Wellbutrin changed my life
Depression Success Story | Jen's Success Story
Jen’s earliest memories of depression date back to her junior year of high school, when the winter months would make her feel down and tired and her thoughts became negative. In college, these feelings persisted and grew stronger. Usually an extrovert, she began to withdraw from her social activities and preferred to be alone, so she knew something was off.
Aware that anxiety ran in her family, the pattern of her feelings made her suspect anxiety or seasonal affective disorder. When she went home on break she saw a doctor who agreed with her hunch and prescribed her the antidepressant medication, Zoloft (brand name for sertraline).
Jen had heard so many positive antidepressant stories, so she was optimistic. She had a friend that took Zoloft for OCD and thought it really helped. Jen really hoped that she’d be one of the many who feel like Zoloft changed her life.
Feeling jittery and uncomfortable, she stopped the medication shortly after. Coming off Zoloft seemed to work. She felt better being away from the stress of school and the sun was shining again, so she guessed the depression was seasonal and manageable.
Over time, Jen’s depression worsened and she began having anxiety and signs of ADHD. To Jen, her depression felt like complete hopelessness. She wouldn’t move from bed, binging on Netflix and comfort food. Then her anxiety would manifest, often as panic attacks with physical pain in her chest and gut, causing her to lose her appetite for long stretches.
Deciding it was time to try getting help again, she continued her process to find a treatment that would work for her. Her doctor prescribed Paxil (brand name for paroxetine), a different antidepressant, for her anxiety because it had been effective for her mother. It seemed to take the edge off of her depression and anxiety, and with that came some relief.
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A body and mind divided
When Jen began to fall in love with a man in the military, heightened feelings of happiness overshadowed her low moods; she only noticed her continued depression because her body would respond with familiar seasonal symptoms of lethargy and lack of appetite and sleep.
Jen always wanted to be a mother so when they got pregnant, she was overjoyed. For the safety of the baby, she needed to go off of the Paxil during her pregnancy. She remembers having a difficult time with the hormones, constant nausea, and swirl of emotions surrounding pregnancy and approaching motherhood. Her son was born via C-section.
“I remember one day sitting on the couch with my newborn and he was a week old and thinking, what now? What do I do? I guess there’s more to life than just this. Yes, I love him, and he’s great, but he’s just kind of laying there and I’m exhausted.”
This exhaustion and emotions led Jen to return to medication—this time Prozac (brand name for fluoxetine). She remembers feeling even-keeled on a regular basis on the meds, which was certainly better than her depression or panic attacks. She liked the Prozac for anxiety but overall she still felt “blah.” She always appreciated her ability to feel the ups and downs of life and go deeper into her emotional world, but now her emotions were flat and colorless.
She had heard about Wellbutrin (brand name for bupropion hydrochloride) as an addition to Prozac, and with help from her doctor, tried the combination. Her doctor evaluated potential drug interactions, discussed potential side effects, and explained how Wellbutrin and Prozac work together.
Jen says, “Honestly, that changed my life. Once I got the medication that worked for me and for my body, it was the best that I had felt in a very long time. And not just mentally but physically, my body seems to be more normal.”
This combination got Jen feeling not only like she was effectively managing her anxiety and depression, but like she was really herself again. It also gave her a deep appreciation for being able to feel the sensations in her body, including recognizing the things that were helpful to her health and those that were harmful.
Same, but different
The scary feelings of anxiety and depression flooded back immediately after her second child, a daughter, was born.
Jen was in the hospital for 3 days and was so anxious that she didn’t sleep at all. By the time she got home, she had a familiar sense of numbness.
“I have this memory of my mom holding my daughter on the couch, and looking at my daughter and feeling nothing. Just nothing. No attachment, no love, no, ‘Oh, I want to hold her.’ It just… wasn’t there. Of course, then I had a panic attack because you’re not supposed to feel that way about your baby.”
Jen’s self-awareness and compassion helped her realize she needed a bit of space, so she went to her shower—her happy place—to try and understand what was happening. As she grappled with her feelings, she started falling asleep in the shower with her eyes open. The physical and emotional exhaustion was taking a toll and she decided to take it one day at a time.
She relied on her husband, medication, therapy sessions, and her own intuition.
“One day out of the blue, I remembered that senses are related to memories and feelings, and I decided to go and buy the shampoo that I’d used on my son.
