Since according to my dictionary dysthymia is a disorder of the neurotic & introverted & symptoms include anxiety, depresion & compulsive behaviour _ I was thrilled to know that I have all these symptoms but no-one has ever referred to it as dysthymia!!

Anyway there are several more natural alternatives to prozac etc - more for the anxiety/depression than the compulsive behaviour, that you need to find what you can learn to overcome & what you have to find ways to live with or try cbt (see below).

Some natural therapies, sam-e, 5htp (tryptophan), dhea, vitamin b's, valerian, yoga with meditation included (you can get a tape/dvd) to name a few.

Cbt - cognitive behaviour therapy - see book been there, done that? Do this by sam obitz, many hospitals, universities, health centres etc run course in this free or cheap. My psych (a male!) did comment though that women often have more success than men with this because apparently we're more likely to actually practise cbt & so its more likely to work.

Another more costly alternative is a ces machine (cranial elctro stimulation or microcurrent stilulation) - helps pain, headaches, stress, depression & insomnia.

cheers purple

well what can I say fast reply.
Yep loads of alternate theropies available,
but I believe if the problem if the problem ( dysthymia ) is based on cognative development rather than any form of chemical or neurological imbalance, as most research has shown,
then the best cure is to find the source, I say cure as you are probably aware there is no cure, perhaps relief may be a better word.
Finding the source and accepting it, understanding it and why it has caused the problem can offer relief. If only to let you know why you or I feel the way we do.

Thought for today I would rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal labotamy

In theory I do agree but as a parent & fellow sufferer I also think that sometimes the sourse is not so easy or even impossible to find (especially with a dr who doesn't listen!!) & your kid(s) need you well not sick & so do you.

Also one psych theory of source is brain wave interruptions or failures to work/connect properly which is where a ces machine comes in - it "adjusts" I guess is the best word the brain waves. Sometimes you can hire these to see if they work - I am currently borrowing one from my dr & it has made a difference - now all I have to do is find one that isn't going to cost me about a months pay!! Ooppss I just realized that I forgot to mention these machines before - ces machine is an cranial electro stimulation device (think tens machine not electric shock ok!!??) you put an electrode onto each earlobe & set it at 0.5 & level 1 & use it for 1-2 hours (sometimes less) twice a day. They help sleep, stress, depression, insomnia, pain & headaches (but they of course do not work for everyone so if you could rent one first to see if it helped - here they cost about $1800.

The sam-e, dhea & 5htp all work on the causes which in really brief terms relate to the brain chemistry not functioning properly so the brain doesn't function properly - these put in what the brain isn't getting. So again these relate to fixing the source.

Does that help at all?

Last week I finally went to a psychiatrist and told her my life story, all the ups and downs, everything. At the end of it all, she told me she thought I had dysthymia, as well as some strong psychological lingerings that, I hope, are getting treated through my individual and group therapy sessions.

But both my therapists (individual and group) are pushing the medication route, and as a physically sensitive, active, outgoing sort of girl, taking pills just doesn't make a lot of sense to me right now. I'm socially active, have a lot of friends, have a successful career going, and always eat and sleep well. I've just got these knee-jerk emotional reactions to certain relational situations (friends or intimate) that, no matter what I do, send me down and down; or rather, knock me into a state of physical disruption and coldness. Usually I can function well in this state, "faking" life in a way that doesn't feed the sadness inside. My hope is that through "practicing" outwardly feeling good, the inside feelings will follow.

And so my question is - both in and outside of therapy sessions - how can I support myself through the process of realigning and reworking th emotional grooves i've worn in myself through years of low self-esteem and indecision? Yoga? Dance? Valerian root, st. John's wort, etc.? What strategies can I rely on when I feel myself going down? What can I do to remain up, without the medication? What do you all do?

My latest strategy: when i'm going down, get on the phone and call whoever I can, and just be relational, and talk. It distracts me from the coldness inside, and doesn't let me go down any farther.

See my 2 earlier posts for details of alternative suggestions especially cbt & ces machines.