Depression - SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals

The Mechanism of Depression

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 20:45:15 +0000

What do things mean? What does an event mean? What does a situation mean? And what does a circumstance mean? What about what others say, what does it mean? What does it mean to have been demoted, fired, or not to have landed a job? What about to have a breakup, to have a divorce, to have a loss? And to have an illness? To receive a diagnosis? To have received 6 months to live? What does any of these mean? We hope you are taking some time and ponder upon each of these questions. They are intended as such. They require much thought, and they concern us, they concern each aspect of our life, and they deserve at least a few minutes of pondering. Now, what has been your response to each of the questions? Did you find that any of them have more meaning than others? If so, which ones, and why?[1] For example, which has more meaning, the death of a loved one or the loss of a house? Is it a divorce or a breakup? Is it getting fired from a job or not having landed the job, to start with? Is it not having been accepted to the school of your choice, or having failed the entrance exam? Now, if you said divorce had more meaning, would you be surprised to hear that some individuals think that a breakup has more meaning to them? What about if you said, being fired, would you be surprised to hear that some people think that not having landed the job, to start with has more meaning to them than having been fired? What about the death of a loved one? Let us say, for example, that had more meaning[2]; would you be surprised to hear that some people find having their house being destroyed is more meaningful than the death of a loved one? Ok. You must have gotten the picture by now, and the question is what does all this mean? It means, meaning from the mindset in which we currently operate is nothing more than a variable. This means, it varies from one circumstance to the next, from one person to the next, and from one person at a given time to the same person at a different time. It also means what may have had meaning to us then, may have a totally different meaning to us now, and what may have had a lot of meaning to us at some point, may have little to no meaning at all to us at another point, and vice versa. In other words, we assign the meaning. We are assigning meaning all the time, automatically, and to the point where we cannot even help it, given the principle of familiarity that our brain goes by. So, we are assigning meaning. And, until we have assigned that meaning, things have no intrinsic meaning. Wait! What? Does that mean then that having been demoted, having been fired, or not having landed a job, has no intrinsic meaning? Well, yep. What about breaking up, divorcing, or having a loss? No intrinsic meaning? That’s correct. No intrinsic meaning. Ok, how about an illness? A diagnosis? having received 6 months to live? No meaning either? You got it right. No intrinsic meaning. None at all. None until you assign one to any one of these situations. Until then they are just there, with no intrinsic power, until you give life to them through your thinking process, your assigned, meaning, your attention and associated thoughts, forming an action potential, generating the brain image mechanism, interfering with the brain catecholamine pathway and with our serotonin receptor signaling, leading low energy and motiation, depressed mood and anhedonia, negativism, learned helplessness and suicidality. And this is the mechanism of depression [3]. In order words, depression does not take place because of anything that happened; rather, it happens because of our response to what happened. The question now is, “What is to be the response to these day-to-day things that happen in our life, to which most people’s response is likely to depression?” Are you a clinician who would like to help more your patients with depression or adjustment disorder, or those who have gone through loss? If so, click here and see more articles on depression. See you then,Karen and Mardoche [1] Part, C. & Al, A. (2006) Meaning Making and Growth: New Directions for Research on Survivors of Trauma, Journal of Loss and Trauma, 11:5, 389-407, DOI: 10.1080/15325020600685295 [2] Bliss, Sara. “When Getting Fired Is Actually The Best Thing For Your Career.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 13 June 2019, www.forbes.com/sites/sarabliss/2019/06/12/when-getting-fired-is-actually-the-best-thing-for-your-career/?sh=6e40fe005762. [3] Brigitta, Bondy. “Pathophysiology of depression and mechanisms of treatment.” Dialogues in clinical neuroscience vol. 4,1 (2002): 7-20. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2002.4.1/bbondy

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Why Do We Get Depressed?

