My Therapist Says That I Have “Non-Biological Depression”. Can This Be Treated ??

Published August 19, 2012

Question by upnatom77: My therapist says that I have “Non-biological depression”. Can this be treated ??
I am 28 years old and have been seeing my current therapist for about a year now for depression, social anxiety, general anxiety, and very pronounced low self-esteem isssues. He is the 6th therapist I have seen in my life–I have literally suffered from depression/anxiety since I was 5 years old, and over my lifetime I have been on a total of 12 antidepressants/antianxiety meds, including Paxil, Buspar, Wellbutrin, Serzone, and so on. This list includes benzos like Klonopin, too. NONE of them have helped for longer than a week at most, some had no effect at all. In addition to therapists, I’ve seen scores of medical Dr’s to try med combonations, and to rule out other physical problems, but no luck.

With the therapists (including my current one) I have tried a variety of treatments, (EMDR, CBT, psychotherapy, etc). During our last session, my psychologist said that my condition seems to be “non-biological” and unable to be treated medically.

What does this mean??
My therapist also said that my biggest issue seems to be from suppression–if someone had to use a word to describe me, it would be “uptight”. What makes this more confusing is that I have a type of depression where my mood can be improved by outside things, but that my negative thoughts about myself and the need to “hold back” stay intact no matter what. We have even discussed a time several years ago where I was so drunk that I could barely stand, but was still as uptight, reserved, and fearful as ever.

My therapist has also tried hypnotism with me, and after that session told me that it seems that these negative thoughts are so deeply ingrained into my identity that they will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to “undo”. According to his findings, these are as deeply ingrained into my mind as the basic facts about myself (name, age).

I am at a loss as what to do :(

Best answer:

Answer by southernserendipiti
I am not a doctor nor a therapist, but I would imagine a “non-biological” depression would be caused from extrinsic sources. Meaning, the source of your depression is being caused from something in your life or something you’re exposed to — not a chemical problem in your body. That’s a good thing, though — you should be able to treat your depression by changing the thing(s) in your life that’s causing the problem. Eliminating the source should eliminate the problem.

Although you’ll receive a myriad of responses through Yahoo! Answers, your best bet is to speak with your doctor or therapist again and get their opinion on non-biological depression.

Answer by JJJJJJJJim
There are two main types of depression – for some folks, even if they have a wonderful life, a neurochemical imbalance, thyroid problem, or other physical problem causes depression. For other folks, their past and present experiences, their current situation, past trauma and/or their current environment causes depression. A combination of anxiety & depression is quite common. You may simply not have found the right therapist for you or you may be holding back from discussing past or present experiences that drive your depression/anxiety. I’d strongly recommend learning and actively using coping skills and strategies. Meds can give support – but they will not change you. I strongly recommend to my clients that they become mindful of the ways in which they treat themselves – are you your own best friend or your own worst enemy? Notice your own feelings and thoughts and take control of them – be kind to yourself – don’t beat yourself up – journal your feelings – ask yourself if you are being active or passive in your therapy? Personally, I’d recommend an LCPC or LCSW – psychologists tend to focus on behavior – I prefer therapists who treat the whole person from a “strengths perspective.” Good luck

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