A patient of mine was extremely depressed, was having difficulty leaving the house, felt the need for more medication. We talked about his future. He had been isolated for 6 months because of severe migraines and neck pain, and was terrified about going back to school and back to his part-time job, full of Fear that he would fail. The Depression, which was keeping him from re-engaging in the world, was protecting him, keeping him safe because if he couldn’t get out of bed, he wouldn’t have to face his fears. I pointed out to him that it was his fear and not depression which was the problem, and once he confronted his fear the depression would go away, which it did.

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