Glad things worked out for you!
Yay, Fat Chance!
Out of curiosity, between the wellbutrin and the therapy, what was it that you think helped you climb out of your depression more?
Thanks for the post, it felt good reading it.
This is the best zombie ever. I’m really happy for you. I hope I can follow your example too. Happiness is an amazing thing, as I vaguely seem to recall.
Can’t speak for Fat Chance. But for me, it was the prozac which allowed me to finally become me. I had one of the country’s finest psychiatrists and he took me from being mush to setting aside fears that I had had for thirty years and hangups that I had had all of my life. But I don’t think he could have reached me without the medication. This may not be true for everyone.
God bless you, Dr. T.
I think the best course of action is to start with the EAP therapy sessions. You never know, just getting some stuff off your chest in front of a therapist can be cathartic. Through those eight sessions (or fewer, depending on how it goes) you will have time to think about whether you feel you need some type of medication, and get advice about it from your counselor.
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The next step would either be a psychiatrist (ideal if you have insurance) or a regular doctor. The psychiatrist will be better equipped to help you, and typically once they get you on meds that work, you will just have 15-30 min sessions after that to make any adjustment to your meds. Ideally you’d continue therapy along with meds, but not everyone does.
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I hope you find the help you need. Sounds like you have access to good care. The EAP is an excellent resource for employees. And as you probably know, your employer will never be the wiser if you do it. That’s a worry for people, but it is strictly confidential.
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I think people who rail against medication forget that different things work for different people. I never needed therapy; medication cleared up the chemical problem and I’m good. Medication doesn’t work for my dad (and he refuses to do what the therapist says).
I’m going to say both, but really the wellbutrin had the bigger affect I think. While the therapy has, and is, helping change my thought habits, and recognize things better, the fact that I just suddenly stopped dwelling so much, and would find myself just saying to myself, “you know what, I’m going to be fine” etc. was more than likely the medication.
But I also highly recommend the therapy along with it. The medication did wonders for the constant hopelessness and negativity I felt, and once that dark overwhelming cloud lifted, I could suddenly see all the other areas of my life where I lived in fear, insecurity, etc. and now my therapist and I can focus on these things, and I have the energy, will, and passion to work on them as well. To have a good life, not just survive this one.
From everything I understand, I also got a bit lucky. Many many people go through various types of meds, many don’t work, many have horrible side affects, etc. So for to find one that basically is working with no side affects, make me feel fortunate.
This makes sense, and I can relate. The things we talked about, the strategies, etc. all made sense to me, and I tried, but part of the depression and chemical issue, I think, was a complete lack of motivation and energy. I gave up very easy and got discouraged. But once the meds kicked, I felt more motivation and energy to put into concentrating on the therapy.
I think a good combination is best.