Depression is Now "Mental Adaptation"

In an article recently published in Psychological Review, we argue that depression is in fact an adaptation, a state of mind which brings real costs, but also brings real benefits.

The research was done on rat brains (of course, isn't it always?) and it has to do with a molecule called the 5HT1A receptor which binds to serotonin. We humans have so many of these receptors in our poor, over-worked little brains that we become depressed. The fact that we still have so many of them (evolutionarily speaking - is 'evolutionarily' a word?) "suggests that it is so important that natural selection has preserved it."

Okay, so they're saying it's a good thing to become depressed? What are the advantages? Are there advantages?

Apparently so...

Depressed people often think intensely about their problems. These thoughts are called ruminations; they are persistent and depressed people have difficulty thinking about anything else. Numerous studies have also shown that this thinking style is often highly analytical. They dwell on a complex problem, breaking it down into smaller components, which are considered one at a time.

Makes sense, break the problem down into smaller bits. Everyone knows that!

But what about the rest of it? What about when you stop hanging out with your friends and family, what about losing interest in everything around you, even sex?

And just what the heck are they talking about when they say you lose interest in food when you're depressed? That never happens to me!

Many other symptoms of depression make sense in light of the idea that analysis must be uninterrupted. The desire for social isolation, for instance, helps the depressed person avoid situations that would require thinking about other things. Similarly, the inability to derive pleasure from sex or other activities prevents the depressed person from engaging in activities that could distract him or her from the problem. Even the loss of appetite often seen in depression could be viewed as promoting analysis because chewing and other oral activity interferes with the brain’s ability to process information.

So you're busy concentrating really hard on whatever is depressing you and you don't want any distractions. I get it.

Now, how do you get out of that deep, dark pit?

Therapies should try to encourage depressive rumination rather than try to stop it, and they should focus on trying to help people solve the problems that trigger their bouts of depression.

Links:
www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=depressions-evolutionary

Original article: psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=search.displayRecord&uid=2009-10379-009