Is depression a natural reaction to an insane world?

[Unbeliever]

This is a thought I have been pondering for a while.

The default to view depression as "something wrong", or a "brain chemical imbalance" or as "a disease" or something that "needs to be fixed" or requires "medication" or "therapy" appears to be the most common response of practically everyone. 

From doctors, to psychiatrists, to therapists, to the general population, to the depressed individuals themselves... the universal belief appears to be that "the person needs to get help".

But what if... the living in depressed state is correct? What if it isn't an "imbalance" or isn't something "wrong"? What if being depressed is the only natural state to be in for an intelligent, empathetic, compassionate, informed, thinking individual to exist in the current state of our world?

What if to NOT be depressed about is the true indication of mental sickness?

I'm not saying that being depressed is fun in any way... most people on this forum would be well aware that it sucks. But that is not what I'm saying. 

What I mean is... could existing in a state of depression be completely natural for someone living in a place where so many things are obviously terrible... both on a personal level and in the world as a whole?

My reasons for this perspective are numerous. Far too many to write in only 2500 words. But basically...

The real world is an extremely depressing place for any person that cares at all about anything outside of themselves.

Eg. If you care about animals... the reality is many beautiful species are already lost forever, many others are so close to the verge of extinction that even if everyone worldwide decided to do everything they could to save them... they would still be lost. At home there are people that still buy people animals as christmas gifts, refuse to desex their pets, the massive amount of pets put down in pounds annually. There is backyard animal cruelty, the dog racing industry using live bait, shooting race horses with legs, women's hormonal treatments for menapause, the meat industry, birds choking on our plastic half a world away, overfishing. The list goes on and on.

It is reality and it is depressing. Care about animals and feeling "depressed" about it IS correct. And that is one tiny subject in a plethora of subjects.

3 billion people in starving poverty, the water wars, religious fanatics, corrupt governments, womens rights violations, slavery, wars, child rape, etc etc

It's the people that are not depressed that worry me.

[Birdy77]

Hi UB and everyone,

Since it seems we're answering your question, my answer is:

I think it's a perfectly reasonable reaction for some of us.

🌻 birdy

[Peppermintbach]

Hi UB (waves to all),

Thank you. Interesting theory, I enjoyed reading it 🙂

I feel you have a point about how “stopping and thinking” can be scary at times. Although, in practice, I feel the reasons behind why this might be the case can be complex and multifaceted...but yes, I suppose there can be a degree of comfort in not pausing and not reflecting...

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts. It’s always a pleasure 🙂

Pepper

[RJM123]

Thank you Unbeliever. You have communicated my thoughts and feelings so accurately.

I don't have any people around me that are awake to the sorrows of the world and I therefore suffer alone.
This thread has really helped me and I would say many others who have read it.
So really, thank you.

[Unbeliever]

RJM123,

You are most welcome.

... and as you can see, you are not alone.

[BeKindRewind4Life]

Well, for me, from my experience, there are different views, and different, many different types of depression. Depression can be confused with feeling down/sad about a bad day, or a horrible news story, it's natural to feel glum about the state of the world, but do you still get enough joy to balance it out? Depression can also be something that is innate, people who are genetically prone to it, who experience very early trauma in their childhoods, perhaps even beyond what they can clearly remember. Things we can't change really do change who we are both in how we think, and physically as well.

Studies have been done that show evidence depression can change the structure, the very workings of the brain it is thought to shrink the hippocampus, and change the matter that makes up the brain.

I often wonder why people who have the world are depressed, and people who seemingly have nothing compared to westerners can wake up smiling. I wonder what that feeling is that makes people smile. Sure I can laugh at a joke, or have a momentary smirk, but it passes, I smile at people passing in the street, but I physically feel my face mussels move as I do so, like sitting down too long hurts to get up, it's unnatural for me now.

So yes, it is natural to feel down about the state of the world/sad, but in my opinion, feeling depressed momentarily and still experiencing joy the majority of the time, is very different from having depression, because that takes hold once the damage has already been done, the physical and chemical changes, some reversible, others not, or just not yet. But that's just my opinion. In short it's natural to feel depressed about the state of the world, it's when it starts to eat you from the inside out that you need to worry 🙂 < smiley face.

[spacemountain]

Great post, Unbeliever. Very often people DO have reasons to be depressed. Loneliness, isolation, financial stress, work problems, relationship breakdowns, family conflict, trauma, the harms of capitalism, climate change, all the injustices and acts of violence that you mentioned. It's hard being a human. Especially in the modern world that brings so many pressures, complex tasks, artificial environments, isolation from nature, and stressors that we haven't evolved the capabilities to handle.

