Is depression actually an overactive brain?

[Britseye]

Maxmars, you are an exceptionally good, well balanced poster even when I can't understand what you're bangin' on about half the time 

Best-selling author Thomas Moore, a practising psychologist  of 25 years (important distinction from psychiatrist) wrote a lovely book called Care of the Soul, in which he has a chapter called Gifts of Depression. Most of what I remember about it is fragmented now, but I do remember at the time thinking what an incredible, revolutionary way to look at this 'problem' of the human condition.

[quintessentone]

Do people process negative situations in different ways?

Can justified depression be a normal response to certain types of/or negative experiences or is it actually to be evaluated as a clinical type of depression?

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"Justified depression refers to the concept that depressive feelings can be a rational and proportionate response to severe adverse life circumstances, rather than solely a result of irrational brain chemistry or a "broken" mind.  While the traditional medical model often views depression as inherently irrational due to its lack of clear external triggers, recent philosophical and clinical discussions argue that depression caused by refugee experiences, homelessness, gaslighting, or serious trauma is a legitimate "fitting evaluative response" to an appalling situation. 
However, the term also appears in specific research contexts, such as a 2006 qualitative study titled 'Justifiable depression': how primary care professionals and patients view late-life depression, which found that both GPs and elderly patients often viewed late-life depression as understandable and justifiable when stemming from loneliness, social isolation, and functional decline. Despite this perception, the study noted that this view contributed to therapeutic nihilism, where professionals felt "nothing could be done" because the depression was seen as a natural consequence of aging rather than a treatable medical condition. 

Ultimately, the debate centers on whether depression is always a failure of epistemic rationality or if it can be aetiologically rational in specific contexts.  The "Irrationality View" claims depression is by definition disproportionate to events, whereas the "Mixed View" suggests that while some depression (e.g., seasonal or pregnancy-related) may be unjustified, other forms linked to extreme suffering or injustice are fully justified. "

https://link.springer.com/article/10.100...24-04714-9

[Maxmars]

Maxmars, you are an exceptionally good, well balanced poster even when I can't understand what you're bangin' on about half the time 

Best-selling author Thomas Moore, a practising psychologist  of 25 years (important distinction from psychiatrist) wrote a lovely book called Care of the Soul, in which he has a chapter called Gifts of Depression. Most of what I remember about it is fragmented now, but I do remember at the time thinking what an incredible, revolutionary way to look at this 'problem' of the human condition.

Every now and then, I have to apologize generally for my warped idea of chatting.

I already know many times what seems to flow in my mind aren't exactly well-connected ideas... or presume that the reader can follow my verbose ways...

I do apologize.  I am always willing to explain... and have often had to...
which I think is all good...

When I discover that in my shotgun blast form, I misspoke, or reversed an idea by forgetting an "not" or skipping an "otherwise" (those are most embarrassing,) I need to see it through someone else's words...
it helps me learn.

Depression I think is so very abused a concept that we can barely agree how to apply the term socially.
Marketing for business does the opposite of soothe... it inflames.

Energy, Chemistry, are the only things we can measure...

Spirit and Mind, offer nothing to measure, only 
to preemptively narrate based upon supposition and strangely contorted axioms.

I'm sorry... if I'm blathering again... 

[Knows]

Is depression actually an overactive brain?

Maybe overactive trying to figure out how to Make some money. If the depressed have no way, (any time soon) to make a decent living. They turn to drugs and alcohol to escape their situation for a while.

[andy06shake]

Maybe overactive trying to figure out how to Make some money. If the depressed have no way, (any time soon) to make a decent living. They turn to drugs and alcohol to escape their situation for a while.

Drugs and alcohol cost money, so...

Depression isn't just about money stress Knows.

It's brain chemistry, trauma, environment, and loads of factors that vary from one individual to the next. 

Plenty of broke people aren't depressed, and plenty of wealthy people are.

Drugs and alcohol aren't some default outcome either.

They are just one of many unhealthy coping mechanisms.

Not the root cause or a universal response...

[Maxmars]

...

Not the root cause or a universal response...

I suppose that distancing oneself from pain (or painful stress) is a normal reaction.

So normal we even accept concepts like charity, even surrender.

I consider the plight of the 'truly' depressed (not sad, not pissed at "life," not utterly oppressed by other 'telling' you you are depressed.

Depression is as far from a "feeling" as an orgasm is.

Depressions happen... few get the point of realizing there might be 'warnings.' 

