What medical professionals won’t tell you about depression

The truth…

Because they don’t know it…

Depression tends to occur after either a period of chronic stress or an instance of intolerable acute stress…

The stressor may not even have abated yet but the body’s stress response has given up…

The HPA axis, responsible for release of the stress hormone cortisol, becomes underactive.  It’s resources are taxed and it’s efforts don’t seem to be contributing to an adequate resolution to the problem.

This has many implications, one of which is that cortisol elicits our “get up and go” response…

So our “getting stuff done” mode becomes inhibited and more difficult to access…

Without the ability to engage in effortful focus of attention and energy on meaningful and challenging activities we miss out on what the Brits would call “feeling knackered,” or well spent.

Without the ability to feel passionately “well spent,” we suffer…

And this can lead to depression…

And what’s interesting here is that there seems to be some evidence to suggest that people with an underactive HPA response tend to seek out high cortisol inducing activities…

Stimulants (including sugar)…
Scary movies…
Work-a-holism / hyper-fixation…
Worrying…
Risky behavior…

And more…

Anyway, I bring it up because depression can look like either laziness or productivity or both…

What matters is the internal experience and its long term effect on our health…

Everything can seem fine and yet be intolerable…

But not the other way around…

Things can’t be fine and seem intolerable…

One of the best ways I know to gain some insight on the matter is to give up entertainment for a week…

Starting now.

Until next time,
Kevin