Newly Diagnosed.

Don't forget that Food is medicine as well.  Do a little research on the Paleo Auto-Immune Protocol.  I've been practicing it for quite some time now and have found relief and healing the stricter I am with the food choices that I make.  Good Luck!

Hi just because you take ad's doesn't follow that you have to become dependant on them.   Many folk use them short term to start to feel better and more able to deal with your issues.   If you want to come off them you tail them off slowly (under a doctor of course).  Most of the ad's these days are not very addictive like they used to be in the old days.

As far as counselling goes,  talking therapies are more likely to help you get to the bottom of your problems.  CBT is good for finding practical ways to deal with difficulties and aim to change your pattern of thinking.   Why not do both?  x

 

Hi, I'm a bit confused. You said that the depression is due to anaemia; are you getting that treated? It might be worth waiting to see if that lifts your mood, especially if your depression is mild. Is there a reason your anaemia will take a long time to cure? I don't mean to pry, but treatment with anti-depressants can be long and complex and come with a batch of side-effects, so if you can do it with iron instead that would be preferable.

If you can't then ADs can be helpful, either temporarily or in the long term. Some people are dependent on them permanently and there shouldn't be any stigma to that (because like aspirin they are a palliative not a cure), but there's no reason you should be if the cause is your anaemia. 

Again I'm confused, because psychotherapy wouldn't normally be prescribed for depression associated with anaemia. Psychodynamic therapy is brilliant for getting to the root of emotional wounds, and helping you to come to terms with them, but you'll probably already know if you have these sorts of issues. The first time it can be a relief just to have someone listen. It can be life-changing, but its a gruelling process and can take a long time to have an effect. Sometimes you won't feel the alteration for some time after the therapy is finished. CBT helps you to manage the way you react to the world on a daily basis and helps you to see things in a more positive way. It's very good for building up self-image, and works quite quickly. It does investigate your issues a bit but doesn't go very deep.

Don't worry, you can't become addicted to talking therapy, they kick you out when you've had your allotted sessions!

The first time I tried counselling without anti-depressants (because in the old days there was a lot more fear surrounding them) but found I couldn't think straight because I was severely depressed, so after a few weeks got a prescription, which lifted me just enough for the therapy to help. You could try the same thing, and if your depression really is mild then maybe you won't need the pills at all.

Good luck and I hope you start to feel better soon.