01/07/2024
All diagnosis is a description, not an explanation. The DSM itself explains that it does not offer causes, nor solutions. It just gives a name to collections of symptoms that are observed in people. This much should be known to any doctor or psychiatrist.
We have known about the causes of depression for decades. Mammals feel depressed when they are trapped in a bad situation that causes them suffering, but have no power to change their situation. In other words, like all our feelings, depression too is an accurate reflection of our reality. It can be a present reality, or something we experienced in the past that is still unresolved/unintegrated. Often it is a bit of both.
Bouts of depression are common in people with unresolved childhood trauma. Their present depression is a re-living of their past through what the past, the trauma, has wired into their brain. There is not much mystery. I believe misleading people about depression is not accidental. It is there to push medication.
Incidentally, meta analyses of antidepressants have been showing repeatedly that antidepressants are ineffective, and that they do not offer an improvement in quality of life. They do come at a heavy cost because they are addictive and have side effects.
There is no medication for psychological health, nor are there any shortcuts. To be well, the ‘architecture'/connectivity of the brain has to change. Medication cannot do this and neither do ‘therapies’ that offer quick fixes. It is understandable that people want to feel better, but if someone is genuinely depressed, or just unhappy in their life, there is always a good reason for it. Until those reasons are addressed properly, nothing much will change.
We need to grow and develop into everything we have the potential to be, if we want to be well psychologically. Anything that gets in the way of growth, like trauma for example, must be integrated in order for us to be well. There is nothing wrong with wanting to feel better, but antidepressants do not do it, and either way people need to ask themselves whether they want to exist, or to live fully. It’s not for me to tell people what they ’should’ want. It is for each person to decide for themeslves. Having said that, those who have children, owe it to them to grow and not just exist.
Young humans need the right guidance to help them grow, not just cope, or exist, and they need good role models for this. Unfortunately, we live in a survivalist world, and our children and young people suffer unnecessarily because of this.
It is possible to recover from trauma, provided people’s brain are in good condition (no alcohol or drugs in any quantity. none. zilch. ever. not joking. I'm dead serious.), and they have good neuroplasticity.
Good neuroplasticity often expresses itself in curiosity about ourselves, in motivation to learn and grow, and in a sense of excitement about growth and development. When a client tells me at the end of our first session that they are excited about therapy, and what we can achieve, I know the neuroplasticity is there.
A new study reveals that misleading information about depression is widespread, making it harder for people to grasp the causes of their distress.
