The Science Of Depression

[DT761138]

I really think the epidemic of depression in our society is cultural. Our culture privatizes suffering and pain through alienation. People don't get real social contact that their biology needs. Our culture places impossible demands on people, and some biologically vulnerable people are worn down faster. But blaming genes alone doesn't capture the essence of the issue.

[Eugene39]

Not sure how I missed all this, but watched it this morning.

 

I have been through two lengthy periods of depression. The first one occurred during my teenage years. The part on "learned helplessness" really stood out to me. My earliest memories of church involve a preacher's vivid descriptions of hell. I was raised Armenian, meaning that it is possible to fall from grace. Anything we did wrong needed to be followed by a session of repentance, which needed to happen rather quickly after our slip-up, because if we died before that happened, we went to hell. The ground work was laid well for full-blown problems when puberty occurred and highlighted my inabilities to consistently please God. I've wondered for several years now why that season of depression ended, but realized a few months ago, that it was likely the day that I went into a neighboring barn, looked over the beams- there was a suitable one for hanging ones self, and found a rope. Obviously, I never did it, but was no longer just sitting there, looking at the "end of the road" anymore. There was now a possible ending for my misery.

 

The second one involved the death of my mother. She passed in 1999, but my depression about it, and some other things, didn't come to a head until 2004. In the mean time, I had met someone whose son had committed suicide by hanging, and had determined that my family would not be the ones who found me. My deepest desire was that no one would find my body, but that's hard to pull off. Was leaning towards going somewhere in a state park or someplace like that, and shooting myself. This season of depression ended with some help from a relative and my return to God with looking at God from the standpoint that He was loving, with the help of some radio preachers that I listened to while at work. For about a year, there was practically no depression, and it was a period of time that if locking one's self into a time loop were possible, would probably pick that year. Since then, my loss of faith occurred and now have become more interested in the science of depression, learning about my own self and personality type and trying to learn to love and accept myself. It's working reasonably well.

 

There has been some depression on both my fathers and mothers side of the family. But what he talked about how what occurs in a person's life before they are 10 years old really made a lot of sense to me.

 

Edit: Something which should have been mentioned is Christianity teaches learned helplessness.

 

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

[Guest wester]

I don't believe that depression is a disease. I think that physical or genetic depression is a crock of BS.

I do however believe in depressing places, depressing behavior, pathological environments and cultures of self-destruction.

I do believe that people, including scientists and psychologists, chase money. I definitely believe in prostitution, both literal and metaphorical. Before I believe anything coming out of anyone's mouth I need to see where the money is flowing before I make any conclusions - especially regarding my mental health.

 

“Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self esteem, first make sure that you are not, in fact, just surrounding yourself with assholes.” —

William Gibson

 

I watched anti-depressants destroy my mother over the past 15 years. I wonder what might have happened if she had walked through the fire, protested the war, called BS on her friend's hypocrisy, fought the church heirarchy, fought for women's rights to be ordained, done something, or anything, instead of practicing non-stop avoidance.

 

And just for kicks from Bruce Levine:

7 Reasons Why I Became a Dissident Psychologist

http://brucelevine.n...t-psychologist/

 

1. Corruption by Big Pharma

2. Invalid Illnesses and Disorders

3. Scientifically Unreliable Diagnoses

4. Biochemical Imbalance Mumbo Jumbo

5. Pseudoscientific Drug Effectiveness Research

6. Psychotropic Drug Hypocrisy

7. Diversion from Societal, Cultural, and Political Sources of Misery

 

 

My case is not yours, so you'll need to make up your own mind.

 

Have a nice day

[Yrth]

Well, I've seen anti-depressants turn someone's life around completely, so to my mind, it can be a physical disease. But because its a mental health issue, and because it's not at all understood yet, there's bound to be misdiagnosed patients as well as opportunistic scam artists. Ask yourself whether you're 'throwing the baby out with the bathwater.'

[stryper]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/01/31/146096540/i-wanted-to-live-new-depression-drugs-offer-hope-for-toughest-cases

 

From an NPR series on depression. New studies indicate that Ketamine or can instantly relieve depression.

 

"It seems to affect the glutamate system in a way that causes brain cells to form new connections."

 

So it seem that just effecting dopamine and or serotonin levels in the brain isn't enough for some people. Drug companies have taken notice and are creating glutamate drugs as a new class of depression drugs. Mainly because Ketamine has severe side effects and has a very high potential for abuse.

[VacuumFlux]

I have had experienced intense happiness, I have experienced intense sadness, but I prefer intense happiness. I also prefer serenity over despair. I like everything to end on a serene note.

