Barry and Angela, both of whom faced depression benefitted from talking to a therapist about their fears, experiences and challenges
Barry’s story: learning to change the way you think
When Barry, 44, was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, his GP prescribed anti-depressants – effective for some, but not all. Barry says they turned him ‘into a zombie’.
It was only through talking with a cognitive behavioural therapist that he was eventually able to take control of his life.
This form of therapy was the practical answer he was looking for. He says: ‘I just can’t describe how useful it was... years ago I had automatic negative thoughts.
Nowadays it’s automatic positive thoughts. My therapy has more or less reversed the equation.’ Thanks to Barry’s ongoing commitment to challenge his negative thoughts, he gained enough confidence to go to college – and won the student of the year award!
Angela’s story: being who you want to be
When Angela, 20, was at school, the stress of exams led to her self-harming. She says: ‘I used to cut the tops of my arms or the tops of my legs, so that no-one could see.’
When she finally told a friend, it was such a relief that someone else knew. That gave her the confidence to approach a teacher who arranged for Angela to see her GP.
She was recommended counselling – but for 6 months she had to keep ringing up, demanding to know why she hadn’t been seen. She says: ‘I wanted the help but because it was taking so long I was getting so depressed and just didn’t really know what to do.’
When she finally received counselling it changed her life. She says: ‘Being able to talk to my counsellor openly about cutting actually relieved a lot of the stress – so the self harming gradually got less and less.’
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
