A couple of days ago I finally had my appointment with the mental health practitioner to assess whether she felt cognitive behavioural therapy could be beneficial to me. Apparently, CBT has become quite a 'trendy' psychological treatment and I was told that people are clamouring to have it left, right and centre. I imagine she assumed I wanted to jump on this band wagon and several times during the 45 minutes I spent with her she asked me 'But why do you want to have CBT?' Simple, I just want to try anything and everything and I want my family to suffer less as a result of my sleep deprivation. She stressed that this treatment will not help me to sleep better, but may potentially give me coping strategies. That's fine; at best, that's all I'm expecting of it. I had to fight for it though - she was very relcutant to give me the green light. In fact, what astounded me and conitnues to astound is that she was very keen to diagnose me with post-natal depression and put me on anti-depressants. I pointed out that I had chronic insomnia during both pregnancies too and she told me that you can suffer from post-natal depression before giving birth as well as after. Now THAT is news to me. I'm sure she's more clued-up than me on that front but if this is the case, surely post-natal depression is a bit of misnomer isn't it?
The fact is that this lady, as kind and sympathetic as she was, was (like everybody I've encountered on the NHS) at a complete loss as to what to do with me and my case. Insomnia is a huge, grey, fuzzy area which is best treated with a course of sleeping pills or anti-depressants. Pure craziness. What about treating root causes? I know it's not going to be a simple, quick fix and I'm every GP's nightmare. They are hasty to assume I'm not sleeping because I'm depressed, rather than the way I see it which is that I'm depressed because of my lack of sleep. I suppose it's easier from their point of view to do something for me if it's the former. But it's very frustrating, hence my delight that I've been 'granted' CBT which can certainly do no harm.
On another note, it's a new year and I have no doubt that the winds of change are going to blow upon me and Andy and Maya and Lily in 2009. Last year was the hardest year of my life. Without a doubt. But you know what they say...that the light always shines after you emerge from the darkest tunnel so I'll drink to that.
0 comments:
Post a Comment