Hi Audrey: I can remember sitting in front of our Christmas tree with the family I loved and feeling as if I were dead inside...Clinical depression is a devastating illness and I get furious when I feel it's trivialized. Ten years later, still taking my anti-depressant, battling PD, Crohn's, my husband's illness, etc. at least I feel alive. God knows, not every day's a good one, but I have regained the capacity for happiness and for that I am grateful. Carole --- Audrey <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Right on carole you have seen the pit as I have too .. > isnt it odd that > those who usually write about this condition have no idea > how it is to be > that way? When I was diagnosed, the difference between > depression and * > being blue* was described to me as this: Take the worst > time or day you > have ever had and magnify this by 1000 that is close to > clinical depression. > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Carole Hercun <[log in to unmask]> > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Thursday, February 03, 2000 4:40 PM > Subject: Re: NEWS: Viewing Depression as Tool for > Survival > > > > Hi janet marie: Do you think any of the people quoted > here > > have ever traveled the nine circles leading to the Hell > of > > full-blown Clinical Depression? Been there, done that. > And > > it takes more than happy thoughts and good intentions > to > > drag you back to any semblance of sanity. Sure, one's > > environment, stressors, etc. affect depression, but the > > point they're missing is that it DOESN'T MATTER what > caused > > the condition, what you are treating is a biological > > illness, and while psychotherapy is enlightening and > > productive (this is the testimony of a long time psych > > nurse AND the recipient of more years of therapy than I > > care to divulge), the cure involves medication. > Depression > > IS NOT comparable to diarrhea. It is insane not to > treat it > > when we have the cure. > > Carole > > --- janet marie paterson <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > > February 1, 2000 > > > > > > Viewing Depression as Tool for Survival > > > > > > The case, Dr. Randolph M. Nesse said, does not fit > tidily > > > with the view that depression is only a matter of > > > disordered brain chemicals: > > > > > > A woman sought help from a psychiatric clinic because > she > > > was desperately depressed. She had dedicated five > years > > > to becoming a professional musician, despite her > > > teachers' admonitions that she lacked the talent to > > > succeed. She persisted, the woman said, because it > was > > > her mother's dream for her. > > > > > > The psychiatrists at the clinic treated her with a > > > variety of antidepressant medications and with > > > psychotherapy. Nothing helped. But when, one day, the > > > woman reached a decision, giving up music in favor of > a > > > career more suited to her abilities, her depression > > > lifted. > > > > > > Dr. Nesse, director of the Evolution and Human > Adaptation > > > program at the University of Michigan's Institute for > > > Social Research, collects many such cases (the > details > > > are altered to protect patients' identities) because > he > > > believes they offer clues to a deeper understanding > of > > > depression. > > > > > > In a recent article in the journal Archives of > General > > > Psychiatry, Dr. Nesse argued that while some forms of > > > depression were clearly a result of genetic > vulnerability > > > and brain abnormality, others might have their roots > in > > > evolutionary history. > > > > > > Darwinian theory holds that evolution selects for > > > fitness: organisms with traits that promote survival > or > > > reproduction pass on their genes; organisms without > such > > > traits die off. > > > > > > Depression may have developed, Dr. Nesse suggested, > as a > > > useful response to situations in which a desired goal > is > > > unattainable, or, as he has put it, "when one of > life's > > > path peters out into the woods." > > > > > > Locked in pursuit of the impossible, it makes sense > for > > > an animal to hunker down, take stock and figure out > what > > > to do next, Dr. Nesse said. In some cases, depression > may > > > help a person disengage from what has proved a > hopeless > > > effort; in other cases, it may protect the person > from > > > jumping ship too rashly, perhaps landing in even less > > > hospitable seas. > > > > > > "If I had to put my position in a nutshell," he said, > > > "I'd say that mood exists to regulate investment > > > strategies, so that we spend more time on things that > > > work, and less time on things that don't." > > > > > > In some respects, Dr. Nesse's conception echoes that > of > > > the psychoanalyst Dr. Emmy Gut. In a 1989 book > > > "Productive and Unproductive Depression" (Basic > Books), > > > Dr. Gut described, among other cases, the experience > of a > > > biochemist, Albert, who frequently became depressed > when > > > a research strategy he was pursuing went nowhere. > When > > > the feelings of despair passed, he said, he saw "an > > > entirely different way to tackle the problem, or > else, I > > > have recognized that the project was unrealistic." > > > > > > In an interview, Dr. Gut, who lives in Sweden, said: > "I > > > think that depression is a normal mechanism. It's an > > > attempt toward adaptation to a problem." > > > > > > Dr. Nesse and Dr. Gut are not the first to ponder > what > > > evolutionary function depression -- and its close > > > relative, sadness or low mood -- might serve. > Thinkers > > > from Schopenhauer to Freud have offered their views. > Over > > > the years, scientists have speculated variously that > > > depression represents a plea for help, a strategy for > > > manipulating others into providing resources, a > signal of > > > submission or yielding in conflict, or a way to > conserve > > > an organism's energy and resources in hard times. > > > > > > Other investigators see no point in viewing > depression as > > > anything other than a malfunction of brain chemicals. > > > > > > Dr. Nesse, however, is one of a growing number of > > > scientists who over the past decade have > systematically > > > tried to bring a Darwinian perspective to medicine, > > > hoping to learn more about how evolution has shaped > > > humans' vulnerability to disease. > > > > > > The approach is yielding a richer understanding of > > > illness, and in particular, is helping scientists > > > distinguish between diseases and medical conditions > that > > > developed as defenses against other more serious > threats > > > to survival. > > > > > > Coughing, for example, is not a disease in itself but > is > > > the body's attempt to rid itself of bacteria in the > > > lungs. Diarrhea and vomiting, though unpleasant, also > > > serve as defenses, evolving as ways to evade danger, > and > > > thus to preserve fitness. And the ability to feel > pain is > > > essential for an organism's survival. "People who are > > > born without any capacity to feel pain are usually > dead > > > by early adulthood," Dr. Nesse said. > > > > > > Similarly, emotions like anxiety, fear and depression > can > > > be viewed as defensive strategies. Such defenses make > > > sense, Dr. Nesse noted, because they have a low cost, > > > especially when compared with their potential for > > > protection. Vomiting, for instance, involves only the > > > loss of few hundred calories, but might save an > animal's > > > life if the substance ingested is poisonous. In the > same > === message truncated === __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com