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Showing posts with the label Depression Anonymous

Daily Excerpt: Depression Anonymous (Ortman) - Psychotic Depression

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    excerpt from Depression Anonymous  (Dennis Ortman) --  PSYCHOTIC DEPRESSION Jennifer, a suicidal woman with two children: “I’ve never been happy in my marriage. The only good thing that has come of it is my two children. My husband is a drunk. When he drinks he becomes mean. When I argue with him, he can become violent. I can’t believe I was so stupid to marry someone just like my father. That depresses me. After fighting with my husband, I often feel hopeless and trapped and fall into a deep depression. I’m inconsolable at those times and just want to sleep. I have zero energy. I literally can’t do anything. My sister has to come and take care of the children when I get that way. I feel so guilty about that, but can’t help myself. One time I became so depressed that I didn’t want to live anymore. I began making plans about how I would kill myself. I didn’t want to leave my children with my alcoholic husband, so I also thought about how I would kill them. I belie...

Publisher's Pride: Books on Bestseller Lists - Depression Anonymous (Ortman)

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    Today's Publisher's Pride is  Depression Anonymous  by Dennis Ortman, which reached #150 on Amazon in depression books. Book description: When you feel depressed, suffering from a deep sadness, do you feel powerless over your mood? Does your life feel unmanageable because of it? Does your preoccupation with past hurts and regrets interfere with your life? Do you feel hopeless about finding a cure for your depression? If you answer "yes" to these questions, you may be addicted to your mood. It acts like a drug that sedates, numbs, and possesses you, causing you to sleepwalk through life. Viewing your depressed mood as an addiction, Dr. Ortman guides you through the time-tested Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous to find healing and growth. He shows how the Steps offer practical wisdom to awaken your spirit deadened by your depression. The Steps provide guidance for your personal journey into the darkness of your mood so that you can discover your true self and re...

Publisher's Pride: Books on Bestseller Lists - Depression Anonymous (Ortman)

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  Today's Publisher's Pride is  Depression Anonymous  by Dennis Ortman, which reached #150 on Amazon in depression books. Book description: When you feel depressed, suffering from a deep sadness, do you feel powerless over your mood? Does your life feel unmanageable because of it? Does your preoccupation with past hurts and regrets interfere with your life? Do you feel hopeless about finding a cure for your depression? If you answer "yes" to these questions, you may be addicted to your mood. It acts like a drug that sedates, numbs, and possesses you, causing you to sleepwalk through life. Viewing your depressed mood as an addiction, Dr. Ortman guides you through the time-tested Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous to find healing and growth. He shows how the Steps offer practical wisdom to awaken your spirit deadened by your depression. The Steps provide guidance for your personal journey into the darkness of your mood so that you can discover your true self and relea...

Daily Excerpt: Depression Anonymous (Ortman) - Major Depressive Disorder

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  excerpt from Depression Anonymous (Dennis Ortman) --  MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER Paula, a middle-aged woman suffering emotional storms: “Black moods seem to come out of nowhere and take me over. I heard them once called ‘brain storms.’ That describes what I feel perfectly. When the storm suddenly comes, there’s a howling tempest in my brain. I can’t focus on anything, can’t think clearly, and can’t make any decisions. I’m so agitated I can’t sleep and have no energy or interest to do anything. I just want to curl up in a ball and die. These storms come unannounced, blow through me, and disappear after a couple of weeks. When it happens, I’m just plain miserable and intolerable to be around. I was shy and withdrawn as a child. I really became depressed in my twenties, when I was first hospitalized for a suicide attempt. I understand where my depression came from. Almost everyone in my family has some degree of depression. My father withdrew when the moods overtook him, an...

Daily Excerpt: Depression Anonymous (Ortman) - Persistent Depressive Disorder

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  excerpt from Depression Anonymous by Dr. Dennis Ortman PERSISTENT DEPRESSIVE DISORDER Alice, a woman feeling cheated by life: “I’ve been jinxed. Nothing has ever gone right for me. It began in childhood. I was the fat kid everyone picked on. In high school, no boys ever wanted to date me. And then there’s my health. I’ve suffered from asthma my whole life and had several auto accidents in which I was severely injured. I tried to make up for all my failures by being good at my job. I became an extremely competent executive secretary, a perfectionist. I took pride in my work. Would you believe I was fired because I complained so much about problems in the company? I just wanted the business to succeed. Even now, I’m the one who has to take care of our elderly parents because my siblings don’t want to have anything to do with them. You’d think my parents would appreciate all my help, but they just take me for granted. I often stay awake at night thinking about all the unfair ...

The Story behind the "Anonymous" Books (Dr. Dennis Ortman) - Depression Anonymous, Anger Anonymous, Anxiety Anonymous,

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  Dr. Ortman writes -  I wrote three “Anonymous” books for recovery from anxiety, depression, and anger. I view these mood states as similar to drug addictions that can be relieved by working the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. The seeds for these books were planted in my childhood. I was raised in an alcoholic family where I learned about the tragedy and power of addiction. As an adult, I sought healing and growth through therapy and participation in Adult Children of Alcoholics and Al-Anon groups. In graduate school, I wrote my dissertation on treating those with a dual diagnosis, that is, with both a substance use and mental health problem. Working with my patients in private practice for the past thirty years, I observed that many suffered from chemical dependencies and process addictions, such as gambling, shopping, and sexual acting out. I further noticed that many of my patients who suffered from anxiety, depression, and anger felt possessed by their moods and...