I must sooo apologize guys! I did not desire one to believe in all circumstances of depression one may "think themselves out of it." No! Not at all! Had it not been for insightful, compassionate, professional intervention "AND" Rx'd AD's to treat the chemical imbalance aspects, I may not be here today.

Each has its rightful place in our treatment based on the uniqueness of our situations. My point was we do have control over many aspects of our psychological condition which must first be recognized and then acted upon in a positive manner. What I have shared has worked well for me and many clients whom I provided counseling in personal development.

Put one's head in the sand? No, you're right, that is not the answer either. To be attuned to current events is fine, to obsess is not. I make a point to "be informed," emailing my congressman and senators when appropriate and especially exercise my right to vote.

However, I'm not so lucky when it comes to reading. Always severely challenged with reading growing up, the only real novels I've read and enjoyed are Harry Potter. Otherwise I feel I must be educating, learning new things, almost studying life and myself for my reading to be of value to me. Yea! I know that will make the real readers of novels, romance and otherwise, simply cringe. But remember, that's me.

You have all made many very good points providing excellent dialogue and insight. Again, I apologize should any one have taken it that my expressions were the only way to do things. As stated by one poster, if it works for me, great. That hits the nail on the head. Should any one else derive benefit and value from my experiences, the thread was worth posting.

Thank you all for your insights, patience, and tolerance. I greatly appreciate your thoughtfulness.