For many years I had no explanation for why I was constantly sad, why I was deeply affected by the smallest things, or why I couldn’t seem to shake the ever present thought that I was a failure. A stranger on the subway once berated me for standing by a certain pole while there were other available poles to stand by, and I was upset for days. When I went home I cried, I felt like a failure, and felt ashamed that I was somehow in this person’s way. Was I a waste of space?
My family noticed my consistently sad moods and were obviously worried, but they weren’t much help. I cannot tell you how many times I was told to, “think happy thoughts,” or that my feelings were, “all in my head.” I understand that I’ve been given a very fortunate and wealthy life. I have a family who loves me, supportive and caring friends, good grades, and enough resources to put food on the table and clothes on my back. Outwardly, there is no reason why I should feel depressed, but I do. It’s not something that I can control with “thinking happy thoughts.”
Trust me when I say that I would give anything to feel “normal” and not have a constant voice in my head telling me I’m a failure. I would give anything to not immediately shrink back into myself at the smallest incident that makes me feel like a waste of space. It wasn’t until I started noticing in me the (by then very noticeable) warning signs and symptoms of depression that I started to seek out more information. What I’ve discovered is that depression is not simple, and there are many biological and genetic implications which surround it.
In my immediate family, my brother has depression. And while not formally diagnosed, I am confident that several members of both my mom and dad’s families would be diagnosed with depression if properly assessed. However, my parents grew up in a very different and stressful time in comparison to mine. They had little resources and access to food, clothes, and money. I, on the other hand, grew up with clothes, plenty of food, and enough money to spend to keep up with an average North American child’s life. If one individual is raised in an environment with frequent exposure to stress, and another is raised in an environment with minimal exposure to stress, what are the chances of both of these family members developing depression?
I don’t claim to be an expert in research surrounding depression, but let me break down the science for you. In the past, depression was thought to be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Scientists believed that individuals who had depression suffered from a lower than average level of the neurotransmitter serotonin. However, this conclusion wasn’t perfect, and was primarily based on the fact that some depression patients felt better after being given medication to increase their serotonin levels.
Other causes of depression have been linked to smaller than average sizes of the hippocampus, the area of the brain responsible for controlling memory and emotion. The longer an individual has been depressed, the smaller the hippocampus becomes. As a result, new neuron development and activity decreases in this area of the brain. Studies have shown that medications which increase the activity of neurogenesis (cell growth) in the hippocampus have been successful in improving a person’s mood, and alleviating the symptoms of depression.
Recently, however, scientists have focused on the factor of genetics. One study has discovered that a variation in a serotonin transporter gene can leave certain people more susceptible to depression. According to the study, every individual receives two copies of this gene – one maternal and one paternal. Individuals with at least one short strand of this gene are more vulnerable to developing depression and individuals with two short strands the most vulnerable. Those with two long strands are the least likely to develop depression with prolonged exposure to stress.
You can check out this video for more information about the biological and genetic implications of depression:
A few months ago, when I was still deciding whether or not to seek help, I stumbled across a video from YouTube personality Anna Akana. In her video, she describes her experience with depression, the prevalence of depression in her family, and decision to finally go on antidepressants.
Akana has struggled with depression for many years and she’s been an open advocate about the illness since her sister committed suicide. She details how her and her family members’ statistical likelihood of committing suicide has increased by 50% after her sister’s suicide. However, what really interested me in her video was her description of her therapist’s analogy of allergy medication and antidepressants.
Several members of her therapist’s family have allergies, and to relieve their allergy symptoms (sneezing, hives, rashes, etc.), they need medication; you can’t “wish” these symptoms away by “thinking healthy thoughts.” Depression can be looked at the same way; if there is a biological and genetic component to depression, you can’t wish the depression away. In fact, the only thing that will likely alleviate your symptoms is taking medication.
Akana’s video really got me to think. If depression can be analogously linked with allergies, maybe it’s not all “in my head.” Allergies can be genetically passed on, and often will not get better unless medically treated; could depression be looked at the same way?
There is a lot of stigma surrounding depression. As I’ve mentioned, I’ve been told more than once to just, “stop being so depressed,” and to “think positive thoughts,” but depression is more than residing in a permanent state of unhappiness or thinking “negative” thoughts. Research has shown that depression can be a result of both biology and genetics, making it just as real and discernible as any other disease out there, from the common cold to cancer.
The findings of the study I’ve mentioned explain why despite having been raised in a different generation under different conditions and levels of stress, members of my family across generations display symptoms of depression. This means that not only can depression be biological, it can also be genetic. If you think about Anna Akana’s therapist’s analogy again, in a similar way to how you can’t fix the symptoms of allergies by yourself, you can’t fix your genes and serotonin levels by yourself. You can’t wish for different serotonin levels or different genes. To battle these anomalies, you might need some help from medication.
Anna Akana has made some very relatable videos surrounding her experience with depression, and I urge you to check them out. You can watch her video here:
If you think you’re suffering from depression, I want you to know that it is not a figment of your imagination, it is not “all in your head,” and you will not feel better by “thinking happy thoughts.” Get help, talk to somebody, and explore the possibility of depression running in your family. And the next time someone tells you to, “just get over it,” remember that depression is a very real illness, and that it is not your fault that you are affected by it. You are a victim of both biology and genetics.
References:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1391742/Depression-Scientists-say-genetic–family-proof.html