A Helping Hand

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It may seem something of a contradiction in terms to speak of seeking another's help when one sets out to discover one's inner self. Surely only the person involved can bring about such a personal revelation?

To some extent this is true, but some people need a little help, at least to get started on their journey of discovery. Whether or not they do need some assistance will depend partly on the personality of the individual concerned and perhaps partly on the set of the circumstances that led him or her to look at the inner self.

Dealing with depression

Some life changes are too difficult to make without the help of others, although the wish to change must come from within the person his or herself. Clinical depression, or what is popularly known as a nervous breakdown, is too serious a condition to be treated without some form of medical treatment.

The nature of the medical treatment will vary according to the severity of the illness. If, for example, clinical depression is diagnosed early on it can be treated by the patient's general practitioner, but it is the nature of the disorder that, even today, when a great deal more is known about the condition, it is frequently not identified until it has become quite severe, when psychiatric treatment and sometimes hospitalization become necessary.

Drug treatment is often extremely effective in the treatment of clinical depression, and there is a variety of drugs available today. It is recognized, however, that depression is a condition where the person suffering from it needs to talk to someone, to discuss the life event, such as bereavement or divorce, that led to the onset of the condition or the set of circumstances that led the person to be a depressive personality. Psychiatrists are skilled in the art of drawing people out to talk about themselves and by so doing can obtain some idea of what has led to their mental health problems.

In the course of their talks with their psychiatrists, often when they are in a stage of recovery and so more appreciative of what is going on, patients frequently feel that they have learned much more about themselves. While trying to explain their concerns and reactions to their doctors, and to set these in the context of the background to their illness, they have given themselves an insight into their true selves.

Some people continue with their self-exploration as a do-it-yourself exercise after having been discharged by their psychiatrists. After they have been shown the way, they feel confident about continuing on their journey of self-discovery on their own. Frequently, self-knowledge acquired in this way leads people to change their lives, or at least to appreciate certain aspects of life more.

Some realize, for example, that it was their high-pressure, low-satisfaction jobs that were at the heart of their breakdowns, and they look for a career more in line with what they now see as their true personalities, or indeed decide to opt out of the career structure altogether. Perhaps they are country people at heart, who have been forced to live in a hectic urban environment, and they now revert to type.

It is an unfortunate feature of very severe clinical depression that it can lead to patients suffering from suicidal tendencies. When they have been cured of the feelings of black despair that induce such tendencies, they begin to feel that life is worth living again, and their newly discovered selves begin to think about what is best for them. Nothing much has changed about the world, or about their place in it, but their illness has been a learning experience that has made them see both themselves and the world in a different light.