The Benefits Of Depression

Earlier this week British researchers made headlines with their report that antidepressants are for the most part ineffective. Read our coverage of this story here.

But in a fascinating development, now researchers point to growing evidence that depression might actually be good for you:

What depressed the cavemen? It may strike us as a particularly modern malaise for a time-poor, fast-paced society but a new reappraisal of depression suggests it has always been around.

A leading psychiatrist says that depression is not a human defect at all, but a defence mechanism that in its mild and moderate forms can force a healthy reassessment of personal circumstances.

Dr Paul Keedwell, an expert on mood disorders at the Institute of Psychiatry, argues all people are vulnerable to depression in the face of stress to varying degrees, and always have been.

The fact it has survived so long - and not been eradicated by evolution - indicates it has helped the human race become stronger.

Keep reading.

Do you agree? Tell us below.

Comments

[brooklyncitizen]

10:23 AM on 03/03/2008

Depression is complicated and certainly an illness. But it has been a creative catalyst for me, however uncomfortable it is a tool I decided to consciously use. As an Artist it seems to be a big part of what compels me to make paintings....a strange activity that is carried out in isolation for hours at a time with often no recognition (but I've been lucky) and no financial rewards to speak of.

It is what makes sense to me in the face of real emotional pain and alienation...it is a distraction. The "edge" in depression is a gift...and accepting this is easier than fighting it...and in this myopic society we are expected to be "happy" ...which is such an elusive and impermanent state anyway so I don't force "being happy".

But I believe in distractions...distractions from suffering.Whatever distraction you can seek out is a help to living with D and personally I try not to identify with the depression...there is more to me than this "depressive" state.THe more we can look away from it and reach out into the world the less of a toxic grip it has....another way of shifting away from it is through meditation and prayer. The danger is to be so inward that you can be swallowed up.

Article on Alice Neel's gradson who is making a film about her life. Alice Neel an amazing painter who lived in poverty most of her life in Spanish Harlem before being 'discovered" in her 70's (!)....survived sucide attempts, miscarriages, husbands etc....

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/alumni/Magazine/Summer2007/MovingPicture.html
.

[Mort]

11:23 PM on 03/03/2008

In case you come back now that this thread is back paged...
You have a good point, though it's a curse as well as a gift. Lots of artists, musicians and other creative folks have trouble with depression and things like that. The ability to feel more intense emotions comes through in their art. The curse is how much worse all the problems seem, as well as our ability to cope with them. Easy to get "swallowed up" as you say, in emotional meltown or in trying to get numb to escape.

Keep expressing yourself, and keep well!

[kcsmom]

12:02 AM on 03/03/2008

This is first blog I've responded to...best feedback on depression I've read.
I used to agree with article's message. Grow through the pain. Make necessary changes. Find a way...

I then had to learn the hard way that this is not depression. This is sadness, the "blues", discomfort... natural reactions of man in a stressful world that may indeed motivate one to take assessment. Exercise and talk will help.
" Real" depression should be moved over to the part of brain disorders like Parkinson's,etc. ( No one criticizes Michael J. Fox for his tremors.)

My 22yr old son once described it best.
" Mom, when I'm depressed, its not like when you are depressed. You get depressed because of your situation, the kids....what you regard as an unfair world.
When I'm depressed its like a vice on my head, tightens and drops a scrim over my eyes so as much as I try to see, nothing...nothing makes sense. I hurt yet there's no source to go and relieve the pain. Its just a constant. I'm mute and I am nothing. I will be nothing so there is no point. Sleep won't come and when it does, it doesn't satisfy. I can't concentrate. I am removed and worthless... one constant nothing."

Ten days later I found him hanging in our garage.
He had battled bipolar disorder for eight years.

Reading some of these responses makes me realize stigma stills exists. The brain can malfunction like any other part of the body. For those who truly suffer, and you know who you are, may you or your loved ones have the wisdom and grace to get you the best treatment possible. When a person is truly depressed they often lack the energy to seek help. We have so little time with the doctors for adequate and accurate diagnosis; family must have more input. When you find what works, stay with your program. Acceptance, knowledge and maturity are necessary components for dealing with this illness. Handling the truth often takes courage.

Please... for yourself and your loved ones, continue to be brave.






T

[Mort]

12:44 AM on 03/03/2008

Thank you for having the courage to share. I'm so sorry to hear what happened. No parent should have to bury their child, much less find them like that. Please accept my sincere condolences.

