therapy?

LegacyUser · 31-12-2002 3:43am #1

Not the band, the stuff to help you cope with the horrors of life.

Basically I'm wondering if anyone has any experiences of therapy?

In particular a particular form reccommended to me called Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy.

Is it any good?

Does it help with severe depression and apathy?

Is it worth the 8/9 month waiting lists and a thousand odd euros in fees for a course of treatment?

Curious really.

LegacyUser · 31-12-2002 5:49pm

Ok I realise this might be a sensitive subject which people dont feel comfortable posting about. (Hell I did it under a guest a/c).

So, if anyone has any comments/experience an email to <a href=mailto:auto32487@hushmail.com>auto32487@hushmail.com</a> would be very appreciated.

Thanks.

sunbeam · 31-12-2002 7:40pm

Well I've never had formal therapy but a student counsellor went through the basics of CBT with me years ago. I found it helpful as a short term 'quick fix'-and I still do. In the longer run, I found it more useful to address the issues I was dealing with in other ways. However that was just my personal experience.

I'm not sure about severe depression, but it is known to help with depression in the mild to moderate range. Before you spend €1000+ though I'd check out a few books on the subject and see how comfortable you feel with the approach. A useful one is 'Overcoming Low Self-esteem: A Self-help Guide Using Cognitive Behavioral Techniques' by Melanie Fennell. There is one on Overcoming Depression by Paul Gilbert in the same series (I've not read it though).

eth0_ · 31-12-2002 7:58pm

Have you tried drugs? SSRI's are very helpful in a lot of cases, they are often used in tandem with therapy. Haven't had any experience with behavioral therapy but as sunbeam suggested, check out some self help books maybe. Am going to try hypnotherapy, but thats more to deal with a very bad concentration span

You'd usually pay between 50-100 per session for therapy, depends where you go. Not sure if BUPA/VHI cover it though.

DadaKopf · 31-12-2002 8:39pm

I go to a Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist (CBP).

In my experience, I have found the talking kinds of therapy - personal insight approaches - to be pretty unhelpful. However, it *is* good for problems like bereavement. Otherwise it's all about delving into your past, blaming past experiences for the way you are now.

CBP is much better. It doesn't ignore one's past but places the emphasis on the present; by changing your attitudes and actions in the present, one can actually break the viscious cycle of what's getting you down.

While insight therapies tend to make the patient blame outside elements (causing a kind of victim mentality), CBP places the responsibility back on the patient - the idea being somewhat empowering: whether you were a victim or not, you have the ability to recover.

Anyway, I'd highly recommend CBP. Also, if your depression is particularly acute, combining therapy with anti-depressants can amplify the healing process.

The downside to therapy is that it's not cheap, but I've found that psychotherapists are open to negotiation (it's kind of standard). Also, you wouldn't have to go *every week* so that cuts down on money some.

Good luck with whatever you do.

Durden · 31-12-2002 9:07pm

Well, on the general subject, I went to a psyciatrist (ignore my spelling, you know what i mean) once, when I was 6 or 7. I think I was being checked out for "learning difficultys", you know, ADD, hyperativity, that sorta thing... I loved it actually, though all I can remember is him teaching me a magic trick... but it may have helped me...

Oh and it turned out I was just lazy and bored.

LegacyUser · 31-12-2002 10:05pm

heya!

well to be honest, when i went to a counsellor they didnt say anything about cbt....so i dont know a fierce lot about it. we just talked about stuff that was going on and that was it. what actually happens with cbt? do u have to go to a psychologist to get it done? wud like 2 know more about it...

LegacyUser · 01-01-2003 4:39pm

Originally posted by Unrred1234567
what actually happens with cbt? do u have to go to a psychologist to get it done? wud like 2 know more about it...

Seemingly it's very much goal orientated therapy, as opposed to just talking. You get homework assignments to do, and it can be pretty hard work. Or so I'm told.

Will be another 8 months or so before I find out.

thedrowner · 01-01-2003 4:43pm

i went to a councillor a few times, coz i got badly depressed a while ago, but it didnt last long and i felt kind of stupid going back to the councillor once it had passed. but it did kind of help at the time, for me and i know a few people who have seen psychiatrists and take anti-d's for it, we've all felt that talking really helps, even if you are saying the same thing over and over again. it just depends on the person. if youre in college. you should be able to see a councillor for free with only a waiting list of about 3 weeks and they may be able to help you decide what kind of action to take.

LegacyUser · 01-01-2003 4:55pm

Originally posted by eth0_
Have you tried drugs? SSRI's are very helpful in a lot of cases, they are often used in tandem with therapy.

I was on SSRI's but had some unpleasant sideeffects and they weren't that effective. I've been on an SNRI for quite a while now. It is pretty good at keeping the blackest lows at bay and doesn't cause nasty panic attacks or other unpleasantness, but doesn't really do anything magical about getting your life back on track, changing damaging thought patterns etc. which is seemingly the sort of stuff CBP is good for.

LegacyUser · 01-01-2003 5:24pm

Originally posted by DadaKopf
[snip]

CBP is much better. It doesn't ignore one's past but places the emphasis on the present; by changing your attitudes and actions in the present, one can actually break the viscious cycle of what's getting you down.

While insight therapies tend to make the patient blame outside elements (causing a kind of victim mentality), CBP places the responsibility back on the patient - the idea being somewhat empowering: whether you were a victim or not, you have the ability to recover.

[snip]

Good luck with whatever you do.

Thanks DadaKopf (and everyone else who took the time to reply).

That was pretty much exactly the sort of response I was hoping for, it sounds much better then more traditional therapy and well worth the wait.

DadaKopf · 01-01-2003 8:26pm

Originally posted by unlooper
Seemingly it's very much goal orientated therapy, as opposed to just talking. You get homework assignments to do, and it can be pretty hard work. Or so I'm told.

Will be another 8 months or so before I find out.

Yeah, that's pretty much it. It is hard work, but extremely rewarding.

Is there no way you can get therapy sooner than 8 months? You could bite the bullet and just pay if it's because you're getting it on public health. 8 months is a long time.

Silent Grape · 01-01-2003 9:17pm

im in therapy at the moment. im finding it very unhelpful, but it could be me hoping for a quick fix and blaming the therapist. im very confused. i was in john of gods for three weeks which was this group load of ****e that made me ten times worse. so im afraid although im doing therapy and all that, im not the most positive on the subject. gud luck, i hope you find the right therapist for you

x

LegacyUser · 01-01-2003 11:17pm

Originally posted by DadaKopf
Is there no way you can get therapy sooner than 8 months? You could bite the bullet and just pay if it's because you're getting it on public health. 8 months is a long time.

8 months is the private waiting list for the hospital in Dublin with the largest and best CBP department.

I shudder to think how long it would take going public.

I also tried a few other private practitioners mentioned by my shrink but they were all either not taking patients on at the minute because of a big backlog, or in two cases, about to go on maternity leave.

therapy?

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