Does sound interesting. Maybe that is why they say depression is anger stored inward. I didn't read the article but I will later.

Hmmm. Interesting study. I don't know that I agree about the part that people chose to be depressed and therefore changed the brain circuitry. How does one choose depression? Especially as a child?? Who knows. The brain is so complex. Thanks for the info.

I have to wonder how this latest study will dovetail with preexisting studies showing that depression is linked with biochemical changes in the brain. This one sounds an awful lot like a "blame the victim" study to me. I'll just hold off on believing it until more studies are done. I have to wonder if depression is even more stigmatized in China than it is in the western world.

Annie

?.. very odd

huh well I feel like it is a bit of a blame the victim. Depression as a coping mechanism doesn't make sense for anyone to turn to. I would say that it is more of a genetic issue in this, that something in the genes triggers the negative thinking in depressed patients. I just hope that this study doesn't lead to an oversimplified thought that those who have depression chose to become like this.

agree, it is a little weird that that the first conclusion they reach is that people choose depression as a coping mechanism which changes the brain chemistry. Of course this was just done last year so as they do more study they will probably find out more often than not the depression preceded the anomaly. I find the interesting part to be the fact that there is actually a reason besides brain chemistry that depressives hate everything which could be why we find less enjoyment in even recreational activities and the self hatred thing too.

Plus I was hoping it might lead to new ways to fix some of the problems associated with depression, I'm old enough it won't do much for me but younger people maybe.

makes sense 2 me....

x-plains the riding the wave feeling.... shit miss fires and one has 2 cope with it.... I just got so plastered I could not hurt myself... am dealing with the fall out over that...

BUT, now I see life in a whole different way... kind of like re-born, BUT, with knowledge.....

lol

Ahh, who knows! I suppose a lot of the feelings I have with depression could be termed hateful towards myself or my world and maybe at some point I internally changed my brain to cope with something that meant I would keep being depressed.... But, I'm not sure it is helpful unless there is a suggested treatment arising from it.

For me, I am sure depression is biological and societal - that medication works, for me, proves depression is biological, that therapy and lifestyle changes works, proves to me that it is social and personal.

I do like science and hope one day for a magic cure for these feelings, but until then... will just keep trying!

I think the article - more of a summary actually - uses some poor choices of words. And an elaboration of the concept of "choosing" depression as a coping mechanism would have gone very far in providing a better understanding of the point they (might have) made.

For example: In my family there were very serious consequences for expressing justified anger or hatred as a child, starting very early in life. The consequences were worse than expressing the emotion itself. The learned coping behavior then becomes repressing (depressing, if you will) emotions such as hatred and anger. You had to internalize these types of emotions in order to survive something that could be worse than letting them out.

In that light the article makes sense to me. You cannot apply adult logic to a child's decision making process. But would a child "choose" a depressed like state over a non depressed state if it meant receiving the lesser of two evils? I believe they do that all the time in bad or abusive situations. It isn't blaming the victim. It's a matter of survival. As a child, if you can become emotionally "flat" you minimize the risk of terrible punishment in some abusive households.