Depression is a Symptom, Not A Root Cause

imaan-daar:

cynicallyjaded replied to your post: I have come to notice that depression remains…

I disagree that it is an illness, but I agree that it is a very real mental state. The difference is huge, and the path towards healing is vastly different between the two perspectives. Therapy is only ever an intervention strategy, not a cure.

I would beg to differ, I’m sorry. Depression is most definitely an illness of the mind. Certain events in life can impact a person in such a way that added stress eventually triggers a dysfunctional imbalance on the serotonin neurotransmitter that is used to promote positivity. Once serotonin levels decrease drastically, it is difficult for the brain to function well emotionally. This is thus called an illness because it then becomes something that cannot be controlled without means of medication or therapy.

No, there is no definite cure for depression as it varies person to person and most will experience relapses regardless; however, it is confirmed that a combination of prescribed drugs and behavioral therapy can help ease the victim’s mind into a positive state of tranquility.

Thank you for taking the time to respond. Unfortunately one of your followers made an incorrect assumption about the basis for my views, so in response, all I can say is that assuming that the symptom is in fact the root cause is what is truly blind about the approach to depression. Here’s a link to some previous posts where I shared my views on the subject, and I’d really appreciate your views on those posts as well.

To avoid labouring the point, depression is a state of mind that is nurtured to the point of it becoming toxic. The chemical balances in our brains are influenced by our thought patterns and sometimes from the foods we eat, but not the other way around. Depression, at best, is a social illness but definitely not a physical one. I’ve shared my views in detail in the posts referred to above, so I won’t go into too much detail again in here.

Two important points worth noting again. Firstly, neuroplasticity. Secondly, I speak from experience and not conjecture. I can absolutely guarantee you that anyone that is depressed experienced an intense betrayal at some point before the depression set in, often more than once. Depression always has a severe underlying influence of insecurity. Like I said in one of my posts before, show me a depressed baby and I’ll reconsider my views.

When we invest our trust in those that do not wish to bear such a burden, we set ourselves up for betrayal. Once the betrayal occurs, and we continue to wish for that person to see us as significant and worthy of affection in the way in which we want it to be without those feelings being reciprocated, we slip into a depressive state because we start questioning our self-worth rather than questioning the merits of the one from whom we so desperately seek affirmation. I’m not making light of the condition in any way at all. But if we believe that it is an illness and not a damaged state of mind, we automatically become victims to the mentality rather than masters of our own thoughts.