My Support Forums - View Single Post

lynn09 · Apr 28, 2012, 06:41 PM

(Disclaimer: This is NOT a strict medical/scientific presentation. I am condensing and over-simplifying a lot of information into a more-easily assimilated capsule. Sorry for the length.)

Hello, Mogeii. Chronic depression has been my constant companion pretty much my entire life - long, long before there were effective medications to treat it. I have been through every medication used to treat depression, but can no longer take any of them due to a damaged immune system - allergic to them all now since 1999. This has forced me to study and research alternate methods for dealing with it.

It's important for everyone on such medications to understand that the meds do not contain the actual chemicals (neurotransmitters) required for optimal brain function - serotonin, dopamine, etc. - the "feel-good" (reward) hormones. It is these chemicals that make it possible for us to have positive thoughts, attitudes, feelings, perceptions - make it possible for us to access the higher brain functions of reason and logic which temper and balance our raw emotions. Without adequate amounts of these neurotransmitters, synaptic connections are interrupted, incomplete, and traveling the neuropathways is like driving down a road of disjointed and pot-holed sections of pavement leading to loop-arounds and dead-ends leaving you dealing with unfiltered raw, primitive, if you will, emotions that seem to have no rhyme or reason whatsoever.

Current treatment meds are designed to help stimulate production and/or enhance the effectiveness of whatever amount of neurotransmitters that your brain is producing and/or suppress/counteract the production of stress hormones which magnify the raw emotions and produce that free-floating anxiety and panic (fight or flight). It is important to understand that emotional stress causes the body to produce stress hormones (cortisole, etc.) which actually suppress production of the "feel-good" hormones causing more stress which further suppresses production causing more stress, etc., creating the downward spiral we are all so familiar with that sweeps us along into the depths of the abyss.

The first major rule I discovered many decades ago was to not get depressed about being depressed which I now understand only serves to create more stress which stimulates production of more "bad" neuro-ts which further suppresses production and effectiveness of "good" neuro-ts. No matter the med, dosage, combination of meds, etc., they cannot enhance what isn't there. This means that we must be proactive in both stimulating production of the "good" neurotransmitters so that the meds will have something to enhance, and suppressing the production of the "bad" neurotransmitters, as well. Physical activity at just about any level, doing things you enjoy, visiting/talking with others, listening to/playing music - do whatever it takes to help your body produce the "good" neuro-ts. Of course, this can be a monumental task since motivation has flown the coop and you don't feel like doing anything at all. This is why it is important to do such things on a daily basis (whether you feel like it or not, come hell or high water, and even if it kills me) to stimulate consistent production of the "good" neuro-ts so that the "bad"neuro-ts can't get the upper hand in the first place. Consistent rest, diet, physical exercise, social contact, engaging in hobbies, avoiding unnecessary stress, etc., all contribute to creating and maintaining higher levels of "good" neuro-ts, suppressing production of "bad" neuro-ts, and enhancing the effectiveness of your meds.

The second major rule is to avoid trying to analyze and understand the negative emotions. Raw emotions are flighty, unreliable things, and do not present a realistic perspective. Although trying to figure out the whys and wherefores might make for an interesting mental exercise, more often than not it is a fruitless and counterproductive venture because reason and logic (and, therefore, objectivity) cannot be accessed and utilized which causes more frustration, confusion, and stress - and down we go, our EF1 spiral turns into an EF5 and slams us face-first into the floor of the abyss. I have found that it is better to look at and treat my depressive episodes the same way I would a virus or infection or injury; in other words, do not play the guilt/self-punishment game. Depression has nothing whatsoever to do with your identity - with who you are - and makes you no less a worthwhile individual than if you caught a cold or broke a bone - and the negative thoughts about yourself, others, and life in general that depression whispers in your ear are no more valid or worth listening to than what a virus or bacteria might have to say.

There is SO much information available and readily-accessible to us now online - Mayo Clinic, WebMD, Merck, etc. - even PC (take a look at the resources information). Learn as much as you can about depression and the various conditions that can produce it - as the saying goes, "Know thine enemy." Although you may continue to cycle in and out of depression/anxiety depending on your particular condition, you are powerless - you are neither doomed nor enslaved. Knowledge IS power - your sword and shield - and the knowledge you obtain can be used to write your own set of rules for dealing with your depression. Remember, most "mental illnesses" are, in fact, physiological conditions that manifest psychological symptoms because if they were not physiological conditions then medications would have no effect at all and would not be used to treat them.

Hope you are feeling better soon. lynn09