Posted by loosmrbls on May 14, 2001, at 12:42:59
In reply to What do you think??? Is it chemical?, posted by Poppy on May 14, 2001, at 8:23:18
This is an extremely difficult question.
In my own experience, I would have told you earlier that there were no "predisposing factors" and I have no history of known abuse or neglect.
But now looking back I think I denied or minimized stressors in my life -- especially trying to balance a busy stressful career and a wife and family not adapting well to it. We tend to just accept this as "the norm" and when people ask us how things are going we say "fine." I was leading one stressful life for several years. I think even minimal stressors such as poor interpersonal skills, social withdrawal, and poor self-esteem are damaging because they make our external environment stressful even if it appears quite mild from the outside.
That being said, some people lead lives twice as stressful as mine without developing depression, so what gives?
I have to agree that I think we all have a genetic presdisposition to how much stress (in any form) or what duration of stress we can take before there are detrimental neurochemical changes and we become depressed, or develop a mood disorder. There are many studies showing that physical changes take place in the brain in response to stress and the hormones released in stressful situations -- short term they are adaptive, long term they are toxic.
Therefore, I think lifestyle changes (sometimes quite radical) and medications are both important in healing. There is no magic pill out there that will make everything better. (I wish there was!!!!!!!)
OK, after that long speech, I hope no one fell asleep!!!!
poster:loosmrbls
thread:62869
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010507/msgs/62911.html