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Dec. 1st, 2008
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Dec. 1st, 2008 10:15 pmI just updated the message on my answerphone- I figured it was probably time to stop telling people my US number and admit I'm back home.
"I'm not taking voice calls right now. You may have better luck with a text message, or you can leave voicemail and I'll get back to you when I get around to it."
Hell, it's honest at least. I'm useless with voicemail. If I'm not in a position to take a voice call, I'm not in a position to check my voicemail- and then I forget all about it. It can be weeks before I check my mail. And even then its a half dozen messages saying "Hi, It's _____, can you call me?".
Simple answer: No.
"I'm not taking voice calls right now. You may have better luck with a text message, or you can leave voicemail and I'll get back to you when I get around to it."
Hell, it's honest at least. I'm useless with voicemail. If I'm not in a position to take a voice call, I'm not in a position to check my voicemail- and then I forget all about it. It can be weeks before I check my mail. And even then its a half dozen messages saying "Hi, It's _____, can you call me?".
Simple answer: No.
In a study, published December 1, 2008 in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, MBCT proved as effective as maintenance anti-depressants in preventing a relapse and more effective in enhancing peoples' quality of life. The study also showed MBCT to be as cost-effective as prescription drugs in helping people with a history of depression stay well in the longer-term.
...
Professor Willem Kuyken of the University of Exeter said: "Anti-depressants are widely used by people who suffer from depression and that's because they tend to work. But, while they're very effective in helping reduce the symptoms of depression, when people come off them they are particularly vulnerable to relapse. MBCT takes a different approach – it teaches people skills for life. What we have shown is that when people work at it, these skills for life help keep people well."
Link to Science Weekly article
OMG you mean that teaching people how their brains work and giving them knowledge and tools to improve their minds themselves leads to a better quality of life?
Imagine if we could do that with our bodies- teach people how their bodies work so they could eat properly, get fit, and achieve goals that suit their lifestyles. Or the same with people's careers- get education and guidance to lead to a more satisfying career and income. Just imagine!
It frustrates me that we are still so phobic about therapy. We use knowledge to change our bodies, careers, and environment every day, but the moment someone mentions using knowledge to modify how our brain reacts to things (therapy) most people think "Oooh! Crazy person!" and run a mile.
It's just the same as going to a gym. Or playing Brain Age on the Nintendo DS. Or doing crosswords to increase your vocabulary (or those newfangled Soduku things). Therapists, especially cognitive-behavioral therapists, are like personal trainers for your mind. They'll supply the expertise and teach you skills to help you achieve your goals, but you choose what those goals are and how hard you work for them.
That said, the therapy phobia is changing. I have friends doing therapy and talking about it in a refreshingly matter-of-fact way, like it were no more topical than picking up an exciting new routine at the gym. And that gives me hope that we might be growing up.
...
Professor Willem Kuyken of the University of Exeter said: "Anti-depressants are widely used by people who suffer from depression and that's because they tend to work. But, while they're very effective in helping reduce the symptoms of depression, when people come off them they are particularly vulnerable to relapse. MBCT takes a different approach – it teaches people skills for life. What we have shown is that when people work at it, these skills for life help keep people well."
Link to Science Weekly article
OMG you mean that teaching people how their brains work and giving them knowledge and tools to improve their minds themselves leads to a better quality of life?
Imagine if we could do that with our bodies- teach people how their bodies work so they could eat properly, get fit, and achieve goals that suit their lifestyles. Or the same with people's careers- get education and guidance to lead to a more satisfying career and income. Just imagine!
It frustrates me that we are still so phobic about therapy. We use knowledge to change our bodies, careers, and environment every day, but the moment someone mentions using knowledge to modify how our brain reacts to things (therapy) most people think "Oooh! Crazy person!" and run a mile.
It's just the same as going to a gym. Or playing Brain Age on the Nintendo DS. Or doing crosswords to increase your vocabulary (or those newfangled Soduku things). Therapists, especially cognitive-behavioral therapists, are like personal trainers for your mind. They'll supply the expertise and teach you skills to help you achieve your goals, but you choose what those goals are and how hard you work for them.
That said, the therapy phobia is changing. I have friends doing therapy and talking about it in a refreshingly matter-of-fact way, like it were no more topical than picking up an exciting new routine at the gym. And that gives me hope that we might be growing up.