Is Depression Caused By a Malfunctioning Brain?
Right off the bat, I want to stress that I am not a doctor, so this post is in no way intended to provide medical advice. What I am hoping to achieve is to normalize the topic of depression and humanize it with lived experience.
Depression can make a person feel isolated, broken, or unacknowledged. And I hope to counter this, in my own small way.
In my latest post, I discussed Johann Hari’s book Lost Connections and my own experience with depression. Both Hari and I have struggled with depression for over a decade, and despite taking antidepressants, the issues never seemed to improve.
Looking back, I can see that much of my depression was influenced by factors unrelated to a “malfunctioning” brain. In fact, I now see my depression as an example of my brain functioning extremely well- it was signalling that something was deeply wrong.
But instead of addressing the issues, I numbed myself. And the problems only grew, along with my depression.
Now, with Hari’s new expanded lens, I want to take a look back at some of the likely contributors to my depression.
Likely Contributors to My Past Depression
- Being regularly touched sexually in an unwanted way and having no power to stop it
- Being expected to emotionally regulate others- or bear the consequences
- Being parentified from a young age
- Needing to make myself small for others
- Feeling like I didn’t matter as an individual- my goals, talents, preferences, opinions, etc.
- Feeling unheard
- Needing to constantly reinforce my physical, emotional, sexual, and spiritual boundaries
- Unsafe/ insecure housing
- with black mold and dangerous people
- Workplace bullying
- Chronic pain
- Loss of independence
This list demonstrates the deep dysfunction of my life at the time. No wonder I was depressed.
Although poor mental health can exacerbate problems in a person’s life, none of my issues seem to be specifically caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain.
Yet, at the time, the strategy to combat depression was to take antidepressants until you are well enough to get your life back on track, then get off of them.
But that didn’t work for either Hari or I.
Antidepressants are a blunt tool when the issues are systemic.
And sometimes the best antidepressants are safety, acknowledgement, care, community, and rest.
Medication is Still Important
Medication still has value, though.
And if you feel it helps you to deal with your depression, then please continue your treatment. But it should be one of several tools used for combating depression.
Our mental health does not exist in a vacuum.
Not Trauma-Dumping, Just Reflecting
I didn’t mean to trauma-dump in this post, but instead use myself as a case study to demonstrate what may contribute to depression. This list is unique to me and yours might be very different- and that’s okay, and totally valid.
In the past, I felt quite ashamed and isolated due to my depression. But now, looking at this list, my mental, emotional, and physical reactions to these occurrences seem completely rational. A lot of people probably would’ve felt the exact same way.
Is Long-Term Happiness Attainable?
Talking about depression should be normalized in society- it connects us more than we think. But we should also accept that depression itself does not have to be normal or common.
We can design society to create genuinely happier people- one focused on safety, care, stability, connection, and health.
Society itself should be a tool to help guide a person back to mental health, not act as a barrier to it.
Sure, depression likely won’t be eliminated completely. People will still go through periods of depression for reasons like grief or changes to their brain, for example- but I hope that depression will no longer be a long-term affliction for many.
Right now, it feels like you have to swim against the current to feel okay. So instead of telling people to swim harder, why don’t we change the current?
Messy Bun Book Lover
Lost Connections by Johann Hari is available here.
This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend books and tools that I truly love.