Your depression and my depression may have very different core causes. There is no right or wrong answer.

I base my opinion on MY depression based on 37 years of suffering from it and 20 years of very hard work treating it with means other than medication. Also a big part of it is based on knowledge of my family history. Mental Illness and alcoholism runs rampant of both sides of my family. It is not that I feel I am doomed to a life of suffering or that nothing can be done but I am forced to look at my situation realistically based on a life time of experience with it. They cannot pin point one gene or a collection of genes that may be involved for some people but the studies on heredity, twins and adoption back it up.

I am not passing judgment on what your core causes may be or how you choose to approach solutions. I am only sharing my experience with it.

I look to studies and current research in the hopes that better understanding will offer better solutions. It is not just studies on possible causes but studies on possible solutions that I pay attention to. I have read books on neuroplasticity by Jeffery Schwarz and paid attention to UCLA's center on mindfulness. Many books on Buddhism and many things that I have put into practice. I am a big fan of CBT and it has proven results. I took St Johns Wart for a long time and did not find it helpful. I take fish oil, vitamin D, and Melotonin. I have listed many times in these forums all the things medical and non medical that I have thrown at it over the last twenty years. Maybe I am doing something terribly wrong but the results are what they are.

Dr. Jeffrey M. Schwartz, M.D. - Books

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