The question “How to stop depression” is not that easy to answer.
To stop a depression would mean to erase it somehow.0
I am considering asking another question.
What would be the effect if instead of “stop depression” you could allow the idea of “pause depression for hours”?
The problem with concepts like “get rid of”, “stop”, or “combat”: People are very likely to program their next defeat.
It is an unrealistic idea to turn off depression.
Pharmacologically, one could sedate a person to the point that he or she would not perceive any mental pain.
But: Is that a life?
Let us first turn to the general recommendations that psychologists and pharmacologists make:
The usual recommendations on how to end depression
Depression can be a serious problem for many people. It’s not something that just goes away, and it can take over your life if you let it. It’s important to find ways to feel better and stop the cycle of depression before it takes its toll on your mental health. In this text, we discuss some different alternatives to stopping a depression.
Key Points:
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- Usual Recommendation: If you’re feeling depressed, talk to your doctor about getting evaluated for depression. Depression is a real medical condition and should not be dismissed as just being “in the mind.”
- Usual Recommendation: There are many types of medication that can help with symptoms of depression, such as SSRIs or SNRIs. They work by changing how your brain sends and receives messages.
Please check out this research results in “Serotonin and Depression: A Disconnect between the Advertisements and the Scientific Literature”
The whole article by Jeffrey R Lacasse and Jonathan Leo is available here
“Contemporary neuroscience research has failed to confirm any serotonergic lesion in any mental disorder, and has in fact provided significant counterevidence to the explanation of a simple neurotransmitter deficiency. Modern neuroscience has instead shown that the brain is vastly complex and poorly understood [11]. While neuroscience is a rapidly advancing field, to propose that researchers can objectively identify a “chemical imbalance” at the molecular level is not compatible with the extant science. In fact, there is no scientifically established ideal “chemical balance” of serotonin, let alone an identifiable pathological imbalance. To equate the impressive recent achievements of neuroscience with support for the serotonin hypothesis is a mistake.”
- Usual Recommendation: Behavioral therapy can be a great way to address the root of any problems that may have caused depression in the first place, such as grief or low self-esteem.
- Usual Recommendation: Mindfulness is also an excellent form of behavioral therapy which teaches you ways to become more aware of what’s happening in the present moment, rather than what’s happening by comparing things to experiences or worrying about what might happen.
- Usual Recommendation: Talking therapy can be a great option for those who want something less intensive with fewer side effects and still have an impact on your depression symptoms.
Conclusion to all these recommendations on how to stop depression:
The assumption that prolonged depression is always depression – and that every depression can only be “conquered” with the classic therapies – leads to a dilemma:
Many people feel ill – even terminally ill or out of treatment – because they follow a popular opinion.
Allen Frances, MD, in his book “Saving Normal: An Insider’s Revolt against Out-of-Control Psychiatric Diagnosis, DSM-5, Big Pharma, and the Medicalization of Ordinary Life,” has pointed out that not all sadness and all forms of prolonged withdrawal need be the sign of depression
It is especially important to be creative when dealing with a symptom as individual as depressive symptoms.
When overcoming depression, many think of long psychotherapy, often combined with intensive drug therapy.
© Johannes Faupel