I started using that on my daughter, so I would smell that on her. It made a world of difference because then my brain started connecting everything that was happening. It was my baby aromatherapy.”
Over time, her attachment to her daughter grew and bloomed until she was back to being herself—a doting and loving mother.
Medication alone isn’t enough
Jen believes that depression is not just extreme sadness and that anxiety is not just overwhelming stress—they can have many overlapping symptoms. With this in mind, they have to be addressed in the right way, which includes multiple approaches to treat and manage the different aspects of each condition.
To supplement her medication, Jen learned self-care approaches that work for her. Mindful breathing helps her feel like she has more power over what’s happening in her body. She also sees a therapist regularly to talk about her experiences and get compassionate support and guidance.
While medication is effective during the period you’re actively consuming it, engaging in therapy gives you space to talk with a mental health professional who understands and can teach you skills that can help you cope over the long term.
In fact, medication and therapy together can give you up to a 60% better chance of recovery than one treatment alone.
A big ol’ megaphone
Jen has learned a lot on her depression journey. For one thing, she recognizes that feelings of shame and insufficiency are universal and that no one is immune to depression:
My mantra is that we all have issues. It’s the way it is, and that’s okay.
Depression doesn’t look a certain way. I’m very good at putting a mask on and presenting myself one way regardless of what’s going on inside of me. There are people who are smiley and upbeat and their Facebook looks perfect and all of that, and they’re struggling horribly.
It makes sense that people have anxiety and depression, especially in the world we live in today. It’s not a weakness, it’s not something that anyone should feel like they need to hide. It’s truly a manifestation of what is going on in your mind and in your body.
Jen believes an important antidote to this is compassion, for yourself and others.
“Just stop judging yourself—I should be doing this. I should be thinking this. I shouldn’t be thinking this way. I shouldn’t – because all that does is make it worse. It makes your depression worse, and it makes your anxiety worse.”
Jen is now focused on spreading that message of self-acceptance and self-compassion, acting as an example that if you disregard the stigma, and accept or even embrace your depression, you can gain power over it. With the help of a mental health professional, you can feel better.
“I feel this is what I’m called to do. To get on a big ol’ megaphone and yell out to the world, ‘I’ve got depression and anxiety and ADHD and this is what my experience has been. Hey, look at me!’ And just to kind of let people know it’s okay. You can get through it.”
Treatment at Brightside Health is different
At Brightside Health, we’re elevating the mental health care experience so you don’t have to go through trial-and-error treatment. You can meet with your dedicated provider 1:1 from the comfort of home.
Jen’s story shows how important it is to access help when you realize you’re not feeling like you.
We offer evidence-based therapy and precision psychiatry so you can get started with the right treatment the first time. Your psychiatric provider uses our PrecisionRx tool to analyze your particular constellation of symptoms to recommend the treatment plan most likely to work for you. You can view Brightside’s list of medications here. For therapy, our licensed therapists use the science-backed Unified Protocol, an evolution of cognitive behavioral therapy, to help you get back to feeling like you again.
Within 12 weeks, 86% of Brightside members feel better and experience improvement, and 71% achieve remission levels.
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Elon Musk On Twitter Says Wellbutrin Should Be Taken Off Market, Here’s The Pushback
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has expressed plans to buy Twitter, got quite a response for a tweet on ... [+] Wellbutrin, an antidepressant medication.
(Photo by Christian Marquardt - Pool/Getty Images)
Elon Musk is not a medical doctor. He’s not a psychiatrist or any other type of mental health professional. But on Friday, he expressed a very strong opinion about Wellbutrin, an anti-depressant medication, on Twitter. Yes, Twitter, that social media platform that he plans on buying for $44 billion, which is about $44 billion more than most people will ever have. Take a look at how Musk responded to a tweet from Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen about a different medication Adderall:
From Twitter
From TwitterAs you can see, Andreessen had originally tweeted, “Everyone thinks our present society was caused by social media. I'm wondering whether Adderall plus ubiquitous Google searches have bigger effects.” Note that Andreessen, who’s not a medical doctor or other mental health professional either, didn’t specifically mention Wellbutrin but instead pasted a passage that mentioned Wellbutrin without specifying from where he got that passage.
Nevertheless, Musk decided to throw in a well, how about Wellbutrin type of reply: “Wellbutrin is way worse than Adderall imo. It should be taken off the market. Every time that drug has come up in conversation, someone at the table has a suicide or near suicide story.”
