Treatment-resistant depression in Baby Boomers is caused by emotional repression

I couldn't convince myself to finish this article because I was too annoyed.  It's talking about Baby Boomers having high rates of treatment-resistant depression and why they think that is.  I believe that Baby Boomers have treatment-resistant depression because they believe that repressing their emotions while meeting responsibilities is a way of life. Virtually every Baby Boomer I've ever met does this.  They think expressing emotions is for people who don't meet their responsibilities, so they are constantly repressing.  That is what makes them treatment-resistant.  No matter how much good happens for them, no matter how effective the treatment, there is a constant source of repressed emotions waiting to make them/keep them depressed.

They don't need better medications.  They don't need more money.  They don't need more consistent medication management.  They need to understand the mechanics of emotions.  That would give them the tools they need to stop being depressed.  They would still need to figure out how to stop believing that repressing is good, but at least they'd have the tools.

This is so wrong

I came across this article, written by a woman who's spent her life dealing with depression.  As a mental health clinician, I've heard these kind of stories many times.  And I've also heard psychiatrists tell people this kind of stuff:  

"I'm not going to "get better." As my psychiatrist has explained, I've had so many major depressive episodes that my brain, without medication, triggers those episodes on its own. In the same way that someone uses insulin to control diabetes or blood thinners to control dangerous clots, the medication helps prevent these episodes from occurring."

The italics is mine.  I added it because that sentence is what doctors are fed by drug reps to get them to prescribe their medications*.  In other words, "there's nothing you can do about it.  It's a biological problem and only medication will fix it."  Except it's NOT a biological problem, it's a psychological problem.  And they know that, so that's why they don't say it's a biological problem straight out.  They say it's like diabetes, so you make the inference that there's nothing that can be done and just take the medicine.

Well, there is something that can be done.  She (and we!) can learn how to process our emotions correctly.  If we do that, even a person who is chronically depressed can overcome it.  Yes, it may take ten years, but so what?  Take the meds in the short term, while learning how to process emotion correctly.  Over time, you'll reduce your dependence on side-effect causing medications and eventually be able to be drug-free and not depressed.  Sounds a lot better than a life time of dependence on a medication that will continue to cause new and terrible side-effects and probably stop working eventually, doesn't it?  Oh, not to mention that meds will never be as effective at helping your mood as processing your emotions will.  It's a no-brainer.  Take care of yourself by learning to process your emotions.


* If I die suspiciously, the drug reps did it!  Seriously, there are so many dollars tied up in making people believe they need anti-depressants, it would make an entirely plausible plot for a made-for-television murder mystery.  Avenge me!

Motivation

I wanted to title this post "Repression vs. Inspiration" because I've not been able to write for a bit and that comes at a time when I'm having a hard time with expressing my emotions.  But when I really thought about it, I'm not really repressing any more.  I'm just filled up.  There's no extra room in the cup that holds my emotions.  I let little bits out and new little bits take their places.  I'm expressing, I'm just not making any progress against all that extra emotion that's inside.

When I thought some more, I realized I'm not really having an inspiration problem either. I've been having ideas.  At one point, I had about ten different tabs open on my browser, each with an article that had sparked an idea I wanted to write about.  I didn't turn my computer off for a week, so as to keep the ideas close at hand.  I eventually realized that I'm still having ideas, but that "umph" I require to write just isn't there right now.

So much for "Repression vs. Inspiration".  I guess "Being over-filled with emotions guts motivation" just doesn't sound that good.  But it is accurate.  I'm hoping that the next couple of weeks will allow me the space to release enough of that extra emotion that I'll become motivated again.  I think that is what will happen.  Since my emotions were preventing me from writing about my emotions, I thought it might be appropriate to write about that.  (Does that sentence amuse you all as much as it does me?)  ENOUGH ALREADY!  Get crying so you can get back to writing!  Okay, I'll try.

Don't give up on me!

Soon!  Soon I'll be back to writing often.

La Russa is the face of threatened Whiteness

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports wrote a good article about Tony La Russa and Colin Kaepernick.  This is what threatened people do.  They dig in to their positions and they attack.  They do not sit back and think about what they're saying, what they're fighting for or against.  It will never occur to La Russa that he might be wrong.  I know next to nothing about him as a person, but I don't need to.  I've seen it over and over and over again. He'll just keep fighting.  

It's really an emotional issue, because he can't look inside because that would be admitting he might be wrong.  And admitting that would tear him apart.  Don't be one of those people.  Look inside.  It won't really tear you apart.  If you're wrong, like La Russa, handle the emotions that being wrong causes, admit you're wrong, and just move on.  It makes you stronger, not weaker.  Weak is being too scared to admit your mistakes.  Weak is attacking someone else because you feel vulnerable.  Weak is Tony La Russa.

Have these things always happened?

Did I just miss it?  I don't remember this level of sickness existing when I was young.  I don't know how to go about finding out.  But I don't think I even want to.  I feel so bad for this young girl.  I also feel so bad for us as a culture.  Our addiction to avoiding our emotions is tearing us apart.  Be kind to yourself, today and every day.

She starts school tomorrow!

My daughter starts kindergarten tomorrow and I can't really believe it.  I'll probably be crying my eyes out around 8:30 am, so send good thoughts and feelings my way if you can.  Thanks.

Update:  I survived!  She loved it.  All is well.

Kindness Matters

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."  -Margaret Mead

Congratulations to these kids.  They are well on their way.