CHALLENGING PERSONAL BELIEFS

1.            Describe just the facts of a situation which is causing you problems.

2.            What were your first thoughts  that came to your mind about this situation.

3.            What immediate emotions did your feel? ( Anger, happiness, sadness, frustration, etc.)

4.            Read a distorted thinking list, and specify which thinking you used.

5.            How can you think differently, considering your distorted thinking.

6.            Develop a thinking pattern that will allow you to think accurately, more quickly the next time.

TOOL

Thinking Pattern
Belief of what happened . >>>Was my thinking distorted and in what way? >>>What emotions did it cause that could be inaccurate? >>>How could I think and feel about this that would be more accurate? >>> Which more accurate belief do I choose to accept? >>>

If you continue to use this tool, eventually you can skip to that last section when a situation first happens.  

COPING WITH CHALLENGING SITUATIONS/PROBELMATIC BELIEFS

PROBLEMATIC BELIEFS:  What you believe isn’t always accurate.  Accept that.  Decide what is true before you act (or stew about it).  I receive the following work sheet from Rick Huntsman, and thought it was excellent.

CHALLENGING SITUATIONS WORKSHEET

Below is a list of questions to be used in helping you challenge your maladaptive or problematic beliefs.  Not all questions will be appropriate for the belief you choose to challenge.  Answer as many questions as you can for the belief you have chosen to challenge below.

Belief:_______________________________________________________________________________

1.            What is the evidence for and against this idea?

                FOR:

                AGAINST:

2.            Is your belief a habit or based on facts?

3.            Are your interpretations of the situation too far removed from reality to be accurate?

4.            Are you thinking in all-or-non terms?

5.            Are you using words or phrases that are extreme or exaggerated (i.e., always, forever, never, need, should, must, can’t , and every time)?

6.            Are you taking the situation out of contest and only focusing on one aspect of the event?

7.            Is the source of information reliable?

8.            Are you confusing a low probability with a hiugh probability?

9.            Are your judgments based on feelings rather than facts?

10.          Are you focused on irrelevant factors?

THERAPISTS MANUAL – Cognitive Processing Therapy.  Veteran/Military Version     Page 103

BEDTIMES AND DEPRESSION

BEDTIMES AND DEPRESSION

In an article written by Dr. Sue Hubbard, a nationally known pediatrician, it is suggested that earlier bedtimes for children and teens can reduce depression.  Columbia University researchers studied 12,000 adolescents and teens and found that subjects with strict bedtimes of 10 p.m. or earlier were less likely to have depressive and suicidal thoughts.    A different study of 12,000 children indicated that only about 8% got the required sleep of nine hours a night.  In another study of 15,000 children in grades 7-12, kids who were allowed to stay up until midnight or later had a 24% more chance of being depressed, and a 20 % more chance of suicidal thoughts. 

It was also revealed in the above studies that having a firm bedtime set by a parent  is almost as important as attaining a required amount of sleep hours.  Encourage earlier bedtimes.  Things such as “lights out”, turning off all electronics ½ hour before bedtime, warm showers, and firm rules starting at an early age can help children start a lifetime of good sleeping habits that can help control depression.

FALSE ASSUMPTIONS

FALSE ASSUMPTIONS

None of these false assumptions are true – yet many people’s lives are affected by believing them.

1.         To be happy I have to be successful at everything I undertake.

2.       To be happy I must be accepted by all people at all times.

3.       If I make a mistake it means I’m a failure.

4.       I can’t live without my spouse or without being loved.

5.       If someone disagrees with me, it means he doesn’t like me.

6.       My value as a person depends on what others think of me.

7.       If I am spiritual, bad things won’t happen to me.

8.       I should be able to make anyone love me.

9.       Good parents always love their children and never become angry at them

10.   Good people are never angry and never have bad feelings.

11.   Unhappiness is caused by circumstances and I have no control over this.

12.   The way people act is part of their personality;  you can’t change personality.

13.   There is always a right or perfect solution to every problem, and it must b e found or the results are catastrophic.

14.   Past experiences determine present behavior; there is no way to erase the mistakes and influences of the past.

15.   On Pain:

Good people don’t feel pain.

Pain is punishment.  I must be a bad person to merit this punishment so I should put up with it.

Pain equals repentance and cleanses me.

If I’m feeling pain, I must have done something wrong.

If I feel enough pain, I will have paid my dues and this will go away.

A tool to use in overcoming depression is to recognize your false assumptions, then refuse to accept them.  See Thinking Pattern Tool

FIRST AID KIT

+ + + FIRST AID KIT + + +



For Depression/Depressive Illness/Primary Affective Disorder/Grief

Factors affecting the above:

Memories-job-past history-losses-weather-environment-neighborhood-stress level- family-culture-country-heritage-traumas-value system-beliefs-biology

1. Is one or more of these factors a prime contributor and can I change it?

2. Is there anything I can do to relieve the pressure.

3. In individual environment, there are 4 aspects of self. All are interconnected. Mental. Emotional. Physical. Behavioral

4. Offering First Aid to one or more of these self-aspects can help reverse the down spiral of depression.

5. Usually, “Thoughts” are where we can intervene first with the most effectiveness. However, intervention in any of the 4 areas has direct effect on other areas. Intervention in all 4 areas at once produces the best success in treating depression.

