 
Support Wrong Planet!
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
NauticalCa
Tufted Titmouse
![]()
Joined: Mar 20, 2009
Posts: 39
|
 Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2009 11:46 pm Post subject: Rising Rates of Depression: What To Do About It? |
 |
|
It's a pretty well-known circumstance on here that depression is a significant problem for people with Asperger's and autism. We feel depression not just for biochemical reasons, but because we feel a sense of personal rejection from the rest of the social world or NT society.
But depression is growing at an alarming rate throughout the world as a medical condition. In fact, it's believed that it will be one of this century's most dominant and potentially dangerous illnesses. It's not just because depression is being recognized more now as opposed to previous generations; entire populations and countries are seeing large numbers of people being diagnosed with depression.
We have a unique perspective on this issue, mostly because we know how potent and sad the feeling of being an outsider feels like. Depression is fueled in part by biological factors -- poor sleeping patterns, a sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise -- and socially prescribed ones, such as lacking social circles, a rooted existence (i.e. stable employment and not having to move around for work) and many others.
The question becomes: what to do about this? Is the solution just in Big Pharma? Or do we need a radical rethink about we do things as a society? |
|
| Back to top |
|
ouinon
chemical reaction
Joined: Jul 11, 2007
Posts: 5630
|
| Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 3:28 am Post subject: |
|
|
There is increasing scientific evidence that many, even most cases of depression may be a kind of auto-immune disorder. Most anti-depressants are anti-inflammatories, ie. the way they work is by calming immune-system activity. The "Depression as Sickness Behaviour" hypothesis is gaining ground. There's a great article about this called "Mind under Seige", at: http://www.biopsychiatry.com/immunesystem/index.html Lots of great links to scientific abstracts at the bottom of the page.
eg. Gluten often causes depression in people with gluten-intolerance/sensitivity.
Not only do 1% of the population ( the tip of the iceberg ) have celiac disease, but 10% of the population have elevated levels of gliadin-antibodies ( gliadin is the bit of gluten which causes the most problems ), and it is possible that up to 30% of the population may have some form of reaction to it. Gluten can cause neurological damage in people who are intolerant to it, very often the ones who have little or no gastrointestinal symptoms too. See "The Gluten File" for more info, at: http://www.theglutenfile.com
. |
|
| Back to top |
|
Lepus
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Joined: Nov 05, 2009
Posts: 62
Location: England
|
| Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 6:09 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Thanks for the information Ouinon. I have taken antidepressants for the last 11 years to help deal with my depression and I have an intolerance to lactose but have never had the possibility of gluten intolerance investigated. I think I may investigate this. |
|
| Back to top |
|
robinhood
Toucan
Joined: May 28, 2008
Age: 34
Posts: 268
Location: UK
|
| Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 6:10 am Post subject: |
|
|
Maybe there are a lot of different initial causes for depression - environmental, circumstantial, chemical, dietary... I'm guess there's not just one answer over others, and all have to be explored to understand why someone is depressed. For sure I don't like it when people treat my own depression as an "attitude problem", I find it very frustrating. Sure, I may have developed a cynical view of life, but where someone tries to blame me for that, it's like invalidating my whole experience of life, and all the suffering I've had to go through.
But I also think it's true that a society that places so much emphasis on "happiness" and instant gratification can't be truly satisfied with itself. A permanent state of happiness is simply not possible.... the best we can really strive toward is contentment, and that's very much an inner process that includes tolerance of the crappiness that unfortunately does exist in the world.
To me depression is like the long-term exhaustion that comes after trying to fight against the world - fighting against others, against myself, against fate (which doesn't allow me to always get my own way)... whatever it might be. My depression is kind of a state of giving up the fight, of being too tired to continue. But maybe there's an art in learning a different way of fighting, of not becoming distraught at the failures, of not being affected by the past.
To use a metaphor, there are two elements of fighting - attack and defense. I've felt like I'm "on the attack" my whole life, not in a physical way, and not that I get angry at people, but in the sense that I'm always battling against something. But for all this "attacking" strength, as an aspie, I have very weak "defense". I find it hard to "block the moves" the outside world tries to pull on me. And when life lands a blow on me, I find it hard to recover. So for me, overcoming depression is about working on my "defense" strategy, and finding ways to become less affected by the crappiness.
Sorry if I waffled a bit, but hope that kind of makes sense to someone!!! |
|
| Back to top |
|
Wedge
Velociraptor
Joined: Oct 16, 2008
Age: 27
Posts: 473
Location: Rendezvous Point
|
| Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 6:55 am Post subject: |
|
|
| This is a serious problem I support the use of anti-depressives. Take a look at some statistics. Nearly two-thirds of depressed people do not get the proper treatment (a psychiatrist). Social stigma causes people to avoid needed treatment. And the symptoms are so disabling that the people affected cannot reach out for help. Also people are unaware of of the underlying causes of depression. A survey (WHO) concluded that only 10% of the general population thought that depression was related to chemical balance in the brain. But I also think that therapy with a psychologist is also important. |
|
| Back to top |
|
robinhood
Toucan
Joined: May 28, 2008
Age: 34
Posts: 268
Location: UK
|
| Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 7:12 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Wedge wrote: | | A survey (WHO) concluded that only 10% of the general population thought that depression was related to chemical balance in the brain. But I also think that therapy with a psychologist is also important. |
I agree, neglecting the chemical element of depression can be very dangerous, especially in more severe conditions. But I think the initial origin of depression is not usually purely chemical in itself (although it can be). To me it's a response to life and to the environment that then leads on to a chemical imbalance. So therapy is kind of addressing the root of the problem, whereas medication is addressing the symptoms, and both are important. I do take medication myself at present (Prozac, which also helps with OCDs)
Control over my thoughts, rather than being the victim of them, is a really important element in my recovery. In the past I have been given medication and no other form of treatment, and I have always relapsed after some time, so it's good if the two approaches go hand in hand. In the UK, doctors used to just dish out tablets on the NHS, rather than refer people to therapy, as a kind of quick fix. But gradually the mood is starting to move away from that now, and CBT is being made available to more people with depression, alongside medication. |
|
| Back to top |
|
Aimless
O Fleshy And Ambitionless
Joined: Apr 02, 2009
Posts: 3448
|
| Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 7:41 am Post subject: |
|
|
I am going to recommend again the book The Noonday Demon-An Atlas of Depression by Andrew Solomon. He investigates depression from every angle and it is one fascinating book. He himself suffers from cyclical depressions so severe he has to have friends dress him and feed him by hand when he is in a depressive episode. He came to realize that intense physical pain would trigger an episode. He once dislocated his shoulder and was frantic to get quick relief in the emergency room because he knew from experience what would happen. The ER was packed and there were other cases considered more urgent so he was not treated soon enough and he fell into a deep depression after wards.
http://www.noondaydemon.com/ |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
|
