Is depression, as painful as is, is actually a defense mechanism and not a disease? Paul Keedwell, specialist of depression at the section of neuroscience and emotion, Institute of Psychiatry, London, and author of the book "how accumulated sadness" takes this interesting question.
In his book, Keedwell argues that depression leads to positive characteristics such as creativity, empathy, and the best resistance and it gives examples of very successful people - Winston Churchill and Michelangelo, to name a few - who suffered from depression. He also suggested that the reason why it has persisted and is so common is that it has served us well in our survival.
The idea that depression can be so widespread because it is an innate defense mechanism and is in fact 'normal' may seem like a shocking idea for many, but what happens if he is right? We are a medication error away our feelings of sadness?
I believe that depression, in many cases, serves a purpose. Think about it this way. What happens if you touch a hot stove? You feel pain and quickly discard your hand. I think that depression can serve the same purpose. For example, if you are in a bad relationship, you feel depressed. The pain of depression, like pain in your hand when you touched the stove, is a signal to your brain that you need to stop doing what you do. If someone tells you to take a painkiller instead of removing your hand from the stove, you would think they were crazy, right? So why do we accept the idea of taking an antidepressant to stop the emotional pain instead of fixing anything in our lives that will not?
What do you think? Is depression, a defense mechanism, or a defect? Share your thoughts below.
No comments:
Post a Comment