There’s an excellent article on the lies depression tells on Psych Central, and we thought it was worth sharing an excerpt here. If you’re in the Cleveland area and you recognize yourself or someone you love in this article, we hope you’ll look into treatment. And if price is something you’ve been worrying about, please don’t. The Center for Effective Living can sometimes help patients get discounts on medications we prescribe from the pharmacy (work on phrasing) Ask us for details.
Common Cognitive Distortions
“It’s all my fault I have depression.” (Lee H. Coleman, Ph.D., ABPP) regularly reminds his clients that no one asks to be depressed; “nobody can inflict themselves with depression. It’s a complex illness with roots in our biology, our family backgrounds, and so many other factors that are completely out of our control.”
He believes that instead of focusing on how you got there, it’s more useful to focus on what may be maintaining your depression right now, such as social isolation or unmet needs, he said. Paying attention to your needs for social contact, meaningful work, leisure time and other needs helps you figure out where you can take action. “Is there something you need that you haven’t spoken up about?”
“Nothing I do will make any difference, so why bother?” This kind of thinking is called catastrophizing, which triggers a loop of hopelessness and bleak ruminations, said (Deborah Serani, PsyD). Naturally, this makes every part of a person’s life feel difficult.
Small acts such as getting up and taking a shower start to feel impossible. Bigger tasks such as paying bills and holding down a job test a person’s “mind, body and soul to the point of exhaustion,” she said. Slowly, as their ability to endure these demands diminishes, people “wither into a state of hopelessness.”
But the truth is, she said, there are many ways to reduce your depression and people who love you and want to help. There also are “tremendous hopeful changes just around the corner once you begin treatment.”