While what has been written here has merit, I wonder about whether it is healthy to try to figure out "what the depression is telling us" when there might not be an answer. Then, we find ourselves in another endless cycle of inquiry and defeat when the answer to our depression might not be there. I think the only time depression could be good for us is when it brings us to the bottom and compels us to act, because the current living situation is unbearable. However, my experience with depression has been one of falling into a pit of comfortable misery, where though I don't like not having motivation, the strong desire to be in bed, or the mood itself, there is a certain amount of comfort that tells my mind, "I'm safe where I am" and the depression only dominates my life. So, I have a hard time thinking there is a reason for depression in the state which I have described.
I hear you.
I think the whole going to bed thing during depression seems normal to me. When we are sick we rest. Why should it be any different for depression as it is an illness too.
When depression is primarily biological in origin...I agree with you...there is no real purpose to it...it is just chemicals and wiring gone haywire. But there are cases where the depression or emotional pain is telling us something important such as...we need a change in our life and the sooner the better. It is our inner alert saying that something is wrong. So you really have to think about this on a case by case basis.
I guess though a case can be made that...for some people...depression may be a symptom of some medical conditon...a thyroid problem for example or even diabetes. Check out this post from Marcia Purse, one of our writers over on the Bipolar site, about what she thought was a major depressive episode. Here...her mood was caused by low blood sugar! She says: I'd suffered through ten months of crippling depression that could have been treated by an inexpensive diabetes medication.
So really...even in cases where the depression is purely biological...your body and brain are telling you something....maybe a medical condition is underlying your mood, maybe you need to change your diet, or maybe you are lacking some chemical or nutrient, maybe you need more sleep.
Perhaps we should listen more to what our depression is telling us. I don't know...what do you all think?
This makes perfect sense to me, at least in terms of where depression has brought me. When I was a kid, I think it was part of dissociation, where I didn't want to be aware of what was going on in our family and if I stayed depressed, it was sort of like going underground because nobody noticed you if you just kept your mouth shut. It was probably more of a numbing kind of depression. When I got older, it definitely was connected to feeling trapped in various situations, including my job, and now the first thing I do if I'm feeling myself circling the drain is to try to figure out if something is making me feel trapped. I didn't know how overhwelming the environment at my workplace was until I retired - I mean, I knew it was bad, but not HOW bad, and I was depressed much of the time.
Like Merely Me, I think, too, that even if it is strictly biological (which I think is not all that common, truthfully), your body is still trying to tell you something, that you'd better get checked out to see what's going on. Even the strictly biological kind can negatively affect our thinking and sense of self, so we still need to pay attention to the signs.
Thanks, Jerry, for the post - it's thought-provoking.
No, depression isn't good for us. In addition to the constant and prolonged misery it causes, it's likely to have adverse effects on physical health, cognitive function and, pretty much, every area of life.
Many depressed people lie in bed because they have no motivation, no energy or both.
While an "obstacle"; more likely, loss, situation, circumstances or whatever may "trigger" depression, these "environmental triggers" aren't the "cause" of the depression and, while resolving the "trigger" may elevate mood, temporarily, it ain't gonna "cure" the depression.
The suggestions that a person's depressed as a result of having failed to deal with something, in their life, and that doing so will ameliorate their depression are in the "caused by character defect" and "cure by pulling up on bootstraps" categories; both of which were disproved years ago.
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Hello Jerry
This was a really interesting article. It reminds me of a news story I saw about a little girl who was not able to feel physical pain. She was constantly hurting herself because she was unaware that she was injured in any way. The type of disorder she had....of not being able to feel physical pain...is life threatening. Nobody likes pain but without it...we might die. Just as there is a reason for physical pain there is also a reason for emotional pain. It sends us a signal that something is wrong and we need to pay attention. It is my opinion that eliminating all emotional pain is not the answer. The key is decrease chronic suffering when the amount of pain serves no real purpose. I hope that makes sense.
Great topic to delve into. I hope our members will chime in with their thoughts.