Posted by JohnL on August 7, 2000, at 4:29:12
In reply to The compilation of my 7 depression questions, posted by Rach on August 6, 2000, at 11:12:23
That's a cool survey you did. You might consider re-asking the same questions maybe once a month or so to get more responses. A total of 100 or more responses would be desirable from a statistical validity point of view.
My own theories go like this:
Biological depression...It either strikes out of the blue with no warning or apparent cause, or it is laying dormant waiting for a trigger. The person is predisposed, and all it takes is some stress or a traumatic event to shake up the fragile predisposed brain chemistry. Then the feelings of guilt and worthlessness come into play. At this point, both psychological and biological variables feed upon each other in a relentless snowball effect. It is impossible at this point to blame either biology or psychology, because they have both become entwined like two vines growing together.
Nonbiological depression...It is a normal reaction to a traumatic event, such as a death in the family, loss of a job, loss of a lover, etc. The person will feel all the same symptoms as biological depression, except that they will remit much faster, and will not snowball into a complex blend of bio and psycho. It may last days, weeks, or months, but it won't go on year after year as it would if there was biological predisposition. Either counseling and/or time will allow the patient to emerge from the gloom.
But when an underlying genetic biological factor is involved, unwinding those tangled vines is not an easy task. It's impossible to tell whether the depression caused the guilt/worthlessness, or the guilt/worthlessness caused the depression. Can't tell. It's like trying to find a corner in a circle. Just go round and round. It takes strong intervention to stop the momentum of that huge snowball, and to rip apart those entwined vines. Sometimes medication can do that alone, sometimes psychotherapy can do it, and sometimes a combo can do it.
But I've seen it happen over and over...those who fail but keep trying nearly always succeed eventually, one way or the other.
John
poster:JohnL
thread:42288
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000729/msgs/42313.html