Posted by JahL on May 14, 2001, at 12:18:04
In reply to What do you think??? Is it chemical?, posted by Poppy on May 14, 2001, at 8:23:18
> > I was just wondering whether or not people thought that depression can be purely a chemical inbalance not brought on by any pre emotional upset ect.
I think current thinking is moving towards a more biological model of depression. It has been posited that everyone has a given level of predisposition to a given disorder, which may (or may not) be triggered by enviromental/psychosocial stimulus.
However the level of predisposition is so low in some people as to become irrelavent. Sneezing could set the ball rolling. This is so in my case; mental illness was inevitable in my case. If you like, I irrefutably have 'endogenous chemical imbalance'.
That said it is reasonable to suggest that some depressions are *almost* entirely entirely enviromental in nature. I know a couple of child-abuse victims & this would seem to be the case here.
> > My doc keeps trying to relate my depression to problems or problems in my past.
Sounds like my worst nightmare; I have had the same trouble (only I have no 'problems'!!). Maybe yr pdoc looks @ things only from a psychological perspective. Maybe a 2nd opinion would be in order (it took me 4 goes-I now see a specialist *psychopharmacologist*)? Maybe it comes down to how serious yr problems were.
> >I have been on effexor for 2 years now (but in process of changing med) and I would like to know what people think. Is it mostly emotions, trouble, ect driven, or chemical inbalance unassisted by these problems???
I guess it's a rehash of the old nature/nurture debate (& one of great interest to me). I fall pretty firmly on the nature side of things, based on the experiences of a no. of mentally ill people I know (some of whom are close family), & what I read on this board. That said there is definitely a 'nurture' side to things but I think the significance of this is often overplayed (IMHO). Endless reliving of a past event won't necessarily resolve any biological dysfunction possibly caused by this. I'm not talking about the sort of counselling say, abuse victims generally seem to require.
It's also a question of causality. Many wld have it that 'problems lead to all depression', whereas I would argue that by physically treating, & resolving yr deprssion in the first instance, most of yr 'problems' will soon resolve themselves.
Hope this gives you something to ponder,
Jah.
poster:JahL
thread:62869
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010507/msgs/62905.html