Presumably, Musk used “imo” to stand for “in my opinion” rather than “intrepid marine officer”, “intelligent medical object”, or “I monetize otters.” Maybe this was a disclaimer just in case someone accused him of offering medical advice. Regardless, on social media, such a qualifier may go unnoticed, especially if you don’t emphasize “imobidhrme,” which would stand for “in my opinion because I don’t have real medical expertise.” Remember when podcaster Joe Rogan said, “I’m not a doctor, I’m a bleeping moron,” and “I’m not a respected source of information, even for me,” as I covered for Forbes? Well, has that stopped people from taking medical advice from Rogan? And has that kept Rogan from continuing to make claims about Covid-19 vaccines and medications such as ivermectin? Add over $260 billion in net worth, and do you have a similar situation with Musk?
Let’s take a look at the specifics of what Musk tweeted.
Saying that Wellbutrin is worse than Adderall is a bit like saying, “a can opener is way worse than a hedge trimmer.” Sure, both medications do affect neurotransmitters, the chemicals that nerve cells in your brain use to communicate with each other. However, they do fall into different categories of medications. Wellbutrin, known generically as bupropion, is an aminoketone antidepressant or a dopamine reuptake inhibitor, whereas Adderall, known generically as dextroamphetamine/amphetamine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant. The strengths, limitations, risks, and usefulness of both Wellbutrin and Adderall really depend on how specifically they are being used.
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The two medications tend to be used for very different things too. Doctors may prescribe Wellbutrin to treat either major depressive disorder or seasonal affective disorder, which is when depression episodes tend to come in the Fall and Winter months. Wellbutrin happens to have the same active ingredient as the smoking cessation medication Zyban.
Thus, doctors may also prescribe Wellbutrin in an off-label manner to help people trying to quit smoking.
By contrast, doctors tend to use Adderall to treat either attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or narcolepsy. ADHD is not the same as depression, although a given person may have both conditions. With ADHD, you have a lot of difficulty with maintaining attention, experiencing hyperactivity, and being impulsive. Keep in mind that there are formal criteria that mental health professionals use to diagnose ADHD. So don’t think that you have ADHD just because you complain that too many people on Tinder are looking for long-term relationships.
Narcolepsy isn’t the same as depression either. It’s a chronic sleep disorder where you can have episodes of being extremely drowsy and suddenly falling asleep during the daytime. Again narcolepsy is a formal diagnosis with specific criteria. Not being able to stay awake after you’ve spent the whole night watching cat videos does not necessarily mean that you have narcolepsy.
Moreover, Musk saying that Wellbutrin should be taken off the market is a pretty strong statement. So is using words like “every time” and “everyone.” Remember “every time” technically means every single time. Be very skeptical whenever anyone says “every time” or “everyone” about anything scientific, especially anything medical-related. Instead, real scientists tend to use more accurate words such as “usually”, “typically”, “more likely to”, or “tends to” as well as “many people” or “a majority of people” when referring to something that happens often, such as, “when you drop a cinder block on your foot, it tends to hurt” or “a majority of people do not like underwear made out of sandpaper.”
Why did Musk think that Wellbutrin should be taken off the market? While his tweet seemed to suggest that using the medication is associated with suicidal thoughts, Musk did not offer any scientific studies or hard data to justify his opinion. But Musk’s observations alone are not enough to make that conclusion.
Just because bitcoin comes up every time a friend has mentioned squirrels in conversation doesn’t mean that squirrels are somehow controlling the crypto market. Similarly, Musk’s observations not only are undocumented but can also be skewed. When Musk said, “Every time that drug has come up in conversation, someone at the table,” whom exactly was Musk talking to, what kind of of conversations were occurring, and what kind of table was it? Was it one of those really small tables that are used in kindergartens? Musk’s tweet didn’t say, “imbo” for “in my billionaire’s opinion” but would his opinions carry as much weight if he were just some dude and not a billionaire?
One clear confounding factor is that those who are taking Wellbutrin likely have depression, which in some cases can have accompanying suicidal thoughts. So, just because such thoughts arise doesn’t necessarily mean that they are the result of the medication. You don’t claim that bandages cause bleeding do you?
