In a blog published in Psychology Today, Dr. Alison Escalante, a pediatrician and writer, has explained that we have got depression all wrong for generations.
She said we see depression as an illness, “an unnecessary deviation from normal functioning.”
“More and more researchers across specialties are questioning our current definitions of depression,” she wrote. “Biological anthropologists have argued that depression is an adaptive response to adversity and not a mental disorder.”
She referred to a report published by the British Psychological Society in October, stating that “depression is best thought of as an experience, or set of experiences, rather than as a disease.” And neuroscientists are focusing on the role of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in depression.
“The common wisdom is that depression starts in the mind with distorted thinking. That leads to ‘psychosomatic’ symptoms like headaches, stomachaches, or fatigue,” added Dr. Escalante, who is on a mission to help parents out of the Shouldstorm that disconnects them from their kids.”
She continued, “When we think of depression as irrational and unnecessary suffering, we stigmatize people and rob them of hope. But when we begin to understand that depression, at least initially, happens for a good reason we lift the shame. People with depression are courageous survivors, not damaged invalids.”
Dr. Escalante explained that depression starts with immobilization. She wrote, “According to the Polyvagal Theory, discovered and articulated by neuroscientist Stephen Porges, our daily experience is based on a hierarchy of states in the autonomic nervous system. When the ANS feels safe, we experience a sense of well-being and social connection. That’s when we feel like ourselves.”
“But the autonomic nervous system is also constantly scanning our internal and external environment for signs of danger,” she added. “If our ANS detects a threat or even a simple lack of safety, its next strategy is the fight or flight response which we often feel as anxiety.” To know more about what Dr. Escalante has to say about depression, read her blog titled, “We’ve Got Depression All Wrong. It’s Trying to Save Us,” published online on December 22, in Psychology Today.
