Different theories & approaches to depression.
- jaanvi tourani
- Jan 5, 2020
- 5 min read
We are seeing & hearing many people suffering from depression, some battling with it silently, some dealing with it through medications, some take their lives, some hide it behind addictions, relationships, isolation & self-harming methods.
In this post I am sharing few different perspectives on depression. I am doing my best to explain them in simple terms & in few lines. You can always do a search & read more about them.
Cognitive behavioural theory:
CBT suggest that depression results from distorted thoughts and judgments. These are learnt at early stages of life especially by children who come from dysfunctional families. Lack of developments of coping skills.
People with depression think differently from the ones who don’t have depression. They view themselves, their environment, their future in a negative way, they also tend to misinterpret facts in a negative way & also blame themselves for everything negatives happenings in their lives.
According to Dr. Aron Beck, negative thoughts that are generated by dysfunctional beliefs (I am inadequate, hopeless, failure, unlovable & so on) are primary causes of depression.
Evolutionary perspective:
There are 2 aspects to it: It deals with most primitive part of the human mind as represented in Jung’s theory about archetypes. The centre of evolutionary perspective is that there are unconscious instincts in the human mind, which are archetypal, uncontrollable & not a learned behaviour.
For example death of a mother (any loved one) there would be an instinctive reaction to experience the loss, if the reaction is not accepted by the conscious mind it becomes a part of unconscious mind creating patterns of reaction in future. When it creates it future, the reason/origin of it is unknown, as these reaction don’t disappear they are invisible & gets triggered sometime in future.
Attachment & Rank Theory:
From an evolutionary approach, Stevens & Price (2000) describe 2 kinds of depression.
Loss of effective bond: Depression is an adaptive response to loss of an attachment figure & conceiving oneself as unlovable.
Loss of social rank or status: Depression is an adaptive response to losing a rank/status & conceiving one as loser/failure.
Biopsychological Needs: According to Dissanyake (2000) humans have 4 needs no matter which culture is investigated.
When these basic needs are not me or met in a non-caring way, the individual will respond in same way as baby cries when hungry.
As per this, depression can be viewed as reaction to unsatisfied basic needs.
Choas Theory (Masculine & Feminine approach):
Shepherd a researcher in biochemistry & a student of Jungian psychology, described scientific world in relation to the principle of masculine & feminine values. The world is based on masculine hierarchical values & feminine principles of relatedness is still not accepted within science. The masculine emphasises in linear & hierarchical structure, while feminine principle works on connectedness & wholeness.
The butterfly effect of chaos theory, has shown that a small change in one detail changes a whole system.
According to Shepherd (1993) science is based on thinking with support from sensation, leaving intuition & feeling in the unconscious.
The imbalance of the masculine & feminine principles & lack of feminine values in a social system like belonging to a community, connectedness to self could lead to depression.
Meaning & Spirituality:
The process of finding the inner resonance or meaning in life is an imaginative act & not logical ( Alister & Hauke 1998)
According to Stein (1993), meaning is the result of combination between instinct & symbol & he suggests that longing for meaning in life is one of main reason for people seeking therapy.
As per Peteet (2010), a psychiatrist, in his book “depression & the soul”. He found that people with depression could improve their quality of life by improving their belief in God.
When compared to Neumann’s (1973) developmental theory, primary relationship with mother, where the child is completely dependent on mother, will project inner self to the mother, who then becomes the God for the child. This again could take us to attachment based theory, evolutionary, Cognitive behaviour, chaos, Jung’s archetypes, biopsychological theory.
Evolutionary Theory of Depression by Piotr Galick & Monika Talarowska
A negative emotional attitude typical symptom of depression, is a result of the lack of balance between the “emotional” (limbic/ventral) and the “motivational/regulatory” (frontal/dorsal) regions of the brain. The emotional “brain” of the people affected by depression is overactive in response to negative stimuli, whereas it reacts poorly to the information characterized by a positive emotional charge. The motivational/regulatory brain does not cope with the blocking of unwanted contents.
The impact of BRAIN in depression
It’s often said that depression results from a chemical imbalance, there are many other causes – faulty mood regulation by the brain, genetic vulnerability, stressful life events, medications, and medical problems.
More important than brain chemical – nerve cell connections, nerve cell growth, and the functioning of nerve circuits have a major impact on depression.
Areas that play a significant role in depression are the amygdala, the thalamus, and the hippocampus.
Research shows that the hippocampus is smaller in some depressed people. On average, the hippocampus was 9% to 13% smaller in depressed women compared with those who were not depressed.
Food & depression
The kind of food we eat effects our body & brain. Lack of minerals, vitamins in our body can also be causing symptoms of depression. We tend to ignore dietary aspect & lack of essential nutrients for causing depression.
My perspective
If we look closely almost every theory is interconnected to each other. We are multifaceted beings, many aspects could be interlinked to depression.
Western Psychology looks at each aspect individually, whereas in eastern psychology & philosophy it’s a holistic approach.
Our environment, our conscious, unconscious, collective consciousness, emotional suppression, childhood trauma, brain chemicals, diet, generational trauma & our desire to transform to something more than what we currently are, each of these plays a role in causing upset, sadness & depression.
PS: labelling an upset or sadness as depression isn’t correct, the moment it’s labelled as depression & more articles on it, one tends to associate & behave accordingly without questioning & assessing the situation.
There are varied levels to depression – mild, moderate & clinical. I address mild – moderate. If you are diagnosed as clinically depressed, I would work your therapist in tandem with your psychiatrist.
Sources
Integrative Art Therapy and Depression: A Transformative Approach: Vibeke Skov
Upcoming Events Story circle for kids – take a break from exam stress, 26th January 2020 Bi-monthly Artspression for adults starting from 16th February 2020 Mirror Mirror on 22nd – 23rd February, Mumbai
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