The Gift in Depression

Depression it is such a common emotional state. Many people seem to be unaware that their negative orientation to life is really can often be the result of an underlying depressive state. Long-term chronic symptoms of depression that impair quality of life but do not fully debilitate the sufferer of the condition is called Dysthymic disorder.

I would like to clarify first that the depression I will be discussing is mainly the mild to moderate or chronic form not the severe form that generally requires medication and sometimes hospitalization. My approach to depression is one of learning from it and finding ways to stop it from oppressing people’s lives.

Some of the symptoms of depression include a loss of enjoyment in life activities particularly ones in the past that were enjoyable; difficulty with sleep particularly early waking or excessive sleeping; rumination, thinking continuously about an issue or problem; lack of appetite and/or loss of weight; fatigue or loss of energy; feeling sad or empty; feelings of worthlessness and/or excessive guilt; difficulty concentrating; psychomotor agitation or retardation and thoughts of death (DSM-1V-TR, 2000).

One of the factors in untangling the misperceptions of depression is addressing the role that media plays in perpetuating the view that life is supposed to be happy, we are supposed to be smiling and happy every day. To the contrary I like what Buddhism states about life; that life is suffering and accepting that fact allows us to transcend it. The media also perpetuates the notion that the answer to feeling down is in medication or anesthetizing it with alcohol, drugs, material goods, sex, relationships or gambling and that will remove the suffering of our lives.

In ancient times the “dark night of the soul” was supposed to be informative, an epiphany or chance to transform oneself. It is only in the “modern” era that we are encouraged to avoid negative thoughts. Charles Darwin who struggled with depression thought it was a “clarifying force”. The “father” of evolutionary theory thought that pain was a way of guarding our species “against any great or sudden evil “. Sadness he thought “leads an animal to pursue that course of action which is most beneficial” (Lehrer, 2010, p.40).

Healers and shamans tend to have their “dark night of the soul” as an initiation into their “calling”. Many famous poets and writer’s stories are fraught with agonizing emotional experiences. It seems to be a prerequisite for brilliance in these endeavors.

Lehrer (2010) presents evidence in his article that suggests that rumination can be a functional activity; it helps to analyze the existing problem that depression is connected to. Mental acuity is apparently better when a person’s mood is down. There appears to be a correlation between depression and creative production and successful people tend to be about eight times more likely to suffer from depression than the general population.

Emotions (feelings) have a purpose and it is to inform us about what is happening in life. Since suffering is a given in life then maybe feeling down (depression) is an adaptive response. It might be trying to inform us that life is out of balance, that there is too much work and too little play, fun or social time. It could be telling that there was a recent significant loss, that the body is needing rest, nourishment or self care.

Another issue to check out with depression is the social conditions in one’s life. Is depression a result of oppressive conditions at work, in a relationship or social life? Could it be that someone in your life is disrespecting your boundaries, or being verbally or physically abusive? Is your supervisor at work or a work colleague being disrespectful or abusive? Depression again is letting you know that something is not right in your life and it needs to change.

There is evidence also for hereditary factors in depression. The first-degree relative of someone with depression is one and one half times more likely to experience depression. There are complex chemical and neurological factors that impact and appear to be concurrent with mood disorders such as depression. There is evidence for changes in the brain with trauma, stress, and substance abuse that affect the chemical make-up of the brain.

Lehrer (2010) suggests there is some evidence that difficult emotional states can be a catalyst for emotional expression. He also concludes that depression can be informative and that it is “an extreme form of an ordinary thought process, part of the dismal machinery that draws us toward our problems, like a magnet to metal”. (P.43)

It is extremely challenging to tell someone who is in the midst of a depressive state that it is trying to tell him or her something, as most of you could probably attest to. It is usually only when the mood has lifted somewhat that the person can make of sense of it, however then is the time to make sense of it. Sometimes just the understanding of the gift in the experience can lift a mood or prevent the next episode from becoming as severe.

Maybe the acceptance that life is full of suffering; that depression addresses the realness and the pain that life can bring can transform one’s life and can even propel a person to creative brilliance. It appears to be in making sense of our experiences that we can move forward and address the things that do not serve us anymore. We can shed the yoke of oppressive conditions that threaten our peace and well being. We can listen to what depression is telling us and in doing so begin to take our life back from it. The gift of knowledge that it provides us is empowering us to act and make life more relevant to whom we are and where we need to go.

References

Carlson, N. (2079). Physiology of Behavior, Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

DSM-1V-TR, (2000). American Psychology Association.

For more information contact Denise Hall