Posted by bleauberry on December 6, 2009, at 6:20:12
In reply to Depession...Chemical ?, posted by willyeee on December 6, 2009, at 0:02:26
I don't think depression is biological or psychological or mind-over-matter or whatever. No, it is all of them at the same time. They each influence the other.
For example, harmful psychological habits actually change brain chemistry. Good habits do too.
Brain chemistry flaws will cause harmful psychological habits. That in turn makes the brain chemistry worse than it was.
Therefore, as I see it, it is extremely important to attack depression from all angles, not just the pills. The most successful depression eradication potentials involve comprehensive plans of: forced changed ways of thinking; pills (herbs or meds or supps); strategic food choices; strategic exercise routines; social involvement (will likely need to be forced and uncomfortable, but crucial nonetheless) (church, charities, sports, hobbies with other people, meetings, work or any kind, any or all of these); spiritual connection seeking God. We were given a world of free choice, so we can choose or trash any of the above at will, to our benefit or our demise.
We can see this whole process when someone starts to feel better on a lucky choice of a medicine that is good for them. Their psychological habits and behaviors and activities improve, and this in turn changes brain chemistry for the better, boosting what the pills are doing.
Biological and mind-over-matter...they are not separate issues. It is not one or the other. The are equal players that feed each other in directions of illness deterioration and in directions of illness eradication.
The above are my opinions, but I should add they are directly out of a textbook of one of my associates who is in med school studying to be a pediatric psychiatrict neurologist.
As to the glutamate thing, it aint that simple. A glutamate connection, if any exists, is probably 1/100th of the big picture. For every glutmate study I can show an equal or greater amount of studies coming to the same conclusions that are based on serotonin; or norepinephrine; or cortisol; or heavy metals; or infectious disease; or inflammation of the nervous system; or GABA; or dopamine; or cortisol; or MAO genes; or COMT genes; or methylation cycles....well, you get the picture.
poster:bleauberry
thread:928268
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20091206/msgs/928294.html