Depression can lie anywhere along a spectrum from unpleasant to incapacitating to life-threatening. It can stay the same, worsen, come on sporadically, or alternate with mania.
But to understand what is behind depression, let’s first discuss mental and emotional illness in general.
A third approach
There are two major and very different conventional approaches to mental and emotional illness. One is psychological: you are depressed or anxious because of something that happened in your life, whether recently or in childhood. The cure lies in recognizing these psychological causes and appropriately releasing the associated feelings. The other approach is medical: you have a biochemical imbalance in your brain, which is adjusted by powerful pharmaceuticals.
Both of these approaches can work to a certain extent, alone or in combination. But they have their limitations. The medical model doesn’t look for a cause of these imbalances but instead treats the result. The psychological model assumes that, since the symptoms are in the mind, the cause must be in the mind as well, and the connection between body and mind is ignored.
But there’s a third approach. As with all illness, the cause is crucial. Also, the body and mind are interlinked, and the cause of a mental/emotional problem might well be physical. These causes can be toxicity (mercury, other chemicals), deficiency (of nutrients, water, light), or imbalance of one or more of the body’s systems. Even microorganisms can cause mental changes.
Different types of depression
Depression is the most common of all emotional disorders. Not all depression is the same, in either pattern or severity. There is unipolar depression (no mania), bipolar depression, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), postpartum depression, and suicidal feelings. Symptoms, especially in men, might not fit the typical model.
Unipolar depression, the most common type, is characterized by unrelenting sadness and hopelessness. At its most severe, it can lead to thoughts of suicide.
Bipolar depression, formerly called manic-depressive illness, alternates periods of depression with periods of mania. Mania can feel like you’re on top of the world, you can do anything, you don’t even need sleep or food. However, the manic phase can lead to reckless behavior and unwise financial decisions. Mania then becomes depression, with the associated lethargy and hopelessness. Lithium salts are the usual medical treatment, but causes side effects such that compliance with the medication schedule is a problem for many.
Postpartum depression affects women after they have given birth, and is a result of the huge hormonal swings that occur during and after pregnancy and birth. The lack of sleep that is part of new motherhood and the stress of being a new mother worsen the problem. Postpartum depression can occur regardless of how you feel about the pregnancy and baby. Giving birth by Cesarean and/or lack of breastfeeding can erroneously signal the body that the baby has died; since the body and mind are in close communication, depression can result
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is depression that occurs when the days get shorter in winter. Lack of sufficient sunlight caused by the shorter days and worsened by unpleasant winter weather that keeps you inside is the main cause. The problem can be worsened by emotional associations with the December holiday season, as well as by the indulgence in sweets, other carbs, and alcohol this time of year. The treatment can be as simple as increasing your exposure to light, whether sunlight or strong indoor light set up for this purpose, and improving your diet.
Symptoms of depression
The major and defining symptom of depression is feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness: why bother doing anything, the world is an awful place, I’m no good. It is often accompanied by fatigue, apathy, and lethargy, as if your body is echoing the why-bother feeling. You may eat too much or lose interest in food. You may have insomnia or sleep too much. You might have trouble with concentration or decision making, and brain fog is common.
Depression in men is often harder to diagnose, since it doesn’t always follow the typical pattern. In men, it can show up as physical pain such as headache or backache, sexual dysfunction, sleep problems, or digestive disorders. Anger is common, as is reckless behavior.
Causes of depression
There is a genetic component to depression, so you are more likely to have it if a close relative has had it.
A significant loss, trauma, illness, or major life event even if positive can combine with other preexisting factors to trigger a lengthy major bout of depression. How can a positive event cause depression? Often there is too much hope riding on the change, a feeling that once you move, get married, get a great job, have a child, give up alcohol, or lose 100 pounds your life will be perfect, and that doesn’t happen, triggering depression.
A common symptom found in those with mercury fillings is depression. Proper removal of these fillings can cause depression to lift, sometimes even the same day.
Adrenal stress can show up as depression, and any kind of toxicity can stress the adrenals. One of the major symptoms of low thyroid function is depression along with fatigue, weight gain, and hair loss.
Although any severe illness can quite understandably cause or contribute to depression, depression is especially likely with heart disease. A cholesterol level that is too low can contribute to depression and even suicidal feelings. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is so linked with depression that it can be difficult to tell which is causing which.
Nutritional factors are important. Sugar and wheat gluten can cause depression, and depression, carb cravings, and carb eating can follow one another in a vicious cycle. Beneficial oils are important for brain function, and low oils – common on many recommended weight-loss diets – can lead to depression. Too little water is sometimes the culprit. Even light acts as a nutrient, and more sunlight can stimulate the pineal gland in the brain and ease depression even if it’s not seasonally related.
Microorganisms such as yeast and molds can contribute to depression, lethargy, and brain fog. Abuse of alcohol or other drugs is a major contributor, especially during withdrawal periods. There can be hormonal associations such as postpartum or menopausal hormone shifts.
What can be done?
As with all illness and symptoms, it is important to identify and address the root cause(s) of the depression. CAM practitioners and tests can help with this.
