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Mary Ann wrote: <<<<It is absolutely normal to be depressed when one experiences the life-altering events you have mentioned. There are many, many people who have lived through even more traumatic incidences without developing PD, however. Too much Dopamine has been identified as the possible cause of some psychosis, specifically schizophrenia. It should not be surprising that too little Dopamine can cause depression. Infact, perhaps we have a chicken-egg dilemma here - what comes first? Do low levels of Dopamine cause depression prior to PD symptoms, or does depression cause low levels of Dopamine. I'm voting for the former.>>> The serotonin and endorphins levels are said to be low when one is withdrawn or depressed. Yes, it is depressing to live through losses. I was much depressed that Alan Bonander is no longer with us - for much of the day I heard he died - and, briefly, several times since. However, these are not the extremis depression that grips us on ocassion - clinical depression. Death of a mate sometimes is too hard to face; is forgotten, denied, and the survivor withdraws in fear and anguish. Sometimes to the extent that a few years of not enjoying is followed by dementia or death. Sometimes, the survivor is not demented; has been hanging on to not leave his/her spouse alone; and when s/he dies, the survivor dies in a week or a month. My conjecture is that the "placebo" effect is innate in the evolved species architecture/anatomy. As with many capabilities, they have positive as well as negative effects: the sugar pill works if it is expected to work; the healer (shaman, voudoo priest, oracle, physician) with his methods often invokes the departure of the evil spirit (gloom and doom) to heal with some ritual and sometimes some chemical "medicine" (if a medicine man/woman was consulted). On the opposite vector, the hex will sicken, maim, cripple, or even kill - if the expectation is extremely strongly felt. Our nature is complex - it is emotively responsive to some startling events that are perceived as life-or-death close calls. The fight or flight adrenaline surge gives us superhuman strength and courage such as instances during war have been reported; or, a mother lifting an automobile off her son; or, a man moving a 2000-pound item to save a child. The moment passed and then neither could budge what they had lifted. The point being that emotional chemistry is powerful. Our expectation is likely to occur. If one does not care whether he lives or dies, he may bring death to some cells via this sub-conscious chemistry of the attitude. ron 1936, dz PD 1984 Ridgecrest, California Ronald F. Vetter <[log in to unmask]> http://www.ridgecrest.ca.us/~rfvetter