being a chemical imbalance easily cured with medication only make her
feel like more of a freak.
If there is someone like Rachel in your life, you probably know the
whole long, sad story by heart, because you’ve heard it so many times. She’s
convinced that she’s hopeless, and though she calls her friends for help,
she seems more interested in telling them how awful her situation is than
in getting any advice about how to change it. She’s sure that nothing will
help because nothing has.
Actually, there are a number of approaches that will help, but none
by itself will cure her. Rachel’s case is typical in that respect. Her depres-
sion is not a single thing, and no single treatment can fix it. Medication,
psychotherapy, her own efforts, and support from her friends can each
help a little. Over time, the small positives accumulate and slowly come
together to make a meaningful life.
Rachel is also typical in that she’s gone in so many different directions
trying to escape her depression that she’s lost her way. The paths she
chooses are just as apt to lead her deeper into her disorder as out of it.
If there is a person like Rachel in your life, you may have to be a
guide, pointing her in the right direction, encouraging her to do better, to
stay with the small actions that help a little, rather than thrashing about
in search of the magical cure that will make her feel well enough to do
the things that will make her feel better.
In Rachel’s case, the idea that depression is a physical disease to be
cured with medication merely drives her around in circles. For other peo-
ple, attempted cures can be more debilitating than the disease.
Randy continues to get worse. He now spends most of the day
lying on the couch watching TV, waiting for something to
make him feel better. He’s followed doctor’s orders by cutting
down on the stress in his life, but that hasn’t helped. He’s
been off work a few months, and his anxiety is worse than
it’s ever been.
Now he has depression too. The doctor says it’s a chemical
imbalance and has prescribed several different medications, which
haven’t worked. His doctor finally sends him to a psychiatrist in
hopes that an expert can come up with the right combination of
medications to cure Randy’s mental illness.Explosions into Sadness ❧ 167