Yes, stigmas do still exist. One of them is about the fate of those who take their life. I firmly believe that there is more after this life. And I believe that God understands us, even in our darkest, most distorted times. He knows what your son went through, as he knows who he really is without the cloud of disease. Try not to worry about where he is or how he's doing. I'm sure he's being taken care of with great love. The pain is gone. He can now learn, grow and find joy.

Thanks again for sharing.

[ceu]

05:44 PM on 03/02/2008

I want to print out all these responses and give them to my mother to read.
I was diagnosed with clinical depression about 16 years ago and I'm now seeing the symptoms in 2 of my children - talk about guilt - and have tried repeatedly to explain to the rest of my family what depression really feels like & how destructive & dibilitating it truly is. Being told to put a smile on your face or to count your blessings rather than looking at the dark side of life just doesn't cut it for familial support. Medication literally saved my life (I'm currently unmedicated - no health insurance & the meds are too expensive without it). An article such as the one cited above tends to reinforce the attitudes of those who think that keeping your chin up will pull you out of that deep, black hole that rules your life.
One other thing I've notice in reading through the comments is how intelligent & thoughtful so many of them are. Thank you for speaking so eloquently on this subject.

[Mort]

06:04 PM on 03/02/2008

They don't understand how it hurts when they say "snap out of it" do they? But your experience will help you to help your kids. You have the power to improve their lives and even save them, by teaching them coping skills, healthy living and knowing when to get treatment. Just don't neglect yourself. Many communities have resources for folks without insurance or funds. Many churches do too. These kinds of clinics or services could be a boon to you until your situation improves. Your children need you to be whole. Hang in there!

[freeheeler]

05:06 PM on 03/02/2008

As a population ecologist with bipolar disorder, I can say that major depression is not conducive to individual survival. Having a mild case of the blues and reflecting on one's lot is one thing. It makes sense that dissatisfaction would spur change. It is quite another thing to be forced to put all of one's energy into just surviving.

[Mort]

05:32 PM on 03/02/2008

You're right. And most who haven't experienced it don't have a clue how it is. Maybe that's why it's so easy for them to armchair quarterback and condemn treatment. But for those with major depression, bipolar, or any of the other varieties, proper care can be essential for survival. And the key to living a rich, normal life.

[chendri887]

05:34 AM on 03/02/2008

Well, this is a tough call. I suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, and Depression. These are not occasional problems for me, but something I have to do battle with every single second of my life. They are crippling and debilitating and humiliating. They prevent me from working, impair my ability to have relationships, and frankly, impair my ability to leave the house, left "untreated." So, I have tried everything in the book, but the only treatment that works for me is pharmaceutical medication. I don't want to take the medication. I take it as an act of desperation, as a necessity after exhausting all other options. My brain is the product of my emotionally abusive, dysfunctional family. There is also a biological aspect to it. The alcoholism in my family seems to run many generations deep. We all have the "worrying disease," as my grandmother used to call, and suffer from what I would label was a distorted view (toward the negative) of reality. Now, that being said, I also see the Social Darwinist, Protestant work ethic, anti-social support aspect of American society as a horrible stressor, even for emotionally healthy people. It's basically "pray and turn to charity" if you have any bad problems, due to the time-honored Christian distrust of the utopian, the "good" in human nature. So, I can certainly empathize with what the researcher says.

[Saganslegacy]

11:40 AM on 03/02/2008

"Now, that being said, I also see the Social Darwinist, Protestant work ethic, anti-social support aspect of American society as a horrible stressor, even for emotionally healthy people"

Look at the 'Protestant work ethic'. One could very well argue that this work ethic is currently ruining the foundation of this civilization. It boils down to greed, egomania, hubris and a life out of balance. So on that aspect, I would say, the society is the sick one, not you.

The depressed people, in many instances, have a much better assessment of reality, alas the life is much harder. The 'healthy' folks simply understand to synthesize much more endorphins, same applies to those over the edge religious folks. Basically they understand on how to drug themselves

[chendri887]

04:11 PM on 03/02/2008

Well, thanks for the supportive feedback. It's hard to work out the cognitive dissonance and existential angst that is modern industrial western civilization. On the one hand, we have great freedom, much more freedom than was had in pre-modern cooperative and agricultural civilizations. However, to realize this freedom, we have to all the right pieces in place: Perfect family support, lots of money, great brain chemistry, and strong will. The fact is...many, many people do not get the full package and are thus unable to realize such freedom. And, in my case, there is a great deal of dysfunctional family interaction patterns that have destroyed my brain chemistry to such a degree that I am barely able to sleep, even in the supportive situation in which I live now. In addition, I think many of the "over the edge" religious people, the fundies, struggle with the same issues that I do. Many in my family do this dance between fundamentalism and atheism, trying to work out the lack of support they feel within themselves from a dysfunctional childhood. The anger towards desire to find a loving external parent has a lot to do with this dance, I think.

