What to try when CBT and medication don’t work

[Juliecloud]

I’ve been suffering from depression and anxiety for years now. I’ve tried medication but it didn’t help so I came off it. I’ve had several rounds of CBT and intensive CBT but it never helps. I do everything the therapist says but I still feel the same. I’ve tried exercise. Meditation. Yoga. All these things make no different.
Where do I turn now? I want to feel normal. I want to feel like there are some good things about life.

Hi,how about trying different meds. I've tried lots of different ADs. I'm on Mirtazapine at the moment. It's too early to say if it is working because I've only been on them for 3 weeks. They don't have nasty side effects like other meds that I've tried.

Or a different type of therapy. I know CBT didn't work for me. I've tried it twice.

I can relate to how you feel. Hope you find something that works for you 💐

What medication did you try?

Also, why do you think it is that the CBT didn't work? There are other therapies that work in different ways.

I don’t know why the CBT didn’t work. I was told to do more activities that provide joy but doing them didn’t make me feel better. I kept a worry diary and did arguments for and against negative thoughts. Still, I feel the same.
Will the GP refer me for some other type of therapy? I can’t face going through the talking therapies process again. There’s so many questions and I have to answer them again and again and again.

DH had a couple of bouts of clinical depression,
He describes CBT as a plaster, useful but doesn't address the cause.
He had trauma therapy and hasn't had a depressive incident since.

He found medication again helpful but not enough on its own.

He did have to pay privately though.

How did he find a therapist? How do I know if I need a trauma therapist or some other type of therapist?

I am prepared to pay, I am desperate.

Agree with trying a different type of therapy. Are there any underlying issues that triggered the illnesses? If so, trauma therapy as a previous poster has said.

There are lots of types of therapy and CBT is just popular right now and relatively cheap to prescribe.

They don't have nasty side effects

Maybe not for you but I thought I was dying on these! I was a complete Zombie, falling asleep at my desk and eating til I was sick.

CBT is popular in nhs as it’s seen to be measurable.
Other therapies might be a better fit for you.

My depression is due to a chemical imbalance and can only be effectively treated by ADs. I've been depressed since childhood but it was only after a suicide attempt when I was 20 that I received treatment. I've been on many, tricyclics and - mercifully - SSRIs. Trial and error with the ADs but I'm currently successful with venlafaxine (Effexor XR). Good luck!

I would suggest trying solution focused hypnotherapy.It is brilliant for depression and the therapist will work with you to find a pathway forward in your life without focusing on your past or problem.

I have helped lots of people suffering in this way. Have a look at the Association of Solution Focused Hypnotherapists for a register of practitioners.Most offer a free one hour consultation.

DH's depression was triggered by dc's traumatic birth. But he had long standing issues from childhood but were finally addressed.

His mood does still go up and down and he has a v low dose of anti anxiety medication and exercise to keep him on an even keel.
But nothing like the totally incapacitating depression has occurred for the last ten years.

He did a search of all the local therapists in the area, read their bios, talked to a couple and picked the one he felt he warmed to most OP.

The kind of therapist that you need is going to partly depend on your depression and anxiety and where you think it originates from.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy can be helpful — as well as CBT techniques, it includes ways of learning to live a valued life while still experiencing symptoms, which seems counterintuitive but can work.

There's a lot to try in the pharmaceutical world — for me, no antidepressant worked until I took a non-selective irreversible MAOI, for example.