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Self-monitoring of
Mood and Activities: Mood Diary for Depression |
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Written by: Martin Winkler
> 26 Nov 2006. |
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Question:
What
is a mood diary? Why
does my therapist
want me to keep a
log of mood and
activities? What
kind of
self-monitoring to
you recommend for
depressive patients?
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Answer:
One
of the most
important
cognitive-behavioural
techniques is
self-monitoring. It
helps the therapist
(and the client) to
get a more objective
view of the
complaints and to
examine possible
causes and changes
of symptoms in the
course of the day or
week.
Usually a depressed
patient will feel
low and depressed
all day, thinking
there are no changes
or it might become
even worse in the
course of the day.
However
self-monitoring of
mood might help to
get a different view.
One of my clients
described it this
way:
"Somehow,
the act of recording
moods gave me a
sense of control. I
used the mood diary
to track my
reactions to
pharmaceutical drugs
and side effects and
to record daily
thoughts and
feelings."
He
used an analog scale
starting with
-
0
= desperate,
feeling
extremely low to
-
10 = feeling
great, no signs
of depression
Obviously, at the
beginning of therapy
he felt low and
depressed, so he
mainly used the
range of 0-4.
We
started with a diary
of mood and
activities, to get a
better understanding
of his symptoms
during the day:
Here are some notes
of the first days of
self-monitoring:
-
06:00 1 wake up,
ruminating in
bed
-
07:00 2 going to
the bathroom
-
07:30 2 cup of
coffee, low
appetite
-
08:00 0 try to
read a book,
can't
concentrate
-
09:00 2 back to
bed, feeling low,
worrying about
the future
-
10:00 3
listening to
some birds
outside
-
11:00 4 decided
to get up, have
a walk with the
dog
-
12:00 3 lunch,
still no
appetite
-
13:00 2 need a
nap, cannot do
my normal work
-
14:00 5 playing
cards with my
grandson
-
15:00 2 he left,
feel lonely and
desperate
-
16:00 0
extremely
depressed, lay
down in bed
-
17:00 0 cannot
fall asleep.
-
18:00 2 read the
newspaper (sports)
-
19:00 2 dinner
with my family
-
20:00 3 watching
TV
With
this diary of mood
and activities we
got a better
understanding what
might influence his
depression:
-
There was a
change of
symptoms during
the day! This is
typical for
depressive
disorders, with
a low mood in
the beginning of
the day. Usually
there is a
slight
improvement
during the days
or in the
afternoon.
-
He noticed an
influence of
activites like
walking the dog
or playing cards
with his
grandson. This
helped him to
overcome
worrying and to
activate himself.
So he deciced to
schedule a
regular walk to
the park at
least 4 times a
week. Another of
his ideas was to
start gardening
again. This was
a hobby he had
stopped at the
onset of
depression.
These activities
helped to give a
better structure
in the course of
the day.
source
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Paola
Bonavolontà |
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Consultant in Marketing and
Personal Growth with experience
in managerial area, individual
counselling, groups
facilitation, training courses. |
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Born in Naples, Italy. Graduated
cum laude
in Economics and Business
Administration at 21, I
left my native town to work for
multinational companies.
Before turning 33 I was Global
Marketing Director in New York.
After that, I felt compelled to
change something, keeping what I
loved about my job, creativity,
team work, cooperation.
I began my entrepreneurial
career facilitating
individuals and organizations
with seminars and
consultancy. |
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Combining Counseling & Marketing
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Marketing
is about raising awareness or creating
the desire for something - including
you, your services, skills and
experience.
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Counseling can assist you in identifying skills, interests, needs and values that matter to you and develop the skills needed to accomplish your goals. |
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Because of my
marketing expertise and as a
councelor I may help you in improving
your behavioral approach, to implement
your strategies, to achieve your
personal and professional objectives. |
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If you
desire to reach a goal,
improve your awareness,
your relationship, your
business standard,
reassess your ambitions,
and major sources of
professional and
personal satisfaction.
let's
talk together
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First 50-minutes
session is
complimentary so
that you and I
will have a
chance to learn
more about each
other to
determine if my
services can be
helpful for you.
Contact me
Paola Bonavolontà
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