Schuetz

I have been working with Depression for 38 years.

There are two aspects about treating depression. How do we cure it? How do we prevent it?

They are not the same. No matter how we may cure depression this will not prevent depression.

Why is it so important to prevent depression?

Depression reoccurs. People who have the tendency to be depressed suffer from a permanent poor quality of life.

I no longer believe that Medications to be a panacea. They may cure depression. They do not increase quality of life.

But this begs a very serious question. When is someone depressed and not merely very sad? When do we cure? When do we prevent?

As a rule of thumb we can use functioning. If sadness is such that there is an objective limitation of functioning then we should address the problem as curing depression.

If a person is sad but is not suffering a limitation in functioning then we should address the problem as preventing depression.

VNS, ECT, and Medications cure depression. They do not really prevent it.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, CBT, prevents it.

It really is as simple as that.

If you want a fuller insight into how CBT works, or how CBT can be offered online please refer to my free Online site myRay.com

If you wish to understand more about: Thoughts, feelings, emotions, moods, depression, what it means, what re your choices and how to choose please refer to my free online site MyDoctorExplains.com

Both sites, http://myRay.com and http://MyDoctorExplains.com are non commercial and free.As is the blog http://www.DrMichaelBenjamin.com

Use them as often and as long as you so wish.

Dr. Michael Benjamin,

Psychiatrist