettie bookish.

[Beth]

Bettie,
I wanted to thank you for this post and your previous one, and tell you that I think you are a wonderful writer. I am pretty sure I have been dealing with depression for a while (possibly 3 or more years), and part of my reticence in getting help has been my fear of not being myself on medications, but now I have realized that I am not really "myself", anyway, and I really want to feel happy again. You have inspired me to get help. Thank you!

[CPA Mom]

Bettie: I concur with Beth. I've been struggling with Clinical Depression since I was 12. I was on 2 medications at one point, stopped to have my babies. I think I need to get back on. Thanks for the push. I will stop listening to the Depression who wishes to stay.

[Stepblog]

Ah, so many of us are struggling with this!! I wholeheartedly agree with your direction to get the right person doing your prescribing - and also add that we each have to be our own advocate. I had an absolutely horrible experience this past year with a drug called Cymbalta - despite telling my doctor, "I have a tremor now! I can't stop talking! I've lost 10 pounds!" she assured me that was all normal. It took me nearly two months to get that drug out of my system. My anxiety thank god cleared up but I'm worried I won't have the balls to try another drug when it comes back since I had so much trouble with Cymbalta.

[Elizabeth]

Bloglines just sent me your last five posts, and I'm finding these posts about medication interesting. I've been having a hard time finding a consistently good anti-depressant for years. I've been on Prozac, Paxil, Cerzone, and now Wellbutrin XL, which keeps me from sinking into a dark cloud, but now I have anxieties I never had before. And you're right, that bitch has got to GO.

[RachelS]

Amen sister. It's so nice to see someone write so well about a subject I'm unfortunately very familiar with. I know just how you feel. I had to see a psychiatrist and a therapist and be on two different medications at the same time before I started to feel better, but it is so worth it.