Dear DC members, health educators and friends,
I am glad to announce that for more than 2 months now I no longer have significant symptoms of depression. This means I am in full remission from MDD which is really great considering I was suffering from depression for the last 8 years.
Of course I still have the occasional depressive thought but this time I know what to do to get back on the right track.
I can say that this accomplishment was mainly possible due to all the work with CBT for the last 7 months (never quit doing its activities) and to my pdoc.
My advice for other people suffering from depression (remember I am not an health care provider, this is only based on my experience):
1. Practice makes it perfect. The only way to benefit from CBT is to practice and practice until one knows what techniques works and doesn’t work. This important knowledge gained from all the practice it will be very important for the maintenance of the gains and relapse prevention purposes. Here the Nike slogan cames handy: with CBT is a question of “Just do It”.
2. If your depression is affecting substantially your life you have to find the right pdoc to help you, including asking for references or doing whatever it takes to guarantee this. This is a critical step and it can make the difference between getting better or not.
Observation: This is very personal but apart from the occasional venting session I didn’t found talk therapy very useful. I don’t like the passive approach of this therapy where I can’t do anything to get better and have to put all the hopes on the therapist. Now I only do the occasional session when I need to talk with somebody or do some venting.
Thank you for sharing so many great ideas and positive motivation. 