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 19:06:14 +0000

We get depressed because we do not perceive our own best interests. We don’t really know what is in our own best interest, but what’s worse is that we think we do [1], and this is why we not only get depressed, or are more likely to get depressed; but this is also why it becomes harder and harder for us to get out of depression when it comes. While it may not be obvious, the fact remains that what we, all, ultimately, want is to be “happy.” It may then be less obvious to us to know what being “happy,” really means; what is it that will “make us happy,” and how we go about being “happy.”[2] As a result, we are left without a guide or direction, and it becomes harder for us to decide or take action. Added to this, several studies show that having more choices also does not make us happier [3], rather, it makes us more miserable. These studies show that while we think we want choices, we feel overwhelmed when presented with them and, as a result, we feel less happy. Furthermore, since we have no guide or direction, we have no reliable way of judging one thing from the other in terms of how happy this would make us or not [4]. Of course, we judge, but we judge based on our own perception which is colored by our past, and this is one of the least reliable ways for us to determine anything because it is just an illusion [5]. Since we have no way of reliably judging or assessing anything; since we have no way of determining what will make us happy and what will not. Not only do we not know what is in our own best interests, we will also be unlikely to serve our own best interests. Reading this may trigger our protective personality, “What do you mean I don’t know what’s best for me? What do you mean I am unlikely to be able to serve my own best interests?” Well, if we really know what is in our own best interests, then there is no way we would ever end up getting depressed. For depression is mourning, mourning of a loss; it’s regrets; it’s guilt; it’s self-loathing; it’s desire to not willing to live anymore; and loss of optimism for ourselves loss of trust in others, for life and for others. Now, as stated earlier, it is not only that we do not perceive our own best interests, it is also that we do not even realize we do not perceive our own best interests. Even worse, we are convinced that we know what our own best interests are, making it even more difficult for us to be open and learn. And this is why we get depressed; this is why we will continue to get depressed; and this is why it will be harder for us to get out of depression. Until, of course, we reach the experiential understanding that we don’t perceive our own best interests until we agree to learn our own best interests. Are you a clinician who would like to help your patients put an end to suffering from depression? If so, please join us on May 7th, for our 6 CEU Full-Day Live Workshop on Depression. Click here to register, and Until soon,Karen and Mardoche [1] StanfordUniversity, director. We Don’t Know What Makes Us Happy (But We Think We Do). YouTube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXEwmR8MNas. [2] Ajayi-Obe, Samuel. “Happiness: Do We Really Know What Makes Us Happy?” Samuel Obe, Samuel Obe, 20 June 2020, www.samuelobe.com/happiness/. [3] Torgovnick, Kate. “Does Having Choice Make Us Happy? 6 Studies That Suggest It Doesn’t Always.” TED Blog, blog.ted.com/does-having-choice-make-us-happy-6-studies-that-suggest-it-doesnt-always/. [4] Dolan, Paul & Peasgood, T. & White, Mathew. (2008). Do We Really Know What Makes Us Happy? A Review of the Economic Literature on the Factors Associated With Subjective Well-Being. Journal of Economic Psychology. 29. 94-122. 10.1016/j.joep.2007.09.001. [5] Trafton, Anne. “How Expectation Influences Perception.” MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology, news.mit.edu/2019/how-expectation-influences-perception-0715#:~:text=For%20decades%2C%20research%20has%20shown,based%20on%20similar%20past%20experiences.

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Why do your patients and clients suffer?

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 15:00:00 +0000

We do not have a lack of information in the world but rather a lack of true understanding. In other words, knowledge is not power, rather, potential power, which can be harnessed only after a true understanding leading to full implementation.

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Depression: What to Know and More

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Wed, 11 Nov 2020 15:00:00 +0000

We will see why some of our best treatment modalities remain limited in their effectiveness, what is behind our psychology, and what is behind our Normal Blueprint.

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I Will Be Happy When…(The Unspoken Cause of Depression)

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Wed, 04 Nov 2020 15:00:00 +0000

We are born with no need to go to therapy because we are depressed. As we grow up, we are told to go to school, study hard, go to college, get a profession, get a job, get married, have children, raise them, work hard, have a lovely house, nice car, lavish vacations, prepare for retirement, retire, and die. It is as if this is all there is to life.

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The Missing Ingredient in Understanding Depression

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Wed, 28 Oct 2020 14:00:00 +0000

None of us were born “depressed,” It is not scientifically, biologically, or humanly possible. Instead, all of us were born happy, which means happiness is innate. The question then is, why do people get depressed? How do people become depressed? And can we prevent depression?

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Have We Been Correctly Dealing with Depression, Happiness, and Unhappiness?

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 14:00:00 +0000

No baby has ever been scientifically found to have been born depressed or unhappy. In fact, babies have been born with such a glow that we, adults, regardless of what mood we may be in, cannot help but smile when we see a baby. This baby, who has a blank slate in her unconscious mind, yet, who is completely loaded pre-consciously, triggers our pre-conscious mind, through which we can identify with her, and where some of the highest states become conscious to us. This happens to all of us. Have you ever wondered why?

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Do We Truly Understand Depression?

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Wed, 14 Oct 2020 14:00:00 +0000

What makes us happy? We may say, good health, smooth relationships, stable finances, or a good job. We may also say a high socio-economic status, a high salary, and a big title. We indeed may even add, the way the economy is going, the direction of the stock market, a promotion at our job, that our kids, partner, and family are happy, or the situation in the country. All of us can easily come up with hundreds or even thousands of reasons to be happy.

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