is there a difference?

[jerkens]

so when i was in rehab, me and my roommate would always talk about how shitty this injury was and blablabla.. the negatives

soon enough i felt like everyday was grey.. was just to get by

decreased interest in everything and always reminiscing about the past and what could of been.. i thought i was depressed

but an OT talked to us and said it was more of a state of 'constant sorrow'

has anyone heard of this term or is it just depression?

slowly working my way outta the crap hole but defiantly more up than downs

[Suzie Q]

I have never been told that statement or seen it used in a professional setting. I worked with the mentally ill for a long time in many fields.

I can only speak for myself but i do know that my depression can last a hour or years. I can be in a dark dark place for a long time to where i will consider suicide. Right now i have learned not to let it get to the point of past an hour, or try to anyways... Even in the face of everything i am facing now i try not to dwell on things i can not change and change the things i can. Its all about being good to yourself.

[jerkens]

my psychologist told me to dedicate myself a half hour a day to dwell.. then remind myself when i have negative thoughts or questions that i have already thought it over

[Susqu]

15 years ago when I was in rehab I heard it called 'loss grief'. I thought it was rather a good description, like the grief we feel after any great loss in our life.

[Scaper1]

A friend of mine with a chronic immune condition calls it "justifiable depression". I think that's apt.

[quad79]

I've never heard of that term but that it was called the greif stage. I hit a huge patch of denial before grieving. My first PT warned me it would come & it would be torturous, just like a close friend dying. That's exactly what it's like. The "me" I knew & loved did die with this injury.

It's very easy to dwell. I'm finding it easier as time goes by to be & accept the new me, now I'm just wanting to conquer things. Not that my mind doesn't wander to the past & the negative, it does. I'm finding that right now, focusing on the positive is the best medicine. It's like an ounce of negativity causes this huge spiral out of control. It's a battle. Next week I may very well be a Negative Nancy though.

[anban]

I know most of us are familiar with the "five stages of grieving'' (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance); what I think people don't point out to us is that this can last for years. It's probably because the people that are counseling us through this tremendous loss have not experienced this specific lost themselves??? You can also bounce back and forth between the stages. I would hate to think that someone is in a state of "constant sorrow", because that implies there is no moving forward. Do you think the OT proposed this term because they could never comprehend what it would be like to have SCI, and just assumed it would be a "constant sorrow"?

[stevegalliazzo]

It seems like its uphill both ways everyday. You just get used to it. At this point I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. So you just go till you fall over from exhaustioin and get up and try agian. I put my ipod on loud and that pumps me up to try. Pump youself up and try every day even if its only 10 minutes at a time at least you can look back at the end of the day and say you tried. I also like to accomplish things just to prove to yourself that you can do things. Keep moving and never stop and try not to look back.

[LindaT]

Originally Posted by Scaper1

A friend of mine with a chronic immune condition calls it "justifiable depression". I think that's apt.

I am feeling very justifiably depressed today.
Been trying to get out of it most of the day and just read this perfect description. My pains and troubles are less than many people here, but today sucks.

[Eileen]

I think the phrase "constant sorrow" is a term someone who has little exprience in the field of psychotherapy might coin, but is essentially meaningless and totally unhelpful. Constant sorrow is prolonged depression, nothing more, nothing less, as as such is treatable with medication, talk therapy, or a combination of both. The phrase bothers me because it seems like the OT was attempting to normalize a lower standard of life than anyone should have to deal with, and ignoring the fact that there is help out there for dealing with depression, either short term or long lasting.