The National Library of Medicine (NLM) does list a number of possible side effects for bupropion ranging from drowsiness to headaches to nausea and vomiting to anxiety to sleep disturbances to uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body to loss of appetite to excessive sweating to seizures to confusion to hallucinations to irrational fears to irregular heartbeats.
This certainly doesn’t mean that everyone or even most people will experience all of these side effects. It does mean though that you shouldn’t be taking Wellbutrin on your own without the close guidance of a real mental health professional who is qualified to prescribe and monitor your use of Wellbutrin. Wellbutrin ain’t like chicken wings. You shouldn’t just take one when you are feeling down. (Although, you may want someone else to monitor your use of chicken wings too.)
Plenty of mental health professionals on Twitter pushed back on Musk’s assertions. For example, Jessi Gold, MD, MS, an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine, tweeted that Wellbutrin is “one of the most favored meds by my patients” and that she herself has been on the medication:
And David Reiss, MD, a psychiatrist in San Diego, CA, called Musk’s tweet “DANGEROUS medical misinformation” and emphasized that “any antidepressant can be dangerous if not appropriately prescribed and closely monitored” in the following tweet:
Meanwhile, those who said that they have undergone treatment for depression chimed in as well.
For example, Matthew Cortland, a lawyer, urged, “Please do not take medical advice from Elon Musk,” and offered the following:
He emphasized the “need to increase access to ALL depression treatments” in the rest of his thread:
Cortland also highlighted a sentence, “Of note, the risk of a suicide attempt is inherent in major depression and may persist until remission occurs,” that appeared in the medical reference UpToDate:
Then there was author Stephanie Land, who wrote that “Wellbutrin changed my life. It probably saved it a bit too” in the following tweet:
Of course, Wellbutrin and Adderall are not for everyone. And as with many different medications, there are likely a number of people who are on such meds who really don’t need to be on them. At the same time, there may be people who could benefit from these medications that currently don’t have access to them. Regardless, blaming all of society’s problems on social media, Adderall, Google searches, or Wellbutrin alone greatly oversimplifies matters and really overlooks the complex system of contributing factors.
For example, existing and widening socioeconomic disparities are major factors. And so has our society’s steady shift over the past several decades away from investing in, respecting, and following real science and real scientists.
Bupropion gave criminal complications - Gazeta Kommersant No. 29 (6750) dated February 18, 2020 psychiatrists consider it a legal antidepressant. Astrakhan customs opened a large-scale drug smuggling case against Olga Kalinovskaya, suffering from a psychiatric illness, who received pills in the mail. The woman claims that she did not even order the medicine - the package was allegedly a New Year's gift from a friend who advised her on treatment. Experts point out that bupropion is not banned in Russia, but this does not interfere with judging for its purchase. nine0003
Photo: Sergey Mikheev, Kommersant / buy photo
Photo: Sergey Mikheev, Kommersant / buy photo
Olga Kalinovskaya lived in Ukraine since 2008, where she was diagnosed with a depressive personality disorder.
In 2012, an acquaintance of hers, a teacher who works with special children, suggested that the woman might also have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). She advised me to contact a friend from Norway who lives with ADHD himself and consults other patients remotely. He confirmed the diagnosis of Olga Kalinovskaya and recommended bupropion for treatment; she several times ordered the drug to Ukraine from an Indian pharmaceutical company without any problems. nine0003
Abroad Bupropion is completely legal and prescribed by doctors as an antidepressant or to help quit smoking. Foreign pharmaceutical companies produce bupropion tablets under different names: Zyban, Elontril, Wellbutrin. Until 2016, it was also sold in Russia, and the Ministry of Health even included it in the standards for the provision of medical care. But then the manufacturer left the Russian market and withdrew the license from the State Register of Medicines. By law, such drugs without a license can be bought and sold as dietary supplements.
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In 2017, Olga Kalinovskaya returned to Volgograd with her husband and child to take care of her elderly mother. The woman passed a psychiatric commission, but Russian doctors did not confirm ADHD. She was given a different diagnosis (she asked not to disclose it to the media) and prescribed treatment. Ivan Martynikhin, a member of the executive committee of the Russian Society of Psychiatrists, told Kommersant that ADHD is poorly diagnosed in Russia: “Doctors do not know that it persists in adults. I see patients who come in with a depressive disorder, and ADHD is at the root.” nine0003
At the same time, the psychiatrist emphasized that one should not engage in self-examination: “Only in half of the patients who came to see me and complained of ADHD, the syndrome was actually confirmed.”