I think it's better to be angry about these things rather than defeated and depressed. Anger lends the energy to make changes. Easier said than done though. But too often I see people say things like "you can't control it so don't be depressed, just let it go and ignore it" which is even more defeatist. No positive change happens from people sticking their heads in the sand. Anger directed appropriately is empowering.

[blondguy]

Hi Unbeliever (and RJM123 and Rewind too!)

Always great to see you on the forums UB. You have written a really good thread topic and thankyou again 🙂

I could write pages on how the world is going yet after being diagnosed with clinical depression 22 years ago it would be destructive to my well being and thus would only make my illness exacerbate. This may sound selfish yet its only nurturing my own well being so I can reduce the stigma where mental health issues are concerned

Just an example....I would love to stop 'some countries' from having shark fin soup on their menu ( only for a profit)...The video feeds on this vile practice makes me feel useless (and sad) as I cant stop it

I am just doing the best I can to stop the stigma that people have to go through having a mental illness ....That is the best I can do at this time

Just a note....'Insane' is more a common legal term for a person that is unfit to be held responsible for their actions through being diagnosed/certified with a mental illness.

Thank you BeKindRewind4Life for gently mentioning "it's natural to feel depressed about the state of the world, it's when it starts to eat you from the inside out that you need to worry 🙂"

I hope your week is good to you UB 🙂

my kind thoughts

Paul

[Birdy77]

Hi Unbeliever and everyone,

Hello Spacemountain, I agree with you that anger can be a really useful and empowering emotion to instigate change.

I also think one can feel depressed about the state of the world at the same time as feeling angry and trying to promote positive change.

I don't believe the two are mutually exclusive.

Similarly, Paul, I agree with you that the practice you describe is absolutely abhorrent, but I believe it's possible to simultaneously take a stand against it and take care of one's mental wellbeing.

Watching the video feeds and feeling useless to stop it is a very real and devastating feeling, which I well understand from my own experiences.

But in my view, to do nothing about it would be further detrimental to my own mental health, would make me feels even worse about the world and about myself.

We can all do something to create positive change in the world, even if it's a tiny something, while still being gentle with ourselves and our weary spirits.

"Be kinder to yourself. And then let your kindness flood the world."

- Pema Chödron

🌻birdy

[Unbeliever]

BeKindRewind4Life,

As far back as I have been able to see none of my ancestors are recorded as suffering from any noticable depression in their lives.... certainly not in the last 2 previous generations. and I definitely did not suffer any significant trauma growing up.

I definitely don't experience sufficient "joy" to "balance it out" (not sure how that would be possible in all honesty... for "balance" it would require a ridiculously and supremely unrealistic amount of "joy" on a regular basis... which I'm confident would classify me as bipolar if this actually was possible anyway).

I'm pretty sure that the "people with nothing" simply do not have time to stop and think about much more than trying to maintain a roof over their families head, and where their next meal is coming from. There is simply no time to contemplate "the big picture" or to feel guilty about "not doing enough" or how they contribute "to making things worse for everyone in the long run". Desperation forces your focus only on the immediate and every day you get through becomes a "mini-celebration"... because tomorrow you have to do it all over again.
While "people with everything"... have all the time in the world to think about all these things and have the time and means to feel the responsibilty they have to a world beyond just their own small bubble.

I noticed this travelling through South America a lot. For example, their "environmental consciousness" has only just started in the last few years... at least 20 years behind us in Australia. Animal rights, waterway pollution, species extinction, vegetarian movements, recycling, coastal protection, etc etc are concepts that have only just started on the fringes of public consciousness recently. 5 years olds there now are the first generation to be raised with these ideas.

Why? Because only recently have they gone from being relatively impoverished countries to having sufficiently good economies to sustain a long term increasing "middle class". And suddenly a significant percentage of their population have decent time to invest into caring things outside of their immediate family circles that directly effect them.

However, this planet is "my home". The humans on it are "my people". The species on it our "my species". I am intrisically connected to all of it.

I cannot "escape" from it... and I have felt nothing but ashamed to be a member of the human race for over 30 years.

Unsurprisingly... this makes me feel "depressed".

[Unbeliever]

spacemountain,

I believe that ANY emotion is a million times better than apathy and indifference.

In fact, from what I have seen in my life so far... I'm pretty sure that human apathy and indifference (and intentional ignorance) are most probably the most destructive forces on the face of our planet.

I cannot think of any other ways that so many obviously terrible things have not only been allowed persist this long but to have gotten expanded to the ridiculous extremes as they currently exist now.

Quite literally... only by hundreds and hundreds of millions of people severing all emotional connections to so many things could any of this happened to this kind of degree.

In all seriousness... what other possible explanation is there? How else could it even be possible?

Even anger and any other negative emotion (including depression) is better than nothing at all.