Depression can definitely destroy your life. In our modern rat race society more and more people suffer from it. Every sixth person suffering from severe depression commits suicide.
I have read a lot of information about depression and related subjects. What really struck me was how helpless we are, when it comes to mental disorder and disease. The prescription of antidepressant drugs with all its problematic side effects is the most frequent form of depression treatment. Sometimes it is accompanied by some sort of psychotherapy or “talk therapy”.
It is not my intention to minimize the importance of antidepressant medications. It has its value, especially in the emergency treatment of depression. But in the long run there are severe side effects. Medication can in no way replace a psychotherapeutic treatment. Studies have proven that talking to an expert about your condition will often be of great help to resolve it.
This will lead us to the second big question in the treatment of depression. How good is your psychotherapist?
Of course, there is a standardized education for this profession.
But there is much more to this question. Professional education, however elaborate it might be, will not guarantee real knowledge of life, personal integrity and compassion. Persons treating depression in others must have a genuine concern and even love for their patients.
More important than any professional qualification is personal qualification. This truth has too long been swept under the carpet. It is easy to hide behind theoretical knowledge, standardized skills and an academic degree. The effectiveness of the therapist will be proportional to his personal integrity and development.
Instead of putting so much stress on identifying different types of depression according to different symptoms, it would be much more beneficial to look deeper in order to get to the root cause. And, that challenge has everything to do with one’s own understanding of life. A superficial person, however expert he or she may be in his/her chosen field, will only gain superficial understanding and consequently get superficial results. This is especially true in fields that are so closely related to human nature as depression and other mental disorders. Therefore it is my request: Choose your therapist carefully.
What is the most important ingredient for a successful treatment of depression?
Do not lose hope. Rest assured that there is a solution to any kind of problem, however impossible it might appear.
How can I be so sure about that?
A medical professional may not be able to give this guarantee, because he just might not be able to understand life profoundly enough. This will solely depend on his personal character. As far as I am concerned, I have learned - in my work as a coach and personal/spiritual development expert - that there is not even one single problem in this world without its perfect solution. But, as Albert Einstein has put it so nicely: "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."
There is always hope. Rest assured!
The following pages will provide you with a lot of – sometimes contradictory – information about depression. Ultimately it is up to you, what to believe and what to reject. Listen to your heart and grow your innate ability to distinguish.
You will learn about symptoms, treatment and medication, about different types of depression, natural remedies, online depression tests and much more. You will also learn about alternative ways to treat depression, like acupuncture, herbs, Meridian Energy Therapies, releasing techniques and others.
While browsing through the pages, you are invited to pay special attention to the resources mentioned at the bottom of each page. They all have proven amazingly helpful in the treatment of all sorts of mental problems and disorders, including depression and anxiety.
I wish you well. May you discover your full potential, in the light of which all your problems will dissolve like morning fog in the rays of the raising sun.
Sincerely,
Friedrich Asen
Personal and Spiritual Development Expert