At the end of December 2019, Kalinovskaya received a notification about the delivery of an unknown package from India. She was detained at the post office - it turned out that the package contained 300 bupropion tablets.
According to Mrs. Kalinovskaya, this was a complete surprise for her. Later, the woman found out that the same patient-consultant from Norway had sent the drug. “He didn’t warn me, he sent me pills for his money. He explained that he knew about my problem and just wanted to help,” said Olga Kalinovskaya. As a result, the Astrakhan customs opened a criminal case against Ms. Kalinovskaya under Part 3 of Art. 229.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (drug smuggling on an especially large scale, the maximum penalty is up to 20 years in prison). Customs experts considered that the tablets contained "derivatives" of the illegal drug ephedron.
As Kommersant already told, in early 2019, Russian law enforcement agencies began to arrest citizens ordering drugs with bupropion in foreign online stores. The fact is that in Russian legislation since 2012 there is the concept of “derivatives of narcotic drugs” - this is the name of substances created by slightly changing the chemical formula of the drug.
"Derivatives" are not listed as banned substances, but are still considered drugs. This wording appeared as part of the fight against new types of drugs, primarily "spice" - manufacturers quickly changed parts of the formula, which made it possible for some time to sell the drug without the threat of punishment. However, lawyers and narcologists already then criticized the idea of “derivatives” for legal uncertainty: they warned that sooner or later legal pharmaceuticals would fall under the ban. nine0003
There are already about ten criminal cases of bupropion smuggling, at least two people are in jail.
At the same time, the Russian Society of Psychiatrists (ROP) published an official conclusion in August 2019 that bupropion is not a drug and does not lead to dependence. Ivan Martynikhin, a member of the executive committee of the ROP, said that patients applied to the society with a request to include bupropion in clinical recommendations. The psychiatrist told Kommersant that the drug has practically no analogues and "kills two birds with one stone: bupropion is good in the treatment of depression and affects the cause - attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
" Ivan Martynikhin noted that bupropion does not have severe side effects, which is important for patients with bipolar depression. Moreover, the drug can be prescribed in addition to the main drugs to correct side effects. nine0003
Legal consultant on drug-related cases, expert of the Institute of Human Rights Arseniy Levinson draws attention to the fact that no Russian legal act prohibits bupropion for circulation in the Russian Federation, nowhere is it officially indicated that it is considered a drug. “If a person does not read the news, then there is no way for him to know that bupropion is recognized by the police as a derivative of ephedron,” says Mr. Levinson. “Obviously, such a person cannot commit smuggling, a crime involving direct intent. In other words, the person must know that he is committing a crime and desire it. How could Olga Kalinovskaya know that the medicine she freely bought in Ukraine suddenly turned out to be a drug in Russia?” According to him, "the authorities stubbornly ignore" the problem of criminal liability for "derivatives".
Mr. Levinson participates in the work of the Duma working group on improving anti-drug legislation; summer 2019years he spoke there about the situation with bupropion. “The representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs said that they are aware of the problem, that the police are humanely sorry for those who are persecuted for purchasing medicine for medical reasons, but nothing needs to be changed,” said Arseniy Levinson.
“As a result, I face 20 years in prison for inaccuracies in the legislation,” says Olga Kalinovskaya.
Recall that the first criminal case on the smuggling of bupropion was initiated in April 2019 by the Ural customs against Daria Belyaeva, who ordered an antidepressant from Poland. As Irina Ruchko, the girl's lawyer, told Kommersant, in January 2020 the case was returned for additional investigation for the third time - with the wording that the investigation "did not specify the circumstances of socially dangerous acts." According to her, now the investigator intends to send several requests: “At least, to the medical institution where Daria was treated - to find out what drugs she was prescribed in connection with the disease.
And to the Ministry of Health - to find out the attitude of the department towards bupropion. nine0003
The lawyer said that the investigator himself became the object of a departmental check: “Initially, the defense was acquainted with the decision on the appointment of an examination on bupropion, where the expert was asked five questions. And then the same decision appeared in the case file, only with three questions. In simple terms, this means that the investigator replaced one decision with another.” The lawyer sent a petition, after which the Investigative Committee checked the actions of the investigator. “The results are not yet known to me, but I very much doubt that a criminal case will be initiated,” she said. nine0003
During the investigation, Darya Belyaeva was assigned an additional psychiatric examination - the girl was declared insane. “If the court concludes that she is guilty, then she will be sent to compulsory outpatient treatment,” the lawyer explained. “That is, in any case, she is not threatened with a colony now.
