To Stop Therapy Or Not?

[Motor35]

I feel kinda strange asking this, but I hear so much great advice here, I am gonna give it a shot.

 

I have been in psychotherapy since November. The main reason I am there is to sort through terrible depression after a failed relationship. I like my doctor. He is nice and I feel comfortable with him.

 

In December/January I developed terrible panic/anxiety attacks and my general practicioner put me on Zoloft. Now I feel like the Zo is working. I can feel the panic creeping up, but it stops before developing into an attack. I can sleep better. I eat now. And my thoughts are not completely absorbed by said failed relationship. I really like the way the meds have been working.

 

I have begun a journal and reading loads of books. I feel better. Not completely healed or recovered, but much, MUCH better I think it is mostly the Zoloft that is helping. My psychotherapy isn't a total waste, but I feel like I haven't gotten much out of it. The only thing of value my doctor has told me is that he thinks I have some sort of PTSD.

 

In my experience over the past few months in therapy, it seems he just states the obvious. Would you carry on with the therapy?

[whichwayisup]

Right now you need CBT, cognitive behaviour therapy. You need to understand the anxiety, face it, learn how cope and deal with it NOW otherwise it will control you and your life. Talk therapy helps just as much as the meds.

 

If you feel this Dr isn't the one to help you, find a therapist who specializes in CBT. Don't stop going to therapy until you're happy where you are in life, and feel you can cope normally again. There's nothing to be ashamed of about going to therapy! It can only help and make you a stronger person.

[oppath]

Agreed. CBT is the way to go. It (combined with medications) is the most effective treatment for depression and anxiety, particularly panic. If you only had a mild depression based on long ago events, talk therapy may be useful, but Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is needed for depression and anxiety, to learn how to stop distorted, irrational thoughts, replace them with rational ones, and therefore cope better before and after an anxiety provoking event and behave better too. It works, and it is time limited, meaning in a couple months you will have learned most of it, and at that point your therapist can shift to talk therapy.