Re: Mom's anxiety - Conventional psychiatry hasn't helped I am sorry your mother is struggling with anxiety. Is it more generalized anxiety or is she having acute panic attacks? It would probably be helpful for her to see a new psychiatrist in conjunction with a therapist who specializes in cognitive- behavioral therapy (CBT). I know there is a Center for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Oakland & a psychologist there, Dr. Michael Tompkins, is very good. If acute panic attacks are the problem there is a man named Dr. Liebgold (aka Dr. Fear) [see Howard Liebgold for this review.] Anxiety can be incredibly debilitating & interfere with daily functioning. I would recommend your mom not give up on trying new medications. I am a psychologist in Berkeley. I do not specialize in CBT but do work with anxiety disorders. It is important to find someone who can teach your mother techniques to manage the cognitive distortions which are increasing the anxiety (catastrophic thinking, for example). Feel free to call if you have any questions. My office phone # is (510) 412-0670. Ruth Bard Rampel

Cognitive Behavior Therapy vs. Talk Therapy for Depression

i'm writing again on behalf of a dear friend with severe anxiety/depression that is also connected with some other physical and biochemical issues. he is considering cognitive behavioral therapy and is wondering both about the effectiveness of the modality in general and also if someone can recommend an excellent therapist who works in this capacity. one issue we are wondering about is how different this is from ''regular talk therapy.'' thanks in advance and thank you also to everyone who helped the last time. (p.s. i already searched the website) anon

I have suffered from severe depression over many years, and have done a lot of talk therapy. I got a lot of insight and support from it, and it helped me to grow and to survive. It did not solve the underlying biological problem, which medication finally did. I don't regret at all doing the therapy- I learned a lot- but wasn't able to reap the full benefit of it until medication pulled me out of the paralyzing depths.

While I was beginning medication and trying out different ones to get it just right for me, I took the Beh Cog class at Kaiser. I got a couple of useful tools and reminders from it, but found it overall to be quite superficial. Solving real depression is not mind over matter, which I found the gist of the class to be. When you are deeply depressed, you are simply mentally and physically unable ''snap out of it'', and being given self-help tasks to do can make you feel even more like a hopeless failure.

I observed that people in the class who were mildly depressed, not long term or deeply depressed, benefitted the most. One fellow in the class, who was obviously deeply troubled and in intense pain, appeared more and more distressed over the course of the class. I have no way of knowing if he was also getting psychiatric help, or if the instructor recommended it to him, but he clearly needed it. In terms of how people rated the class at the end, my observation- not just in this particular situation- is that many people say that they haved been helped by a class or therapy so that they don't feel like a failure, and sometimes to be polite.

My class instructor had been doing this work for a long time, so it was not a case of her being inexperienced. But I would have felt that the class was more ''real'' if the instructor had made it through and out of serious depression herself. If this woman had, she didn't say so. It is very very hard for people who have not experienced this crippling disease to understand what it feels like from the inside. Friends and family can expect someone to pull themselves out of it, which only further isolates the depressed person. I have many friends who call me now and ask if they can give my name and number to someone they know who is severely depressed and I always say yes. I can share my experience, give them feedback and suggestions, and give them hope that this too will pass with the right help.

Best wishes, anon

Therapist who practices cognitive-behavioral therapy?

Can anyone recommend a therapist practicing cognitive- behavioral therapy? Thank you. cliff