*   Always helps anyone


PHYSICAL                                                              FEELINGS & MOOD


(Biological)                                                               (Spirituality)


{Shut Down happens}                                              {Hopelessness happens}

*Exercise                                                                   Cry

*Nutrition                                                                   Laugh-get humor library

*Medication                                                               Lighting – bright

*Movement/Play-Work                                              Appreciate Beauty

Pamper & Self-enhancement                              Touch

                                                                                  Feel the Spirit



MENTAL                                                                  BEHAVIORAL


(Thoughts)                                                                 (Activities)


{Depression happens}                                             {Non-functioning happens}

Self-affirmation                                                         Read (Carefully chosen)

Pep Talks                                                                   TV & Movies (Appropriate)

*Gratitude                                                                  *Prayer

Positive Thinking                                                      *Scriptures

“It will work out” attitude                                          Time Management

“The worst is passed” attitude                                   Organize

“Worst Possible” scenario                                         Learn Something new

Eliminate “Stinking thinking”                                     Family History

Remember Good                                             New or re-new Hobbies, Projects

*Reject or change distorted thinking               Animal and Nature Involvement

Determine & plan to improve                             Goal Setting

Realize improvement can be made                           Church Attendance

                                                                          Read Self-help Materials

                                                                                      Journaling

                                                                                      Thoughts

                                                                                      Chronicling

                                                                                      Gratitude Lists or journals

                                                                                      Mission Statements

TREATMENTS OF DEPRESSIVE ILLNESS OR DEPRESSION

TREATMENTS OF DEPRESSIVE ILLNESS OR DEPRESSION

There are two points of attack in treating depressive illness- both being necessary for success.

1.      Treat the Body                                   2. Treat the mind (brain)

There are four main areas from which to attack depression.

Support System

            Friends, Church or Community Leaders – Family Members – Health Care Professionals

Medication

·         Obtained through appropriate medical services including primary care physician

·         Many, many kinds.  If one doesn’t work, or quits working, work with health care giver for find something that does work.  This can take a long time, but eventually worth it.

·         Medications can cause spiritual numbness or leveling out of peaks and valleys which can preclude some spiritual feelings.  If this is taken into consideration, one learns to have a successful spiritual lifestyle in spite of this.  More on this in another post.

·         Everyone reacts differently to different medications.  Just as it takes some experimenting to get the correct dose and type of blood pressure medication, you need to experiment (under medical care) for the correct type and dose of depression medication.

·         Some Rules of Medicating;

1.      Take Antidepressant medications as in prescription directions, religiously.

2.      Give the medication 4-6 weeks to work before you will see a noticeable effect, unless you are having very bothersome side effects.

3.      Normal side effects, (dry mouth, nausea, sleepiness, or insomnia) usually go away after a few days or weeks of taking medication.

4.      Continue taking medication EVEN IF YOU FEEL BETTER, until the doctor instructs you differently

5.      Do not stop taking your medication without checking with your physician.

6.      Antidepressants are NOT addictive

7.      Continuous treatment for at least 6 months greatly reduces the risk of relapse.

8.      If you have questions about your medication, call your health care provider.

9.      Don’t skip taking medications – even when you feel better.

10.  Show up for all health care appointments.

Counseling

·         Current treatment often includes cognitive therapy which helps depressed individuals focus on their distorted thought patterns and learn how to break those patterns.

·         Church and Family Services.

·         Spiritually qualified and authorized leaders.

·         Counseling can help you understand your problems and develop ways to work through them.

·         Counseling can give you tools to lessen the effects of diathesis based depression.

·         Make sure you find a counselor or therapist you feel comfortable with.

·         Counseling takes time to work.

·         Short-term counseling or classes can be very effective.

·         Counseling via self-help books can also be very effective.

Self-Help

First Aid Kit  (This is a chart that will follow in another Posting)

Self-Help Books

Spiritual Help

Appropriate Classes

ULTIMATE RESPONSIBILITY FOR DEPRESSIVE ILLNESS OR DEPRESSION

The ultimate responsibility for depression is with the person suffering from depression.  Family members, friends, and professional care givers can support, give advice, empathize, encourage, talk, provide medication, provide information, etc., but each individual is ultimately responsible for getting better.  It is very easy and convenient to blame depression on situations and people, and sometime they are the triggers, but getting better is up to the depressed individual.  No one else can FIX YOU!

RESILIENCE

RESILIENCE

The more resilient you are, the better you are able to deal with depression. Generally, resilient people have several of the same seven qualities which tend to cluster in personality types.  One can develop resiliency.

Definition:  The capacity to rebound from hardship.

The stuff from which survivors are made.

Mastering – not suffering- painful memories

Emphasizing the positive – remembering the good – looking for victories instead of victimization

Capacity to withstand hardship – to bounce back

Maturity

The capacity to rise above adversity by developing skills that expand and ripen into lasting strengths or aspects that help you heal

Seven Skills and Strengths Associated with Resiliency

Insight:  Ability to ask tough questions and give honest answers to yourself

                Understanding, knowing, sensing

Independence:  Drawing boundaries in relationships – keeping emotional and physical distance while satisfying demands of your conscience – non co-dependency

                Separating, disengaging, straying

Relationships:  Intimate and fulfilling ties to people that balance maturely the give and take in a relationship with a minimum of co-dependency

                Attaching, recruiting, connections

Initiative:  Taking charge of and mastering problems, exerting appropriate control, stretching and testing in a demanding task

                Exploring, working, generating

Creativity:  Imposing order, beautify and purpose on the chaos of troubling experiences and painful feelings

                Composing, shaping, playing

Humor:  Find the comic in the tragic, changing perspectives as changing mountains into molehills

                laughing, shaping, playing

Morality:  An informed conscience, a belief in good and evil and how it relates to man

                Serving, valuing, judging