It's not triggered... it's not chemically induced... and in a lucky few, the physicality of the condition can be soothed...  but not all - proof - that we don't really have a handle on the totality of the condition.

People who have depression learn that you don't have to be sad about 'something' for it to ruin your whole day.  No reason... just depressed.... things to do... no one will recognize it... if you just suffer quietly.

And that's where depressed folks in the 20th century got fleeced.... a man in a lab coat told us there's a pill for that.... but forgot to mention how it changes 'you.'  It was a win for him.... you "seem" better... you even 'feel' better.... but your not... have another pill.... until it stops working.  No problem though... we have others.

Statistics are not a solution for the patient... only the clinically-detached doctor.

Drug the problematic patient into a stupor...
That was the preferred solution for the patient's families and the doctor... not the patient.
But the patient was hardly ever anything more than a clinical object, to be charted into the statistics.

Something not quite comforting in the treatment of "mental" conditions, which are bad enough to begin with.

Where the patient's behavior is the problem... the patient is the problem.

But enough of this ...

Doctors are well aware of many things we are not.  They have studied this problem for along time.

I'm just happy people realize that this problem, when it becomes a problem...
is ALWAYS deeply personal.  It's never a 'casual' "you'll get over it" in the moment.
Even knowing it will pass...
is far from comforting in the moment...
and sometimes insultingly insensitive.

I am no doctor, and I don't expect anyone to consider me speaking in any sense other than an observer like everyone else...

I realize that I make uncomfortable comments about what I observe...
I mean not to impute anyone...
confer with and respect your doctor's advice...
which you should seek and value over the comments of others with whom you have only a virtual relationship. 

Do you know why I don't make a diatribe about feeling depressed?
If you suffer from depression as I do ...
you have to stop yourself from 'talking yourself' into depression...
where you are introduced to a couple...
Self-loathing, and Regret....

A lovely couple no one want's to meet.

"George and Martha... sad, sad, sad."

[andy06shake]

Do you know why I don't make a diatribe about feeling depressed?
If you suffer from depression as I do ...
you have to stop yourself from 'talking yourself' into depression...

That. 

[quintessentone]

I suppose that distancing oneself from pain (or painful stress) is a normal reaction.

So normal we even accept concepts like charity, even surrender.

I consider the plight of the 'truly' depressed (not sad, not pissed at "life," not utterly oppressed by other 'telling' you you are depressed.

Depression is as far from a "feeling" as an orgasm is.

Depressions happen... few get the point of realizing there might be 'warnings.' 

It's not triggered... it's not chemically induced... and in a lucky few, the physicality of the condition can be soothed...  but not all - proof - that we don't really have a handle on the totality of the condition.

People who have depression learn that you don't have to be sad about 'something' for it to ruin your whole day.  No reason... just depressed.... things to do... no one will recognize it... if you just suffer quietly.

And that's where depressed folks in the 20th century got fleeced.... a man in a lab coat told us there's a pill for that.... but forgot to mention how it changes 'you.'  It was a win for him.... you "seem" better... you even 'feel' better.... but your not... have another pill.... until it stops working.  No problem though... we have others.

Statistics are not a solution for the patient... only the clinically-detached doctor.

Drug the problematic patient into a stupor...
That was the preferred solution for the patient's families and the doctor... not the patient.
But the patient was hardly ever anything more than a clinical object, to be charted into the statistics.

Something not quite comforting in the treatment of "mental" conditions, which are bad enough to begin with.

Where the patient's behavior is the problem... the patient is the problem.

But enough of this ...

Doctors are well aware of many things we are not.  They have studied this problem for along time.

I'm just happy people realize that this problem, when it becomes a problem...
is ALWAYS deeply personal.  It's never a 'casual' "you'll get over it" in the moment.
Even knowing it will pass...
is far from comforting in the moment...
and sometimes insultingly insensitive.

I am no doctor, and I don't expect anyone to consider me speaking in any sense other than an observer like everyone else...

I realize that I make uncomfortable comments about what I observe...
I mean not to impute anyone...
confer with and respect your doctor's advice...
which you should seek and value over the comments of others with whom you have only a virtual relationship. 

Do you know why I don't make a diatribe about feeling depressed?
If you suffer from depression as I do ...
you have to stop yourself from 'talking yourself' into depression...
where you are introduced to a couple...
Self-loathing, and Regret....

A lovely couple no one want's to meet.

"George and Martha... sad, sad, sad."

