Thoughts of mortality are not the same thing as suicidal ideation.

1. "Hey, we're all gonna croak. Better get started on that popsicle stick replica of Hadrian's Wall."

2. "Hey, life stucks. I should snuff it. Should I use the gun or jump off a bridge?"

Cognitive therapy and meditation helped more than drugs, for me, personally.

I've found that some of the relaxation and breathing exercises we learned in a stress relief seminar do work pretty well.

I've had both, Hec. dag...my bridge-jumping abilities are sadly limited. or not.

I went to one in college once, and it made me uncomfortable, so I never tried it again.

Counselors vary WIDELY in approach and philosophy.

But it's usually down to that baseline, not down into the wah wah mood. And that has to be normal, right?

Yup, sounds pretty normal. If one is depressed, the baseline tends to be noticeably negative. My experience with bipolar sis is that a "normal" baseline is v. unstable.

Re: dysthymia, think Eeyore. Or Marvin the Paranoid Android. Fun fact - my brother has been nicknamed Eeyore on two coasts, and the first time was by his fifth grade teacher.

Anyhoo.

I know not the Magic Beer, but I don't like beer in general so I'm not inclined to seek it out. I rejoice that it exists on behalf of beer lovers everywhere.

Also, environmental PSA of the day. Biodegradeable != compostable, and biodegradeable plastic anything is basically a greenwash. Specifically, "biodegradeable" plastic bottles would likely SEVERELY eff up the recycling stream.

Thank you for your attention.

This message brought to you by the obnoxiously aggressive marketing tactics of Primo Water, among others.

Winter beers are already starting to be released - Kona's released the Pipeline Porter (Kona coffee + beer = happy fun times), and yes, the magic beer is in BevMo, as is the Alaska Ale Spruce Tip beer (om nom nom nom)

Cognitive therapy and meditation helped more than drugs, for me, personally.

Counselling hasn't always done much for me. I had a few good sessions of cognitive therapy last year, but it certainly wouldn't have done anything without the drugs bringing me up to the point where I could handle it - which has taken some years. I've tried to do entirely without medication more than once, and it has not gone well. I think some people just need the drugs, I guess for reasons of chemical imbalance.

For me, the best analogy is one of physical illness. My sister has Crohn's and takes steroids. No one ever tells her she just needs to work harder at being well. Same with my joint condition - I take pregabalin for the pain, then I can deal better with the level of discomfort that remains. We'd both be pretty silly if we ignored the treatment our doctors have recommended and tried to go it alone. Yet a lot of people have suggested to me, over the years, that taking medication for a mental health problem somehow means you're not working hard enough on your problems - but sometimes you can't start working on them until the 'background' issues are resolved. Which for me were entirely chemical, I think. Mental health problems can be a disability.

Disclaimer: I realise drugs are not needed by everyone who's ever had problems or feelings. I just assert my right to take them, given how much more normal-feeling, enjoyable and less entirely crazy my life is when I do.

OK, I should end this post with something less boring. Um. Pizza, anyone?

Well, yeah, I'm just, like, Side Effect Woman, and was fortunate enough that I found something that helped without pills. Not saying anything about pills specifically, Seska. I hope you didn't think that. Also, even if I take the pills someday, it will go better because I won't be looking to say, "normalize" my core nature and try to be...I don't know, Doris Day Gets In A Horrible Accident.

I am truly grateful to the miracles of modern pharmacology, specifically multiple reuptake inhibitors. That said, I'm not ruling out talky therapy and may explore it in the near future, depending on finances and how my mental state is interacting with living my life. It doesn't have to be an either-or, unless money or neurochemistry rules out one or the other.

Not saying anything about pills specifically, Seska. I hope you didn't think that.

No, not at all. I was just reminded of one my two bugbears. (The other one: people who think part-time wheelchair users should dump their chairs and just 'try harder' to keep stumbling around until they collapse. 'Cause life lived entirely from bed is just so much fun.)

It doesn't have to be an either-or, unless money or neurochemistry rules out one or the other.

Yeah, that's my view too.

Many purely physical illnesses are also treated with a combination of drugs and therapy. Talking therapy is just stretching exercises for your brain.