But this situation puts pressure on her - after all, she already had a serious illness. Of course, it is not easy for her to bear it. “Let's hope that the case will be dismissed without trial on rehabilitative grounds,” says Arseniy Levinson. “It is absolutely obvious that there is no public danger in the actions of a patient who acquires a medicine legal all over the world for medical use.” nine0003
Elizaveta Lamova, Alexander Chernykh
Read the book “Depression. How to break out of a black hole» full online📖 — Anara Mammadova — MyBook.
Depression is like a lady in black. If she comes, do not drive her away, but invite her to the table as a guest, and listen to what she intends to say.
Carl Gustav Jung
The best day of my life
It was the best day of my life. nine0013
It would probably be easier to throw away these two huge plastic bags at once, stuffed to capacity with all kinds of psychotropic drugs available in the post-Soviet space.
But it was a special pleasure for me to take out one multi-colored box, each of which meant a certain milestone, a stage in my six-year struggle with depression, carefully examine them, evoke the memories associated with them and mercilessly throw them into the trash, along with all that pain, fear, the torment they meant to me. nine0003
Prozac, Cromwell Hospital, London, obese physician with unhealthy dyspnea, who first told me "you are depressed"; Remeron, Acibedam Hospital, Istanbul, $800 spent on meaningless tests; "Lerivon", Moscow, 10 kilograms of extra weight, gained in just over three months...
Six years. Deleted from life, from my most active life period, six years of unrealized opportunities, rejected career offers, ruined personal life, hopeless vegetative existence. nine0003
I deserve this day. Definitely deserved.
Introduction
Hello.
My name is Anar Mammadov, I am a doctor, I am 38 years old.
The last 6 of them were stolen by depression.
I have suffered from depression, generalized anxiety and panic attacks since August 2002. At the peak of the disease, I took three types of antidepressants at the same time, visited a psychotherapist, and engaged in various practitioners from the field of alternative medicine. Despite this, I spent most of each day in a depressed state, panic attacks occurred 3-4 times a day, I flinched at every phone call and calling me by name. nine0003
At some point, I decided to put up with it. I decided that I was destined to spend the rest of my days on antidepressants, which, although I didn’t get well, at least gave me the strength to get out of bed every morning and go to work, somehow communicate with people around me, fulfill my social functions.
In the end, this also stopped working. I lost my job, my personal life was destroyed, I didn’t see any point in continuing to exist.
But six months ago things started to change. Now everything in my life is different, I do not take antidepressants, I do not experience anxiety and panic attacks, I am in a calm and positive state most of the day.
I have a new job that brings me satisfaction, and a girl with whom I plan to connect my life and who is the best for me in this world.
Not much, you say?
Well, indeed, many people around you have the same thing and don't write books about it. nine0003
But if you're reading this book, maybe things aren't so clear in your life. As a physician, I have come across depressive patients in my practice, some of whom have reached the point where they saw no other way out for themselves than suicide.
At that time I myself did not suffer from depression and I can responsibly declare: a person who has not been in this skin will never understand what a depressive patient experiences, for whom there is no greater happiness, greater dream than to return to his pre-morbid state, to live an ordinary life , to love and be loved, to enjoy the little joys that healthy people are so familiar with that they no longer evoke any emotions in them. nine0003
So what happened six months ago?
No miracle happened, I didn't find a miraculous pill that cured me, I didn't read any book recommending "to change my attitude towards depression" and "think positively", after which all my problems were solved.
Miracles do not happen. They will not be in your case either - to get rid of depression, you will have to work hard. But my example shows that the rewards for hard work can be enormous if you know exactly what to do. It took me 6 years to figure this out, you can get this knowledge in a few hours spent reading this book. nine0003
As a doctor, I fully understood the underlying mechanism of depression, but as a patient, I could not find an effective solution that would stop this ruthless mechanism.
Now I know how to do it. I have spent 6 years and over $50,000 on drugs, psychotherapy and various spiritual practices. Everything I know, including the only effective way out of depression that I know of, I have summarized in a book that I have the honor to offer to your attention. nine0003
Just remember that reading a book will not cure you, the technique will have to be practiced. It is not difficult, does not take much time, and you will feel the effect after the first successful session.