[Mort]

02:47 PM on 03/02/2008

I empatize with you and certainly understand where you're coming from, Chendri. And there's nothing like a panic attack to ruin your day. Or several! I had a church leader once that was the epitome of what you describe, too. His wife was severely depressed. Not getting help. He was convinced she wasn't praying hard enough, and if she did it would go away. Later when it got really bad he learned the hard way that you have to act to get results.

I believe God gave us brains for a reason. If he zapped away our problems every time we asked we'd never learn anything, nor would we appreciate anything. In many cases we can learn, make cognitive changes and feel better. In serious, debilitating cases there are ways to find relief that often include medicine and other therapies. There's nothing wrong with reaching out for help and finding something that works.

I applaud you for not only finding a solution that's right for you, but seeking greater understanding and then being willing to share your experience. That takes courage. And I'm convinced that God helps those who help themselves.

[rblackbird]

02:59 AM on 03/02/2008

When I saw the headline to this article, I had to read it to see what benefits I had been missing during my lifetime of clinical depression. I quickly concluded If the so-called psychiatrist who wrote the article is not delusional, he is certainly stupid.

Many of my fellow sufferers have quickly and firmly pointed out here the distinction between occasional downward mood swings brought on by grief or stress and long-term, constant clinical depression. I believe clinical depression is the symptom of a physical brain disorder, a poorly functioning electro-chemical system. In a depressive, the system is unable to balance out the conflicting moods generated by different parts of the brain. I have read autopsies show the left prefrontal cortex of the brain of a depression victim that generates happy, confident moods is substantially smaller than the right prefrontal cortex that generates moods of sadness, fear, and anger. The belief is the brain consequently can not maintain emotional equilibrium, and always defaults to moods of despair. One thing that has been learned is that once a person suffers an episode of severe depression, the next episode will be even worse and longer lasting, and so on and on. My understanding is eventually the periodic events merge together and the depression becomes permanent.

One of the tragedies of clinical depression is the victim's understanding that the depression he/she feels is not logical. There appears to be no significant outside cause (many depressives are very successful, and even envied), and people who do not suffer clinical depression expect depressives to "snap out of it" because "it is all in your head." Well, it is all in our heads, where we can not reach it. We can not take a pill to cure it, we can not put a bandage on it, and we can not take a vaccine to prevent it. Unlike tumors or infections or bone breaks, doctors can not see a particular physical cause, isolate it and remove it or cure it or fix it. Drugs and talk therapy have helped me a great deal, although many have adverse reactions to the drugs, and talk therapy can be prohibitively expensive.

Many depressives loose all expectation of, or even the concept of, a future. All the sufferer knows is the immediate despair endured in the present that never seems to end.

Far more depressives contemplate suicide than attempt it. Most of us have suffered "suicidal ideation" where we contemplate our own suicides and even begin to plan the steps to take. Most of these feelings do not result in our taking the actual steps. But for some deeply ill individuals, the contemplation of the final peace that is supposed to occur is too tempting to resist. Most of my fellow sufferers, who keep living, struggling to find relief, and working on themselves over years, if not decades, have great courage. The lives they lead are heroic.

[transendentilist]

01:36 PM on 03/02/2008

Exactly. Depression is a very debilitating illness. It is actually painful, physically. It leads to drug abuse (street drugs, including alcohol), and often times, suicide. This article is extremely misleading, and acts as though depression is no more than a head cold or some other common but minor illness. This is irresponsible journalism, at best.

[Mort]

02:49 PM on 03/02/2008

Very well said!

[lhsouthern1988]

02:58 AM on 03/02/2008

oh yes i am a big fan of depression. my family just loves it when i don't shower for a week and sit on the couch watching woody allen films all day. that is exactly why i take my prozac ( yes it works really well for me) and lithium. so i can get my rn, shower, keep the house clean and be a productive person. i would like to see these researchers have to suffer my mood swings for a week or so and i can assure you that a different prospect on depression will be offered.

