"Every day I am improving"

I suffer from chronic moderate depression and anxiety. I have had CBT before, but I feel it’s been more successful on this occasion as I eventually found the right medication (anti-depressant), to ease my symptoms (lift my mood enough) and to complete the homework you get with this sort of treatment.

When you do apply CBT, eventually it clicks and it is a skill that you can continue to use after therapy has ended.

It’s also helpful to have a good relationship with your therapist, although treatment differs from counselling, as you still need to be open and honest so you can decide together, what to work on. After a wobbly start, I was able to source a great therapist, who put me at ease, and helped me understand CBT techniques really well.

If your symptoms are too severe, it can be really difficult to engage in CBT and progress can be slow. This happened to me. I reacted badly to most of the most commonly prescribed anti-depressants. My doctor swapped me to one from a different group. The weight lifted off my shoulders. I have finished treatment now, and although I’m not back at work yet, every day I challenge myself now and I’m improving. Initially, I felt scared to end therapy, but with the new ‘self-referral’ service it’s a great comfort to know I can return any time if need be, without having to see my GP or wait too long. You are not alone and can get better xx