Shoot the Damn Dog

So, I have been depressed for a long time although I am improving a bit now. I found Shoot the Damn Dog a helpful book but am struggling to find anything else that really appeals.

Also, I was wondering if anyone knew of any stories of surviving that didn't involve someone having a lot of help from family and friends?

Thank you.

Shoot the Damn Dog sounds like an interesting title, I was wondering why it was named that? Also, does it involve a lot of cognitive therapy type thinking? I find books that are pushing it to make me worse off.

This may sound silly but the Divine Comedy. From the allegorical perspective its about going through stages of internal "hell" as suffering and then ascending to "goodness". He's motivation is Beatrice but he goes through by himself with various guides whom you can either see as a metaphor for literature and then religion guiding him through or as just a convenient device to explain things.

That said, it is difficult and so depending how deep into your depression you are this books may not be what your looking for, although the concentration it takes to get through it preoccupied me, which I needed. It also has the problem of being, well, metaphorical so it's hard to be inspired in a more direct sort of way by it.

I'm sorry about your depression. I hope you keep continuing to get better, though I know it can be tough. Sorry I don't have more recommendations, I find more solace in reading about others with depression since stories that are meant as inspiration tend to make me feel bad about the way I feel.

Good luck.

Thank you for replying.

Shoot the Damn Dog is an autobiographical account of someone with severe depression. It's very easy to read and definitely makes me feel less alone with the struggle to get better.

The title refers to Winston Churchill's description of depression as a black dog.

The only thing about Sally Brampton's description is she has an ex husband and a daughter to keep her motivated even just some of the time and I'm looking for a story from someone who didn't have anyone else to help.

Thank you for the recommendation although I don't think I can concentrate enough just now for something that hard going. I will keep it in mind for when I am reading more though as it sounds like something I would enjoy.

I hope you keep making progress and find more inspiration to help you get better.

Are you opposed to antidepressants, meditation, or cognitive therapy? I wish I had a counselor and witness in one person, but I don't. Fifteen years of Prozac, which became fluoxetine, broke a lot of bad patterns and lifted the gloom so that I could get enough out of self guided cognitive therapy to do some good.

I can see now that my fear of the doom looking at me from the future is cognitive. I have to resist but I don't have to cave in. The Feeling Good Handbook is the standard guide to doing it yourself, and I can personally recommend it although I have not gone far into it (I did the exercises carefully for awhile). I have not gone all that far into it because I have the twelve steps and have been able to put the cognitive things into that model. The Wikipedia article speaks of sponsorship; to work the steps you probably need to have someone available whom you can trust.

For some reason I have a strong faith in meditation, but I have not had a strong practice. I have also heard good things about physical exercise, but as a mental therapy it was useless to me until I was medicated; then it became useful.

Good luck,

Robert