The DailyStrength.org website was recently mentioned in the Yahoo! Depression-Anxiety Group as a decent online support group. Someone did complain that their information they posted on their DailyStrength.org personal home page was publicly searchable with Google. I just barely registered for the service, so I haven’t verified the claim of the Google search. After I have spent some time with the service, I will post a review.

http://dailystrength.org/

 have been finding a number of self-help websites that help people deal with depression and anxiety.  Here are a few of them:

• MySelfHelp.com
  • I highly recommend this interactive self-help tool that uses cognitive behavioral therapy to assist the user in dealing with his problems.  I’ve been using it now for a month, and it has already helped me improve my sleeping patterns.  The depression section is good, but it doesn’t seem to be as well developed as the “Conquer Insomnia” section.  There is a journal, sleep diary, calendar, medicine tracker, depression log, stress table, and many other interactive tools.
• Robert F. Sarmiento’s Cyber Psychologist
  • This site has some helpful information, but seems to contain the standard helps found elsewhere.  It is a completely non-interactive website.  Even so, I really found the section on Therapy Goals to be very useful.

• More physical pain than normal – excessively massaging my arms and legs to attempt to relieve the pain
• Lack of focus and concentration
• Fatigue
• Stay up really late before the big crash
• More irritable
• Cry easier
• Moody
• Difficulty making decisions
• Can’t sit still or don’t want to move in extremes
• Stay in bed
• Avoid work
• Avoid people
• Stay awake at night and sleep during the day
• Want to spend money, eat, or do something to avoid or ignore the issues
• Lack of interest in my spouse
• Retreat into my shell and avoid any intimacy
• Don’t want to have conversations
• Difficulty thinking deeply
• Deadening of emotions
• Lack of pleasure
• Lack of motivation
• Easily frustrated with difficult tasks or complex decisions

For the past several months, I have kept a record of my sleep habits using the Alertness Diary.  I can’t believe how little sleep I actually get and how little time I actually spend in bed.   I seem to generally get between 5 and 7 hours during the week, and then on the weekend, I am so tired that I need to sleep a lot to pay the accumulated sleep debt.  I definitely need to improve my sleep habits.

Combined with my severe sleep apnea, I don’t get much sleep at all.

What’s the difference between Cognitive Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy other than the word in the middle?  Obviously, there must be some action involved in order to be behavioral.  What are the differences?

http://del.icio.us/MyDepressionStory

I wonder, is cognitive therapy more effective for left-brained people?  Cognitive Therapy seems very analytical and logical.  Right-brained people can think analytically and logically, but this is not always their favorite way of thinking, especially when their emotions are high. 

Are there any studies on this?  I have no idea.  The few studies that I have read don’t differentiate between cognitive preferences.

For the past month I have been using MySelfHelp.com.  It seems to be a good resource on depression and on conquering insomnia.  I recommend it.

I’ve been monitoring my alertness throughout the day, using the Alertness Diary on Alertness Matters.  It’s free.  Each hour I rate how alert I am using one of four categories:

1. Alert
2. Low Energy
3. Sleepy
4. Asleep

It’s been a learning experience.  I’ve noticed how my bedtimes go in cycles.  I’ve also noticed how I don’t get as much sleep as I thought I did.  Even with the sleep apnea, I don’t spend enough time in bed.

The website, Alertness Matters, is run by Cephalon, the same company that makes Provigil.  Even though Cephalon sponsors the website, I didn’t see any ads for Provigil on the website.

A few days ago, I discovered the website for Emotions Anonymous.  I wonder how effective such a group therapy like this is for a person dealing with depression.  Can the 12 steps help?  I suppose if the person has hurt others, the organization might very well help.  If the depression is completely internal, I am not sure.  I suppose if the depression was also expressed in anger, then it would seem effective.  Maybe I’ll attend a local meeting to see if it could help me.  I am willing to experiment and discover other forms of therapy that could help.