Each time it will intensify, and, I assure you, the classes will not only not burden you, but, on the contrary, once you feel the effect, you will eagerly strive for them.
My methodology is based on Dr. Arthur Yanov's Primal Therapy theory and Neuro Linguistic Programming methods pioneered by John Grinder and Richard Bandler. nine0003
I underwent three weeks of intensive care at the Primary Center in Los Angeles in January 2009 and the experience has changed my life. I finally understood how to get to the bottom of forgotten childhood memories and the repressed pain they continue to inflict on us.
It remained to find a method for working with psychological traumas from the present and the recent past. It turned out to be easier to do, NLP methods in this regard proved to be very effective.
To understand why the combination of these methods worked best, you need to know about the causes of depression. Any doctor will tell you that the basis of depression is a violation of the normal course of biochemical processes in the brain and the associated disturbance in the metabolism of neurotransmitters - serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine.
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But that's not what I'm talking about now.
Every depression has a reason. Sometimes it can lie on the surface and be realized by the individual, sometimes its causes are buried in childhood traumas and experiences. But most often, even almost always, there is a combination of these two factors, stress in the present brings to life pain from the past. You can read more about this in chapter , Causes of Depression.
Many celebrities have been treated by Dr. Janov, including Elizabeth Taylor and Barbra Streisand. But his most famous patient was, of course, John Lennon. Below you can read Dr. Yanov's memories of John's therapy, which he shared in an interview with Mojo magazine. nine0003
In my opinion, Dr. Yanov has gotten to the root of the problem. Primary therapy allows you to reach and splash out the repressed emotions that cause nervous breakdowns. This is very important, but not always enough. To get rid of depression, you also need to work through traumatic situations that are already in your mind, you are aware of, but still continue to torment you.
I am not going to teach you Primary Therapy, for that you have to go to Los Angeles and do it at the Primary Center. In this book, I describe my experience, undoubtedly positive, and the method that I had to come up with in order to be able to continue working with my subconscious to stop the three-week intensive at the Center. nine0003
Primary therapy, like any other, is lengthy. It does not stop after the first three weeks, and this is completely justified: it is impossible to work through all the unconscious material in such a short time. But I had to interrupt my treatment at the Center, I could no longer stay in Los Angeles, and besides, having lost my job, I had nothing to pay for the continuation of therapy anyway.
Fortunately, I now have the opportunity to practice my method at home, and I am ready to share it with you. You will learn how to relive long-suppressed feelings, how to get rid of the pain that has accumulated in your mind for decades, how to get rid of daily stress and work through traumatic memories from the recent past.
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I have also described in detail my experiences with medication and psychotherapy, as well as experiences with various spiritual practices. Some methods worked for me, some didn't. After reading this book, you will learn how not to make my mistakes and not waste time and money on useless methods, learn about the side effects caused by various antidepressants, about the exact, and not always harmless, mechanism of their work.
Here is a partial list of what I have tried in the last 6 years:
Antidepressants and other medicines:
Prozac, Zoloft, Amitriptyline, Lerivon, Remeron, Venlaflaxin, Desirel, Wellbutrin, Paxil, Xanax, Diazepam.
Psychotherapy and body-oriented therapy:
Interpersonal therapy, psychoanalysis, cognitive behavioral therapy, primal therapy, Rolfing.
Spiritual and meditative practices:
Self-hypnosis, qigong, scientology, transcendental therapy, holotropic breathing, psychoanalysis, sleep deprivation.
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I am not asking you to stop your current treatment, my method is compatible with medication and psychotherapy. There is a high risk of premature and abrupt discontinuation of antidepressants, and they should be stopped only under supervision and in consultation with your doctor. But by practicing my method, you yourself will feel that in time you will no longer need other types of treatment.
I have written this book from two points of view - the doctor's and the patient's. As a doctor, I will tell you about the causes of depression, the mechanism of action and the indications for the use of various types of therapy. From me, as a patient, you will learn about the effectiveness of a particular method, the side effects of medications, and, finally, about what ultimately helped me cope with my long-term illness. nine0003
I feel better now than before the onset of the illness. Simultaneous work with repressed and conscious material gave results that I did not even dare to hope for six months ago.
