A cursory search of the web and a two-minute consultation with “Doctor Google” will produce lots of answers to the question, “What causes depression?” Before that question can be answered it would seem reasonable to try to define the main topic. That is, what is depression?
Unfortunately, the answer will depend on who you ask. If you ask 10 patients what they feel or where do they feel the depression or how do they know they are depressed, you are likely to experience firsthand the parable of three blind men trying to describe an elephant.
Imagine that three blind men are each touching an elephant in different places. The first blind man touches the elephant’s trunk and says, “An elephant is like a snake.” The second blind man, while touching the elephant’s leg, says, “You’re wrong. An elephant is like a great trunk of a tree.” The third blind man, touching the side of the massive animal, says, “You both are wrong. An elephant is like a brick wall.” Each of the men thinks he is right, and the others are wrong. But, in fact, they are all describing different parts of the same elephant. So, it is with depression. Every patient is describing different truths about the same label, but each patient is only able to grasp a part of the total picture.
The classification system in use since 1958 is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). In that first version of the manual what is commonly referred to today as “depression” was called “Involutional Psychotic Reaction”. Ten years later in the DSM-II depression was referred to as “Involutional Melancholia” and characterized by worry, anxiety, agitation and severe insomnia. Feelings of guilt and somatic preoccupations were also included in the description.
Today we have the DSM-V which lists nine diagnostic criteria with the possibility of wide-ranging individual experiences. For example, weight loss or weight gain are both listed as symptoms as are psychomotor retardation or psychomotor agitation. Some critics of the DSM system argue “pick a continuum and either anchor point” is a symptom.
For anyone suffering with “depression” the argument over the symptoms is purely academic. They feel crappy and they want to feel “normal” again. In severe cases, some people report feeling hopeless and suicidal.
Make no mistake about it, depression is a serious medical condition that requires competent intervention.
Back to the original question, what causes depression? As with the diagnostic criteria, the debate goes on. Is depression caused by an external, catastrophic event like the death of a loved one with a subsequent change in brain chemistry? Or is it a change in brain chemistry that precedes the experiential symptoms like worry, sadness, or loss of interest in otherwise enjoyable activities?
The answer doesn’t matter for the purpose of this article. This is about self-help and what YOU can do to improve your resilience.
There are two fundamental aspects to the human condition that oftentimes get overlooked. THINKing and FEELing. They are two very different characteristics of humans. They are not even remotely the same, yet they are tied together, and people often confuse the two. A feeling as an emotion like anger or joy. For example, you just purchased a brand new tricked-out pick-up truck. Your very first new vehicle. How do you FEEL? Joyful, excited, and happy.
Someone just stole your new truck. How do you FEEL about the fact some creatin has deprived you of your brand-new ride? Angry, irritated and frustrated!
THINKing is very different than FEELing. In the scenario just described, as you are driving your brand-new truck off the lot, and you THINK about how special the truck is and how it represents your success in life. Those thoughts, the intellectual experience, drives your FEELings of joy, excitement, and pleasure. Likewise, THINKing about how someone has deprived you of your new ride fuels your FEELings of frustration, irritability, and anger.
Building on your resilience requires you to always be mindful of three things. As a LEO you are accustomed to interrogating suspects. Use those skills to question yourself.
BEING MINDFUL
There are three questions you want running through your head all day every day.
- What am I thinking?
- What am I feeling?
- How am I breathing?
What you THINK will influence your mood. That is, the monologue, that little voice in your head, will drive how you FEEL.
Sometimes it is difficult to “hear” the internal voice and it will be easier to identify your FEELings. Being able to identify what you FEEL can then help you hear the internal voice that is influencing your mood.
Your breathing can also be a good clue to your THOUGHTS and FEELings. Are you taking long slow deep breaths or are they short, shallow, and marked by periods of holding your breath? Short, shallow with periods of breath holding are telltale signs of anxiety, worry, anger and a number of other negative mood states.
Practice being mindful. Practice monitoring those three very important questions:
- What am I thinking?
- What am I feeling?
- How am I breathing?
That’s the first step in the process of improving your mood. A follow-up article will describe what to do with the information you obtain from your ongoing interrogation.