Start of Tour

Subjects A to Z

If absolutely nothing else happens from studying your depression, you can get rid of the confusion and terror that comes from having this THING happen to you for reasons that make no sense -- or, more to the point, make the wrong sort of sense. People don't like to live with mysteries, so when something happens to us that we don't understand, we explain it with what feels right, or what we recognize as familiar.

This can have a devastating outcome for someone who's depressed. We feel bad, we wonder why we feel bad, and then we guess at the reason from a depressed frame of mind.

Do any of these sound familiar?

Why do I keep messing up? Am I really that stupid?

I just don't enjoy my life anymore. Where did I go wrong? Should I have made different decisions?

My life's so joyless. I guess this is what it means to grow old.

I can't sleep. I must be feeling guilty.

I can't stop sleeping. Man, I'm a lazy pig.

I might as well just stop trying. No one cares about me, anyway.

There's no point in getting out of bed. I need to stop fooling myself.

I'm dumb. I'm ugly. I have nothing to contribute. No one cares. No wonder I'm miserable.

Next Step