Your brain on Depression
What is depression?
It’s not uncommon for us to feel sad. You might get a bad grade on a test, or have a bad review at work, or just be fed up with the rainy skies around you. But sometimes, people go beyond “feeling blue” and enter a constant state of hopelessness, darkness, and worthlessness. This is what we call depression. In addition to bipolar disorder, there are five types of depression:
In 2015 alone, 16 million Americans had at least one major depressive episode. That’s nearly 7% of Americans! Realize above everything that in all of this, you are not alone.
What causes depression?
Psychological understanding of these disorders is more limited than we’d prefer, but scientists have begun uncovering several indications that suggest why the brain acts the way it does under a depressive spell.
Brain matter: There’s way less gray matter in depressed brains than there is in healthy brains. The shrinking of the sulci and gyri in the brain can lower the control one has over their emotions, memory, and decision-making abilities.
Neurotransmitters: Dopamine and serotonin play a huge role in regulating our moods. Dopamine, or the happy chemical, controls our pleasure center in the brain. Serotonin contributes to the reward center we activate in response to external stimuli. In depressive patients, both dopamine and serotonin levels are lower than average.
Genes: The mutation on the 5-HTT gene makes people less resilient to depression when crisis hits. This can affect the creation of new neurons in the brain, known as neurogenesis, which would hurt one’s chances at returning to “normalcy.” They might also find their limbic areas shutting down, which in turn can shut down the cortex and reduce ability to think rationally.
What can I do?
Regardless, being caught up in this depressive fog is no fun for anyone. It’s hard to explain why you can’t just “shake off the blues” or “turn that frown upside down,” and many begin feeling alone because they can’t bring themselves to talk about it.
Just because you can’t physically see depression, it is a very real illness that should be treated with the same care you would pay to a physical illness. Studies have shown that the most effective treatment of depressive disorders is the combination of cognitive behavioral therapy, AKA CBT, and medication. Never hesitate to text 494949 to chat with a SoulMedic when depression hits. If you’re looking for further help, here are some reliable resources you can look into:
Written by Madi Turpin
