Depression is NOT Genetic

Depression? The Why and How??

We all know that?depression?and anxiety have increased rapidly over the past years. As per WHO, approximately 280 million people in the world have?depression.?Depression?is that feeling when one stops enjoying life, and feels disconnected and absolutely numb!??

How do we know someone is feeling Depressed? Well, the typical symptoms are feeling of emptiness, irritability, hopelessness, negative thinking, pessimistic attitude, loss of interest in hobbies, loneliness, lack of confidence in decision making, sleep issues, weight changes, suicidal thoughts, aches and pains, digestives issues.?

?Now you must be thinking what causes?Depression? No, it does NOT run in the family! No one carries depressed genes. There are no studies proving that?depression?is caused by genetic inheritance. Also, there is little evidence to prove that?depression?is caused by a chemical imbalance. Chemical imbalance is when there are too much or too few substances that are needed for the brain to function properly, meaning the receptors are either oversensitive or insensitive. And often to overcome chemical imbalances and depending on the symptoms, doctors prescribe SSRIs or SNRIs to balance what is ASSUMED to be not working properly. So next time ask your doctor if there is any100% reliable test to check neurotransmitter imbalance????

So again, what causes?Depression??

Remember this psychological rule of the mind “the mind responds to the pictures you make in your head and words you say to yourself”.?Depression?in typical terms is caused by 3 things. Firstly, the Disconnection you have with yourself or the outer world. This is when you don’t feel good about yourself or anything, for eg, my job is useless, my partner always is so demanding and gives me a hard time etc.??Secondly, it is caused by the harsh and critical words you say to yourself all the time and examples could be I am not good enough, money or love is not meant for me etc. Thirdly, when you have unmet needs.?

?The third one has real significance in our life. All humans have psychological needs and what are they? You need to have a sense of belongingness. You want your life to have a meaningful purpose. You need to believe that people see you and value you and lastly, you want to feel that you got a future that makes sense. Now, if any of these needs are being compromised, it literally shakes up your frontal lobe and the chemical reaction you would be producing in terms of worrying, overthinking, and stressing about it and that would perhaps lead to the first step of?depression.

How does someone go deeper into the Depressed state?

You have to understand the science of your brain and how it works, especially Homeostasis. I will explain this briefly. You first start feeling depressed when you fire your neurons with some thought (of course negative!). Your hypothalamus sends a message to your pituitary glands which then release peptides into your bloodstream and translate to the feelings in the body, and then the body sends this same signal back to the brain. You get into this loop and when the loop is repeated, you get into homeostasis - a state of being. The longer you continue this state of being, the more hardwired depression becomes.?This is because the body is used to that state of being and now this is your reality.

WHO once said something very interesting about?depression. It says based on the scientific evidence, if you are depressed, you are not weak, you are not crazy, you are a human with unmet needs.?

So, if that’s the case, what could be the best way to handle it or cure it??

The cure may vary depending on what people could effectively relate to, but some of the most effective treatments or potential cures for?depression?could be the following:?

1. CBT or Hypnotherapy – These could be helpful. CBT takes longer with quite a few sessions, while hypnotherapy is quite rapid in understanding the root cause (when, why, where and how it happened) and transforming the beliefs and behaviour.?
2. Physical Exercise – This is a must! While most people with?depression?hate it (so difficult to bring them out!), it is very important to balance chemical neurotransmitters in the brain.?
3. ?Pill and Lavender trick – Your brain is your slave! Studies have also proved that what you train your mind to believe, your mind works in that order. If you are on a mild sleeping pill for example, just smell lavender and pill together for 21 days. You are training your mind to believe that the pill and lavender are one and have the same effect. After 21 days, try to reduce the quantity of pill (to half, and then drop it) but continue smelling lavender. The mind is trained to feel the effect of the pill same as lavender. However, this should not be done for all medications.?
4. Mental Rehearsal (The Science) – Studies have proved that conscious thoughts often repeated become unconscious thinking. Repeating positive things to yourself like “I am enough”, and “I am significant” etc not just changes the way you presume yourself, but also becomes a belief, if often repeated. You can sit quietly for 5mins anywhere in your office, or home. Now focus on something that you would like to have in your life - patience, confidence etc. Continue focussing on that thought/word for 5mins. Repeat this every day. When we pay attention to any thought imagining it as reality, we unite our frontal lobe's primary function into force as powerful as anything in the universe.?
5. Ask yourself Questions – Maintain a journal, put your thoughts and ask yourself “what role is this?depression?playing in your life. Every issue in your life as a Role - is it protecting you from something, punishing you or getting attention? Ever seen a child who is having some sickness regularly? Perhaps they are asking for attention!?
6. Keep your mouth hydrated – Hydrated mouth sends a signal to the mind that you are calm. Always keep your mouth hydrated to avoid the deeper effects of?depression.

So today, we need to talk less about chemical imbalances and depressive genetic inheritance, and more about developing connections, bonding with friends and family, meeting people and expressing our feelings, which indeed is the main cure for?depression.?

Your?depression?is not a chemical imbalance. Your body is telling your something! Listen to these signs and focus on expressing yourself, get help, as that would make you feel better much faster, and if done regularly, you will not need to pop in those pills to find a cure.?

Pills? Scientifically, even before you take any pill, you have wired your mind to believe that you will be ok! So what's more powerful? It's your MIND! Think!

Gulneet Chadha, RT Therapist | Licensed Hypnotherapist

Coming Soon - "Silver Lining by PD". The story of my son's father who lost his life to Depression and my purpose to change the lives of others. ??