ABSTRACT
Sarah had always thought of herself as a confident, happy person. At least that was true until a few months ago, when it felt like her world began to unravel. It all started when her longtime boyfriend, Kurt, broke up with her unexpectedly just before their final exams. Distraught, Sarah tried at first to lose herself in schoolwork, but instead wound up agonizing about Kurt for the better part of each day. Although her friends and family rallied to her side and did their best to cheer her up, they eventually grew weary of her self-deprecating tirades. “I always knew he'd find somebody better,” she insisted. “It's no wonder he dumped a fat loser like me.” Nothing anyone did seemed to help. Sarah grew increasingly tearful and withdrawn, and started spending most of her days curled up on the sofa with the shades drawn tight. She failed to show up for any of her finals, and lost the energy to complete even the most basic of tasks. In fact, she went without showering for days at a time. Her mother eventually grew so concerned that she tried to talk Sarah into getting treatment, a suggestion that met with considerable resistance. “A shrink? No way. I'm not crazy.” Sarah did agree, however, to start taking the St. John's wort her mother bought for her at a local health food store. Pessimistic at first, Sarah nevertheless felt her depression begin to lift gradually over the next several weeks, and within 3 months she felt like she was mostly back to her old self.
