LogFAQs > #878263425

Leanaunfurled posted...

Yes, an actual professional. That people with depression already struggle to see, because they struggle to care about anything. Going on a message board and giving the vague advice of "things get better, just push forward" doesn't help those I'm referring to and sounds obnoxiously similar to the type of person who goes "just be happy instead!"

I understand your frustration. I don't think TC was trying to trivialize the whole process. I think him posting that he used to be in a darker place and now isn't, and providing this idea of positive reframing can come off as disingenuous if we run with the assumption that Point A to Point B took barely any time and that it's a failure on anyone else's part if they don't just "turn off that switch" from preventing you to helping yourself.

I don't think that's his point at all.

Depression necessarily prevents you from seeking the help needed. I akin it to wearing a 100-lbs vest all the time. You just can't will yourself to do things, let alone get out of bed. The prospect of making appointments with professionals, working hard to consciously shoot down negative thoughts, taking meds, etc, for weeks to months at a time before seeing any improvement is like climbing Mt. Everest.

But I don't think TC is meaning to trivialize the process. I just think that in the range of depression, people with milder cases can overcome it with "positive thinking" because it's just an informal way to go about cognitive behavioral therapy, which is the most evidence-based therapy modality for treating depression, next to drugs like SSRIs. They might not recognize it as a formal treatment, but some people just can carry that type of cognitive style and self reflection that it works for them.
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"He has two neurons held together by a spirochete."