 

*shudder* I have learned to fear my brief episodes of intense happiness. I can get so excited that it makes me puke. I can get so happy that I ignore the budget I have carefully worked out and spend money that I regret later. And those highs are always followed by a bad crash and an intense feeling of loss. I have only recently learned that a good number of those experiences were hypomanic, triggered by hormones. It's like... my metabolism speeds up, my brain goes on fast forward, and the voices in my head won't shut up. It's hard to sleep. It's fun at first, when it still feels like happiness, but a few hours later it just won't stop and won't shut up and I can't control my own mind, and I can't even get relief in sleep... I've learned to aim for a lack of sorrow instead of happiness. It's kinda bland, but then I can find contentment, peace, satisfaction.

 

I also agree that depression can be physical. When my blood sugar crashes, I want to cry and give up on life. It's hard to summon enough willpower to get to food. But within 15 minutes of eating, life is good again and I have no idea what the big deal was. I am more sensitive to such things when I've got situational reasons to be be upset, so it's also important to try to figure out what mental issues may be making me susceptible to the physical symptoms. Then there's the times when it's not that bad, I'm just mildly sad, and I have to try and figure out whether I need to eat better or sit down with myself and work through issues. It can be hard to tell. Many times, the answer is "a little of both".

[WMDKitty]

I don't know if depression is mental, or physical, but I doubt it's an either-or thing. I think it's mental and physical, and other conditions can, like, make it worse.

 

I can only speak from my own experience, but here's what I've noticed.

 

1. When my physical pain gets bad, my depression and anxiety increase.

2. When my depression and anxiety increase, my muscles get tight, and my pain gets worse.

 

It's a weird vicious circle.

[Yrth]

The mystery continues - excerpt from a recent cnn article:

Treating depression with electrodes inside the brain

 

....

 

The first patients

 

Four years after publishing her research, Mayberg was ready to try what had never before been done: applying deep brain stimulation to Area 25.

 

 

Area 25 is the junction of all brain circuits that control our moods, according to neurologist Dr. Helen Mayberg.

 

DBS had been used since 1997 as a treatment for movement disorders, including essential tremor, Parkinson's disease and dystonia. Mayberg theorized the low voltage current from DBS could also help severely depressed patients.

 

Her first surgical experiment in 2003, in collaboration with neurosurgeon Dr. Andres Lozano at Toronto Western Hospital in Canada, was more about testing for safety than actually treating the patients.

 

"For all we knew, we were going to activate [the circuits] and actually make people feel worse," Mayberg explained.

 

The six patients who volunteered for the procedure had all tried and failed conventional treatments. Some had attempted or considered suicide.

 

"We had patients who were profoundly without any options and suffering," she said.

 

All six were lightly sedated when the holes were drilled and the electrodes implanted, but they wereawake to describe what they experienced. Several patients reported profound changes just minutes after the stimulator was turned on. One said the room suddenly seemed brighter and colors were more intense. Another described heightened feelings of connectedness and a disappearance of the void.

 

The patients' descriptions during the procedure went far beyond anything the doctors expected.

 

....

 

http://www.cnn.com/2...tml?hpt=hp_bn12

[Voice]

hmm...

I'm not into self harm, but I've been depressive since I was 8 - that's when I first considered suicide to be a viable option. I was depressed as a christian, and I'm depressed now. Not for the past three months or so though. Something must be wrong.

Last year my pdoc gave me a questionnaire that scores you between 0 and 30, where 30 is stringing the rope to hang yourself. I was at a 23 according to the test. I know I've been worse than that.

 

Electrodes would be worth a try.

[Legion]

Oh Voice! Man I really hate to hear that.

 

I've been depressed so many times, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

 

I realize there's little I can do, but I wish I could snap my fingers and bring you out of the pit.

[PandaPirate]

Check out the new book, You Are Not Your Brain

 

http://www.youarenotyourbrain.com

 

I’m not good enough. I’m going to fail. He doesn’t really like me. There must be something wrong with me.

At one point or another, we have secretly had these kinds of thoughts. Plagued with self-doubt and indecision in those moments, we may have responded with anxiety, depression, unhealthy habits like overeating, throwing back a few drinks or repeatedly over-checking something, like our texts or email. For many of us, this becomes an unending cycle in which habits become more engrained and automatic.