I am not sure if one can talk oneself out of getting depressed because some depression may be justified - just which types of depressions justify how deep one goes is my question? could it depend on the person's coping skills? who is taught how to cope with trauma?, but I know for sure some people can talk oneself out of diving into deeper depression if they can find a higher cause outside of themselves where they can make a difference and/or are needed to be 'all there' for others in their lives, but I speak from experience, I can't speak for everyone. "No man is an island."

"The phrase "No man is an island" originates from Meditation XVII of Devotions upon Emergent Occasions, a 1624 prose work by the English poet and clergyman John Donne.  The full passage emphasizes human interconnectedness, stating that "every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main" and that "any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind." 
Donne wrote these lines while recovering from a life-threatening illness, using the metaphor of land and sea to illustrate that individuals are not self-sufficient but are intrinsically linked to the broader human community. The famous conclusion of the meditation warns readers not to ask "for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee," meaning that the death of any person affects everyone. 
Key aspects of the quote include:

• Origin: Written in 1624 by John Donne during a severe illness. 
  
• Meaning: Humans cannot exist in isolation; we are all connected parts of a larger whole. 
  
• Legacy: The phrase is widely quoted to highlight mutual responsibility, and the title of Ernest Hemingway's novel For Whom the Bell Tolls is a direct homage to Donne's final lines." (LLM)
   
  

[Maxmars]

I am not sure if one can talk oneself out of getting depressed because some depression may be justified .....

Thank you for the feedback.

And I also appreciate the point I you address.

I appreciate that we can accept depression as a result of many things... sadness, stress, fatigue, emotional shock...

But my depression isn't "triggered" by the world... only made more problematic.

Example: I'm so depressed....
something good happened...
I cheered, it was great and happy...
I'm still depressed.

"Good news" is not a cure.
The fulfillment of needs and desires are not a cure.
It is not a matter of how bad things are that anyone could point to, and say "I see it"...
It's not  thing to be solved as a problem, but treated as a circumstance.

Depression, whether it be a completely physical, or more like the popular refrains "Snap out of it!" offers... just an 'attitude' problem... is badly complicated by society.

And a society's answers to a depression is not a fix, it is a characterization.

A professional sherpa is in order.

I admit, my direct observations were long ago enough, that someone could probably say "We don't do that anymore."  What I saw was a hugely effective means to eliminate depression by eliminating the 'individual' in the dialogue of depression... chemically.

I don't think one could actually 'reason' oneself "out" of a depressive state... (it has to end as it will...
the sufferer must resolve to endure, and wait for the condition to pass... easier said than done.)  Perhaps there is a mental formula for breaking depression's hold... I haven't found anything precisely reliable.  I only know the attempt is vital.

But I have circled the drain, so to speak... until at some point some part of me just surrenders to the perceptions and thoughts that embody the vibe of the depression, if not the "cause."

But not being a pro, means it's dangerous for anyone to consider this a proper example of a depression-sufferer's lament.  I might just be crazily embedded in the awful experience.

I recall that for some, depression feels like the "end of the world" journey...
I've never been there...
but I understand the utter grief and despair that accompanies the feeling...
(so I wonder if my empathy/sympathy might just be me feeling sorry for myself vicariously...)
nah...

I don't wish depression on anyone
(other than the theoretical bullies out there who would promote: 
"Give us money and we can fix that for you.")

I feel that at the end of every depressive episode...
Neo from the "Matrix" should step up and reassure you...
"You saved yourself kid..."
and move on.

With sincere appreciation.... I adjourn before I TLDR any more egregiously... 

[ArMaP]

"Good news" is not a cure.
The fulfillment of needs and desires are not a cure.
It is not a matter of how bad things are that anyone could point to, and say "I see it"...
It's not  thing to be solved as a problem, but treated as a circumstance.

Depression, whether it be a completely physical, or more like the popular refrains "Snap out of it!" offers... just an 'attitude' problem... is badly complicated by society.

As I see it, depression is more a phase than a feeling or even a state.

We may enter that phase through many ways, and in the same way I suppose there are many ways of getting out of it, but they are all specific to that person and to the way they entered that phase. "Good news" may not even register as such for someone depressed, they are just "news" they see as irrelevant for their situation.

From what I have seen (not in myself, as I was never affected by depression to need medication, or at least to be noticed as needing medication), some medication may help people see some of the "exits", but they need to choose which one and make the decision to exit.

It's a complex thing.