[wm1066]

02:11 PM on 03/01/2008

Okay I give up ,I can't read this type anymore,its green on grey and it hurts my eyes.

[appleknocker]

03:24 PM on 03/01/2008

Me too.

[watchingthings]

08:00 PM on 03/01/2008

Oh me....Oh my....I just new people would complain. I am Lippy the Lion and I said so to Hardy-Har-Har.

[oxygen]

01:54 PM on 03/01/2008

we aren't cavemen anymore so where can we compare any ofthis logic? life is much more complicated yetwe havethe same brains so ofcoursewe need toenhance the brain likewe have been trying to do ever since thethree wise men brought jesus the mysterious "incense" depression is physiological and so there are drugs supplements that can help the problem is the dea is so worried about people feeling good - they I guess seem to feel they can dictate at what level a person can have good fellings at which is pretty scarry to me but the fact is that nicotine which is never prescribed for depression is a very good and fsat acting anti depressant as are cocaine and morphine - but then that is bad because dimwitted people don't like others having pfreedoms and enhancing thier minds- to them this is not fair - idiots believe in things like this, when the fda tests nrw antidepressants they throw out any antidepressant if it seeems "too good' they contradict themselves in order to never really solvce the problem and the dea backs them up on it and the doctors go right along too becasue they don't really want to either cure you or let you feel good for feeling good is bad, we must all sug=ffer the pain jesus did on thecoss for our original sins so we can have acloser relationship with him and eternal life in heaven where you won't evevn ned heropin or cocaine or anything not even a glass of wine because in heaven you are allowd to and alwasynatuarally high and euphoric becasue you now have life everlasting in aperfect world with aperfect body - when rush puts down global warming as a hoax it is not becasue the physical proof isn'tthere it;s becasue if you a re a non believer you don't get it that god and jesus will not let their world and their people suffer this fate, theywill intercede during the second coming and operfom worldwide physicall miracles to save the earth much as god and jesus and america has done to save the original home of the jews and chritians at others expense

providgil also is a reat antidepressant- and why so many adults now want to be classified as having adult adhd becasue everybody knows a far better antidepressant than say prozac - is amphetamine oops I mean adderral - quick acting, helps you stay awake not be drowsy, gives you energy and alertness adn alleiviates depression which ha ha maybe is the root cause of your adhd see? as the worm turns

[weavermiami]

12:33 PM on 03/01/2008

The beneficial aspect to this article is in highlighting the need for a new terminology to discern between clinical depression and just feeling blue. Obviously, most of us have experienced feeling sad or blue, most usually linked to an external stimulus (the loss of a loved one, unemployment, temporary loneliness, financial distress). As the author states, should this period lead to the re-evaluation of one's situation and prompt action to relieve the condition, then that would be "healthy". But to call this condition depression does a disservice to those who have suffered debilitating clinical depression. For too long we've lumped these disparate conditions into the same category, using words like "mild to moderate to severe" to distinguish them, but in essence we still call them all depression. That's akin to likening a skin rash to skin cancer by calling them both skin conditions. They are different and therefore should be thought of differently and treated differently.

[UkieOlie]

12:58 PM on 03/01/2008

Exactly my sentiments. Thank you weavermiami!

[transendentilist]

01:41 PM on 03/02/2008

I think the phrase, "clinical depression pretty much sums it up. There are two kinds of depression, there is clinical depression, which is an inbalance of brain chemistry, and there is situational depression. One is temporary, the other is a life-long illness that can have horrible effects.

[amorvincitomnia]

11:41 AM on 03/01/2008

Does this mean Tom Cruise was right?

[fcsakes]

09:46 AM on 03/01/2008

There is a vast difference between the blues, feeling down, and clinical depression. A great deal of the time when people say they feel "depressed" they are talking about being temporarily down and will recover quite nicely once they've had the opportunity to experience the various stages of loss they have to go through to get to the other side. (feeling unhappy because your boy/girlfriend left, your dog died, or you lost your job is certainly understandable; however, it is NOT clinical depression and does not require medication or therapy - although having someone with a shoulder to cry on and an ear to unload in can be very helpful).

Clinical depression is an entirely different kettle of fish and to say one *benefits* from it seems irresponsible to say the very least. Crawling out of depression is a near impossibility as it holds one as immobile as though they were encased in cement.

