Seeking self, dropping anchor

Depression can sneak up on us and sometimes we’re not even aware that we’re experiencing it. The difficulty with this is that the longer we are in it without intervening, the harder it can be to come out. Being able to spot it is not for the sake of having a diagnosis to fix, but rather to enable us to take back some control and make little changes day to day (based on our capacity in the moment) that can reduce its intensity and make it more achievable to find your way out. Here are some things to look out for... Thoughts: I'm a failure It's my fault Nothing good ever happens to me I'm worthless Life's not worth living People would be better off without me Physical symptoms: Feeling tired all the time Feeling sick and run down Headaches and muscle pains Stomach pain, butterflies or churning gut Sleep problems Loss or change of appetite Significant weight loss or gain Feelings: Overwhelmed or indecisive Guilty Irritable or frustrated Lacking in confidence Unhappy or dis...

A colleague I supervise this morning asked me how to understand the discrepancy they observe time & time again between a parent who is describing their child as highly symptomatic & in need of diagnosis - but the clinical team and school have not observed the severity of these symptoms & instead see a relatively well functioning child in other environments.  Murray Bowen’s concept of the family projection process can be very helpful in understanding this presentation. It describes the primary way parents can transmit their emotional problems to a child. This in turn can impair the functioning of the child & increase their vulnerability to clinical symptoms. It follows 3 steps: Parent focuses on a child out of fear that something is wrong with the child.  Parent interprets the child’s behaviour as confirming the fear.  Parent treats the child as if something is really wrong with the child. The parent can then focus on ‘fixing’ the child & clinical servi...