Lindsay – Chapter IX
Lindsay was feeling more and more depressed, so she turned to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). The academic literature praises the therapy and shows that in conjunction with antidepressant medication, CBT is more effective at fighting depression than medication alone. CBT rests on the premise that our thoughts influence our emotions. Thus, the same negative event may trigger different emotional responses in different people, thus leading to distinct behaviours. Lindsay had found a Website about CBT and was now analyzing her own thoughts, emotions and behaviours.
The Website had many quizzes and much information on the scores. Also, one of the exercises involved thinking about a situation when one felt inadequate. Lindsay immediately thought about one particular interview during her job search. She went to many interviews that failed to lead to jobs, but that one interview specifically left her feeling like her whole job search was pointless. However, the Website she was now on, explained that people react differently precisely to these types of situations…
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| Lindsay's Red flower. Photo by Elena |
For example, Lindsay completely blamed herself and felt like a failure. She then thought that things will always stay the same and that she lacked any opportunities to find another job. Notwithstanding, CBT teaches that reactions like hers may lead to negative mood and even depression in some cases. The Website even had an article about how depression may be linked to a pervasive pattern of self-blame, guilt and self-deprecation that has gone on for years.
Psychologists also have a theory about internal and external attributes. When something negative happens, such as failing an exam, a person may attribute the failure to internal (“I’m a bad student” “I’m stupid”) or external (“the test was really hard” “I was unprepared because I had a long shift at work”) circumstances. Thus, internal attributions often leave very little space for hope. And without hope comes despair and misery.
See also:
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| The worries. Illustration by Elena |
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| Lindsay's exhibition. Photo by Elena |
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