What do zombies movies have to do with depression? Brains, of course! For many depressives, biology plays a significant role in dealing with this disorder. I have found that it is essential that I take my meds everyday, or I am in big trouble. The issue of taking medication for depression or other mental illnesses is very complex, and I plan on tackling that later. But I think it is important that we (patients) have a better understanding of how our brains work (or don't) when we are depressed. The question for today's post is: Who will help us figure this out?
With the advances in research on the human brain, scientists have discovered a lot about how neurotransmitter imbalances can affect how we think and feel. The pharmaceutical companies use this information to create new and improved drugs to help correct these imbalances. Psychopharmacologists work with meds to try to provide relief to the depressive. And therapists work with clients to help in resolving issues that lead to the on-set of the depression. However, I don't see a lot of interdisciplinary cooperation happening to assist patients in dealing with depression management. For some people, depression is a one time event, and after some therapy and meds, life resumes as normal. For others, such as myself, recurring depression is a reality, and constant vigilance is necessary to figure if another major depressive episode is on the horizon.
I am fascinated by how the brain changes and adapts to emotional disorders, and I like to know how depression has changed my brain. By that I mean structural changes, not just how chemical imbalances affect my thought patterns. As I progress through my studies to become a therapist, my interest in neurobiological research is growing. On the other hand, most of what I have been studying in class deals with psychosocial issues when working with clients. These are issues such as how you interact with your family or environment. Other schools of thought focus on your internal unconscious conflicts (psychoanalytic), how your thoughts impact your feelings (cognitive behavioral), as well as a combination of many other theories. These theoretical frameworks focus on depression as a symptom of another problem. For example, you're depressed because you are stuck in a pattern of negative thinking (cognitive behavioral). Or your family is screwed up, so you learned how to interact with people in a dysfunctional way (systemic).
But I digress. What I am not hearing much about is working with clients by addressing what it means to be depressed. This is an element that I found missing not only from my treatment, but also in my education. Many therapists take the stand that depression is the symptom of another issue. And I believe that is the case. But for a number of people, myself included, our genetic make-up endow us with a predisposition for depression. This aspect of our mental health has often been left to psychiatrists to discuss. Unfortunately, changes in the health care industry shifted how these doctors work with their patients. Now psychiatrists dole out pills, and check to make sure that your liver isn't overloaded with the junk you are forcing it to metabolize (the last time I saw mine the appointment lasted all of 5 minutes). But no one is talking about how to discuss depression as a combination of biology and psychology. I want to talk to someone about my brain! More precisely, how my neurotransmitter imbalances impact how I think with meds and without. How the meds make me feel. How I am scared that my poor liver will get tired of working so hard and conk out. How I want to have a baby, but I can't go off my meds to get pregnant. How I wonder if I should even consider having a child knowing that my family has this predisposition. And just HOW do I cope with depression as management of an ongoing condition?
I see a real disconnect between the "harder" science of neurobiology and the "softer" science of therapy. I think this combination is an essential part of treatment for depression, particularly recurring depressive episodes. After all, this is a condition that I have to deal with everyday. And parts of it stress me out. Now don't get me wrong - I feel incredibly fortunate that I found meds that work, and that my therapy helped me resolve many of my issues. But who, as a trained professional, understands how to talk about these long-term mental health issues? And that says it in a nutshell. That's why I decided to go to graduate school to become a therapist. I want to be the one who can have that discussion with other people struggling with similar issues.
I am curious to know if your experience reflects or contradicts my own. Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know. I am drawing on my own experiences, and I would love to add other perspectives to my knowledge base. And zombie movie recommendations are always welcome.
