Can Self-Care Help with Depression?
Can Self-Care Help with Depression? Yes, If It’s Rigorous.
By Alan M. Solomon, Ph.D.
The previous two blogs presented two letters from the NY Times editorial pages about the limitations of managed care, as well as the benefits of psychotherapy. The same page had a third letter extolling the benefits of a self-care program (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/30/opinion/letters/drugs-depression-psychiatry.html):
To the Editor:
Bravo to Kelli Maria Korducki. Her experience with mental illness closely parallels my own nine-year struggle with major depressive disorder.
Impervious to antidepressants, I refused to believe I was a victim of my own genes even though my mother died from the side effects of untreated depression at 45. A rigorous program of yoga, tai chi, swimming and mediation maintains my mental stability.
Balanced nutrition, acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are also a part of the program I have designed according to my own insights. And perhaps most important of all is the loving support of family and friends.
The epidemic of mental illness and suicide calls for a multifaceted, enlightened approach to the treatment of this serious personal and public health problem.
Jenny Orme
Sacramento
This woman’s rigorous program is remarkable not only in how comprehensive it is, but also in her ability to sustain it over a substantial period of time. Perhaps motivated by the tragic outcome of her mother’s untreated depression, she is to be commended. Clinical experience as well as research supports all of her actions, and such efforts are often the result of some psychotherapy that supports a client’s steps toward self-care.
Alan M. Solomon, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Torrance, CA. A member of the Independent Psychotherapy Network, he can be reached at 310 539-2772 or dralanms@gmail.com
Copyright 2019 by Alan M. Solomon, Ph.D.
