Couple of interesting links in the news today.

Persistence found to be key to treating depressed teens

Study doubts effectiveness of antidepressant drugs

My own take on medication for depression is that I would prefer to not take it, but realistically I know there are times when it’s called for. If your black dog is keeping you from functioning by all means see your doctor and ask about medication. If you’re laying in bed all day and can’t focus on anything but the sadness you’re drowning in, then you need some help to get you up to a level where you are well enough to try other therapies.

People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking. I think that what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive . . . ~ Joseph Campbell

Happy Valentine’s Day. Really. I don’t like the holiday all that much either but I do appreciate the sentiment. I just prefer to show my love throughout the year rather than have it forced on me during a holiday.

Apologies all around but my internet service was down for several days so I was unable to post anything new.

Today’s post is simply a pdf file that you can download here, print out to help keep track of your progress in training your black dog to behave. It’s tough to do things when you’re down and this is designed to mark off what you do everyday so that you have a sense of accomplishment and can track your progress.

At one time or another everyone gets the blues. We feel sad when a lover leaves us, there’s trouble at work, a friend or family member dies, we’re lonely, etc. In other words life happens. Unpleasant feelings are part of our natural condition and can be an effective tool in motivating us to change. But when these feelings linger on and become more severe they start to affect every aspect of our lives and even the lives of people we know.

One of the unfortunate byproducts of modern life is depression. It has become an epidemic affecting about 121 million people worldwide and is among the the leading causes of disability.

I remember wondering what exactly was it that I was feeling and why. An overcast day wasn’t just overcast anymore, it felt like an external manifestation of what was going on inside of me. A nagging feeling that something wasn’t right, but I couldn’t nail down what it was that was wrong, just that a storm was coming and it was inside of me.

Like a lot of people I wanted things to be different than they were. One of the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism states that life is suffering unsatisfactory. I was feeling that and then some.