I am 71, have suffered from moderate depression since adolescence. I
exchanged a few messages here a year or so ago. I would like to ask
about the experiences people have had with CBT. This seems to be all the
rage; it seems impossible to find any ot...
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I am 71, have suffered from moderate depression since adolescence. I
exchanged a few messages here a year or so ago. I would like to ask
about the experiences people have had with CBT. This seems to be all the
rage; it seems impossible to find any other form of treatment now, apart
from drugs. I want to emphasize that I do not at all want to discourage
anyone from using CBT, and most certainly do not want to destroy
anyone's faith in their treatment. I am very aware that there is a huge
body of research that says CBT is effective. And if it is working or has
worked for you, that is great, or if you are thinking about trying it,
or are about to start such a program, I would encourage you to do so.
However, speaking strictly for myself, I tried an online CBT program for
depression and gave up halfway through. I had read a fair bit about CBT
beforehand, and was skeptical, because I could not see how it could
possibly work for me. Also, in my pre-retirement life, I was an academic
and learned to skeptical about some research, where everyone jumps on a
certain wagon for a while, so had doubts about the validity of some of
the research. But at the same time, as everyone here knows, depression
is no fun, and I was ready to try it, despite my skepticism. I gave up
primarily because I felt I was being encouraged to tell myself lies, to
convince myself that what I know to be true is not true. I realize that
some thoughts are not helpful, but that doesn't mean they are not true.
From the outside my life seems successful; to me, from the inside, it
has been a waste and a failure. That is not a helpful thought, no doubt
about that, but it is true, feels true too, and thousands of concrete
experiences have proved it to me; every social interaction with a
stranger proves it to me. Telling myself it is not true seems like the
height of foolishness to me, would be like trying to convince myself
that 2 + 2 = 5. When I was last here, someone mentioned finding success
with a group CBT treatment. I can't see how that would work either.
However, I would be grateful if anyone wanted to talk about how CBT,
either in a group or not, was helpful to them. I am not asking because I
want to attack anyone's treatment, but hopefully to understand how CBT
has helped others. Thanks.