Thanks Lynn, if anything I say here can help even one person on their own journey through depression, it will be worthwhile.

Smile, interesting choice of question this morning. As you can see, I've brought up the issue of "mangled thinking" for discussion.

Depression is such a complicated illness. I still don't know what comes first, the chemical imbalance or other triggers, or the mangled thinking (the mind connection). What makes it difficult to determine for me is that I struggle with mangled thinking in normal times, when I'm not depressed. But I've become quite adept now at talking myself through the negativity, and the mangled thinking does not drag me down into depression or despair...which makes me think that chemical imbalance is my major CAUSE of depression, and the worsening of the mangled thinking is a SYMPTOM of that imbalance/depression.

But the work that I do on rewiring my attic when I'm NOT depressed helps me when I am depressed, because I'm in the practice of hurling truths at the lies. So now it's an automatic reflex, and it really does minimize the mental and emotional anguish of depression to be able to at least manage that symptom.

When struggling through depression, anti-depressants are essential for me, as well as therapy. I'm not as likely to be motivated to exercise, or eat healthy foods, but again, I know now that practicing healthy habits in my non-depressive times helps me to maintain those habits when I am depressed. I'm determined to maintain some measure of steely-grit discipline when I struggle through my bouts of depression now, even when all I want to do is stay in bed under the covers...which I do allow myself once in a blue moon.

[ September 02, 2005, 11:34 AM: Message edited by: Eagle Heart ]