It has improved the human race? Personally, I very much doubt it. It would appear that man was at his strongest and most capable when he was skulking around caves actually having to fend for himself. Certainly the earth was in better shape. Humans may live longer - is that a benefit? Think about it as though it weren't yourself, but the rest of mankind. Visit a few nursing homes. Man may be better served, to paraphrase an ancient prayer, with "... a short life in the saddle Lord, not a long life by the fire..."

My opinion, certainly not shared by many, is that the very cause of depression has its roots in an ancestry that turned too quickly from being deeply involved in "earning" a life from its inception to basically having no real value other than shuffling paper from one side of a desk to the other. I do not share the opinion that life has value simply because it is breathing...we have a deep seated need to be contributors, not just consumers. Truly a conundrum. egads, I'm prattling! So sorry.

[whatsthatsound]

07:44 PM on 03/01/2008

I would like to add that the past way of life you refer to involved a deeper connection to the earth and other animals. I think part of the reason depression has evolved is due to our lack of involvement with other species. What other species lives like us? We can go days without thinking about other animals, other than as "meat" which we pick up at a store, not go out and hunt down. In the forest, animals are acutely aware, from the moment they wake up, of the expanded society they live in, its threats and opportunities. For lack of a better word, I think the human race is lonely. Thank God for pets!

[jadez]

09:16 PM on 03/01/2008

and how would you know the level of depression that might have existed in the cave man?
lol
and btw depression is NOT limited by age,so your entire argument is flat.
and you shouldnt call your
"opinion,not shared by many"...a conundrum.
its simply wrong.

[jadez]

09:17 AM on 03/01/2008

this article is so far off base that it is actually dangerous.

[fcsakes]

10:20 AM on 03/01/2008

According to?

[PhillyQuaker]

09:03 AM on 03/01/2008

When a person is depressed, there is no light, no joy, no happiness - how can this be a good thing?

[willowbarcelona]

04:00 PM on 03/01/2008

As a descendant of generations of Quakers, and one whose Dad grew up in Philadelphia, I like your name very much!

In an attempt to give an answer to your question, depression of the no light, no joy, no happiness variety that you list requires that the person look outside himself or herself for a solution to the pain, be it music, exercise, and most often finding the courage to change what can be changed in one's life or in one's attitudes and to accept what can't be changed. When one has come out on the other side of a depression, one feels triumphant not only to have lived a life of feeling (all feelings), but to have discovered new effective coping mechanisms and tools should it descend upon one again.

Most societies expect and accept misery as a reality of life. For some reason misery is considered a character defect by us home-grown Americans.

[momorune]

03:16 AM on 03/01/2008

Depression is definitely a symptom of a negative assessment of the environment. I think that the reason it's seen as potentially hereditary is because mentalities that create depression (and the traditions that go with them, like alcoholism) also get handed down. You learn that stuff on momma's knee.

I refused chemical help when I was depressed because I wanted to actually change the stuff in my life that caused the depression, not just dose myself into acquiescence. Now that my life is awesome, I take homeopathic St. John's Wort to rebuild my nerves (the first 12 hours were intense - I slept like crazy. Since then the effects are more incremental but still worth it. It helps my brain).

People who think that chemicals are necessary to overcome depression are obviously stuck in such terrible circumstances that they would panic and sink themselves if they didn't have the drugs.

[whatsthatsound]

05:37 AM on 03/01/2008

First of all, I love what Mort wrote below you. Cheers to you for being able to lick your depression your way, but I think you may know nothing about a real, clobbering dose of the worst forms (and consider yourself blessed and lucky if so). Lack of concentration (I remember driving myself nearly mad trying to write down all fifty states, as an experiment to make sure I wasn't losing my mind - something I can do nearly effortlessly when I'm healthy), depersonalization, anhedonia, etc. etc. And suicides of immediate family members, one of whom was loved by all who knew him, and rarely even seemed depressed. I don't want to diminish what you experienced by calling it just a mega case of being down in the dumps, but on the other hand it seems to me like you don't have a clue as to what I went through, and a multitude of others as well. When I take my pill, I thank God that there are scientists dedicating their lives to helping people, however imperfectly, get through the hell that is a severe bout of depression.

[Mort]

02:21 PM on 03/01/2008

Better living through chemistry! ;)

[transendentilist]

08:52 AM on 03/01/2008

Mentalities??? Sorry, but you are way of base.