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To: RaceBannon
And it is a shame your 'Christian' Counsellor didnt send you to Jesus instead of Freud.

On the contrary...I fought tooth-n-nail about seeing any counselor in the first place because my new life with God was very precious to me and I didn't want secular mumbo-jumbo tainting that. It was after my Christian friend remembered another mentioning this particular Christian counselor that I relented.

It turned out to be one of the blessings in all this - once the medicines helped me get back some control, our sessions at times were more bible studies than anything because I wanted to know how to deal with everything in a Christian way. And because he was a professional, he had the authority to request time off for me, which was months at a time. It is something a pastor wouldn't have been able to do. Thanks to my counselor, I still have my job and am able to deal with the stresses better than I had before the breakdown. Finally, he helped find the root of my problems and sent me to another Christian who deals specifically in that area. Between the two of them, I doubt God could have sent me to a pair of Christians who were strangers to me that I could trust so deeply.

You may not have seen my earlier post on this thread - I have been off all meds for a year now. I am very aware of the physical symptoms of this illness and do what I need to when red flags start flying. I think much straighter than ever but cannot control the physical aspect of it all. It doesn't take much to get to the point of "running on fumes" and with a home and job at stake, I won't hesitate getting extra help from medicines if after all I can do still isn't enough. "Body of death" as Paul describes it, it's going to continue to break down and fail me. I will use what God has shown me to work, regardless of what others like you think.

416 posted on 12/13/2003 1:55:38 PM PST by Ladysmith
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To: Ladysmith
My ex-wife had been very, very depressed for much of her life, and sought help in all kinds of ways. She was an ordained pastor and successful -- making that career choice was partly the result of seeking a religious solution for depression, and believing the answer lay in religion. And, her on-the-side hobby was getting counseling and self-help of all kinds for depression. Ultimately, she acknowledged her depression, got some medication and made some life-changing decisions. Some of her woman pastor friends and soulmates have done the same.

Believing that a medical diagnosis of depression would be stigmatizing was important, to create a willingness to seek treatment.

The medicine that seems to have been mose useful for her and them was Ritalin.

Recognition of one's own depression as a medical condition is an important step, and marks the boundary between running in place and making progress, imho.

Taking action to change life conditions that may have created depression is another step, and marks a "taking responsibility" threshold that some prefer not to cross.
426 posted on 12/13/2003 2:09:11 PM PST by Tax Government
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