Posted by SLS on May 24, 2022, at 23:05:54
In reply to If only there was a formula for feeling well, posted by denise1904 on May 23, 2022, at 11:41:15
Hi, Denise.
Just a reminder:
Unfortunately, "depression" is one word that is attached to many phenomena - psychological, biological, and a combination of both. I think this is why the stigma has been so hard to erase. The depression that comes with the loss of a spouse is usually associated with grieving. More often than not, it is self-limiting. One could describe this as a healthy psychological reaction to loss, but must still be processed. For some people, the depression seems to continue and get worse. Time is not a sufficient treatment. Grieving places stress on the brain for everyone. However, the brains of some people are vulnerable to becoming dysregulated when they are stressed too much. Once triggered, a depressive state can continue in the absence of further psychological stress. It becomes self-perpetuating. The thermostats in the brain that keep systems in balance are no longer synchronized. Sometimes, a system can reset its thermostats to return to its original balance spontaneously. For the less fortunate, the various brain circuits are less likely to rediscover their natural equilibriums. Without some sort of biological intervention, the depressive state can continue unabated for years, or even indefinitely.
Depression is indeed a very real psychobiological illness. It leaves one in an altered state of consciousness from which no amount of psychotherapy can change. There is no character weakness. However, there is a brain that is not operating as designed.
Does that make sense to you?
- ScottSome see things as they are and ask why.
I dream of things that never were and ask why not.The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
poster:SLS
thread:1119757
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20220128/msgs/1119766.html