In You Are Not Your Brain: The 4-Step Solution for Changing Bad Habits, Ending Unhealthy Thinking, and Taking Control of Your Life, Jeffrey Schwartz, M.D. and Rebecca Gladding, M.D., leading UCLA psychiatrists and researchers, combine cutting-edge scientific research with an adaptable 4-step program to help people understand, identify, and free themselves from the deceptive brain messages that hold them back. By learning how to identify deceptive brain messages and channel them through the power of focused attention, those who follow this easy-to-implement program can ultimately lead more fulfilling and empowered lives.

The effectiveness of You Are Not Your Brain lies in empowering readers with the knowledge and skills to help themselves. Schwartz and Gladding lay the groundwork by explaining the science behind deceptive brain messages. In easy-to-understand terms, they clarify how several biological principles combine together to wire habits into the brain – thus making them extremely difficult to change – and why focusing your attention is key to changing your brain. With that background, the authors then teach readers how to assess the meaning and importance of the thoughts and impulses that enter their head so they can make choices that are consistent with the person they want to be (not the one their brain is trying to tell them they are).

For example, what if we have unwittingly learned to pair snacking on pleasurable foods with relieving emotional distress? Although the action seems to work well in the short-run, that momentary relief from snacking often comes at a steep price, in the form of gaining weight, higher cholesterol, high blood pressure and so on. What’s more, due to the powerful brain mechanisms in play, eventually the brain will “learn” to repeatedly (and unconsciously) send out the directive that the way to deal with future stress or negative thoughts is to eat something. As our stressors mount, we may find that we are excessively snacking day and night. Unfortunately, the more we repeat the action, the stronger the pathways in the brain become.

But the opposite is also true. By becoming aware of the messages that trigger our behaviors, we can resist acting upon them and instead refocus our attention on healthy actions. By doing so, we rewire our brains and create a new, positive association between thoughts and actions. As this occurs and our ability to use the Four Steps grows, we begin to act based on our true goals and values in life, not the deceptive brain messages that have been holding us back.

[Margee]

I found this article to be extremely interesting............It looks at all the 'avenue's' of depression including the stress repsonce to the body.

 

http://www.lef.org/p...pression_01.htm

[Guest wester]

recommended:

http://brucelevine.net/category/bruce-levine-blog/

and

http://www.madnessradio.net/

 

I am always astonished to see this thread come up again and again.

Let me say that I have checked out Sapolski on several subjects including depression and I find his information to be interesting but his delivery and word choice to be annoying. His main area of research has been spent watching baboons, which may or may not give him authority to extrapolate to humans.

 

The most compelling thing I got from him was the conclusion that humans are a typical "status monkey," with the most striking aspect being that we love to establish status and then ruthlessly lord it over those under us, and systematically use status as an excuse to attack, punish and denigrate those lower on the pecking order. This is not a unique trait among primates, but with humans it seems to we are much more vicious about flat out assaulting those beneath us.

 

At first I wasn't so sure about his thesis, but now I start to see it more and more in human relations and definitely on the bigger social and political scene. Such facts are indeed enough to make one depressed.

[TrailBlazer]

Fascinating video. Almost mesmerizing. I never thought I went through depression as a teen. I thought I just needed to toughen up; everyone had crap and they weren't falling apart! Last year I read some of my old journal entries and recognized right away that the person who wrote those entries was depressed.

[Kaiser01]

You idiots, depression is caused by demonic spirits, trust in the lord and you will be healed!

[WMDKitty]

Can't answer your poll because it's ambiguously worded. How long ago was [my] last depressive episode? Or how long did [my] last depressive episode last? Because the answer to the first (over a year) is very different to the answer to the second (a good few months, I'm not sure, my already-nonexistent sense of time gets even worse during a depressive episode.)

[Yrth]

Can't answer your poll because it's ambiguously worded. How long ago was [my] last depressive episode? Or how long did [my] last depressive episode last? Because the answer to the first (over a year) is very different to the answer to the second (a good few months, I'm not sure, my already-nonexistent sense of time gets even worse during a depressive episode.)

It's clear enough, I think. How long was your longest major depression, not how long ago was your longest major depression. Hope that helps.

[RosebudMarie]

My depression really started when my kids were born, and sort of snowballed. I think contributing factors were the stress of parenting two babies at once (they're 15 mos apart, both autistic) and guilt stemming from Christian lies and expectations. My over religious mother was very over involved in my marriage too, putting a strain on my relationship with my husband.

 

I'm on two meds now, plus an occasional sleeping med. I think my deconversion will definitely reduce my moods.

[RipVanWinkle]

I have found that reading books about depression can be helpful. Not a cure. Have you read "Listening to Prosaic". It explains depression, its treatment and causes pretty clearly.

[slave2six]

I think that people who aren't depressed are the ones who are truly mentally ill. Obviously they're not paying attention.