Mail box replies
The question was submitted
08/27/2008
Subject: Swirling with negative thoughts
I understand that I need to have a lot of positive thinking when dealing with depression. However, it is easier said than done. When I am caught off guard, negative thoughts keep flooding my mind until I feel like my head is spinning. I also feel suicidal for some time already. What I am asking is.. what sort of steps to follow in order to bring down the negative thoughts besides instilling the positive thoughts? and is my condition consider serious since my head will be swirling with negative thoughts and I means it literally.
Answer from DepNet
HI,
You are right that one of the strategies to cope with depression is positive self talk but positive self talk alone will not be enough to help you cope with depression, a brain disease. You need to adopt a holistic approach, seek psychiatric treatment and take medication, make lifestyle changes, manage your stress effectively, ensure proper nutrition, exercise regularly, be surrounded by people who can give you good support, etc. You also need to work on building your self esteem. If you have low self esteem (which is often one of the triggers to depression), no matter how hard you try to think positively, you may find yourself believing more in the negative thoughts instead. I would strongly advise that you seek psychiatric treatment and at the same time look for an experience mental health counsellor or psychologist who would be able to give you proper advice how how you should proceed with positive self talk and other strategise to overcome your depression. Particularly now that you are feeling suicidal, I would urge you to take the above actions as soon as possible to prevent the depression from getting worse or out of hand.
Regards,
Depnet
The answer was published on DepNet
09/01/2008