Sadness is the emotion, Depression is the disease

I remember when I first moved to the US, I had a friend who I didn’t know was suffering with depression. I thought he was just weighed down with general issues of life, plus depression wasn’t a much talked about topic back home in Nigeria. He didn’t look sad when we hung out - or at least when he actually agreed to hang out- but when we got talking, he would tell me what was wrong and things that he was struggling with at the time. Trust me, it took a whole lot to get him to talk. So, I just thought he was sad and I would say all the nice things you could say to someone who is sad: Don’t worry, God has a purpose for everything, Let me know how I can help, etc. But I knew that I didn’t truly understand what was going on. In my head, he was just sad and soon, he would “snap out of it”. I noticed he was losing weight and looking more and more pale, but he would still muster a smile whenever we saw him in class, if he would even make it. Long story really short is, after some weeks ⏤ don’t worry, he didn’t die ⏤ we heard that he had checked into a facility because he had been dealing with depression. I recall going over all our conversations and how I just never saw the signs or thought it was that serious. What if he had died? It would have been a different story. I knew I had to understand it better, and if I’m struggling with understanding it, then someone out there is definitely struggling as well.

The reason why depression is such a sensitive topic, in my opinion, might be due to the fact that it has to do with the mind which people often think is rather abstract, and it’s not. It’s literally the brain. Because the thoughts and feelings that lead to depression are not physical, there is room for doubts on the authenticity of a depressed person’s claims. I know this because I grew up in a country where being sick meant you had an evident fever or some form of physical proof to back up your claim, or else, you weren’t going to be taken seriously. So, the ‘mind’ isn’t really a component that could get ‘sick’, and if it did, then the only solution was probably to fight a spiritual battle. I’ve seen comments on social media that said good born-again Christians shouldn’t be depressed. And it makes me wonder why good born-again Christians can have cancer, or malaria, or cough, but not depression.  

I don’t mean to bore with the science behind depression but I thought it would be helpful to see how depression could be likened to any other ailment that starts off as something small and progresses into a chronic condition over time, like a cough becoming a case of bronchitis after a week or so. Depression could start off as just sadness but if that sadness lingers on, then something is not right and you should speak up and seek help.

So, what is depression?

The emotions we feel are a concoction of chemical messengers called neurotransmitters moving around, sending messages to and from the brain, and telling us what to feel, how to react, and even makes your heart beat faster when you see that darn spider. These chemicals could sometimes be over produced, under produced, or not removed from the body efficiently. That imbalance of all these unique chemicals in the brain is what causes depression and at that point it becomes a disease. That’s how the mind gets sick like every other part of the body.

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Causes?

Depression can be caused by a lot of factors. We’ll start with the obvious one, ADULTING!  😒Because life is hard and adulting is a scam and can sometimes put people over the edge. Just kidding! But really the serious events of life in general can lead to depression. Other causes include genetic factors, the brain not regulating moods correctly, medical issues, and even some medications.

So, the brain huh?

Yup! There are 3 parts of the brain that are particularly affected by depression. There is the amygdala, pronounced ah-MIG-dah-lah, responsible for the range of emotions. Whenever you are sad, afraid when you see a spider, angry, or even aroused sexually, that’s the amygdala working. It is more activated in times of sadness or depression. Then there is the Thalamus responsible for how we react to things, how we think, learn, move and talk. The third part is the Hippocampus. So, you see the fear of that spider you had with the amygdala? The hippocampus takes it and makes it long term so that when you see a spider, you always remember how scared you were that one time and you run the-freaking-other-way! This is so me by the way…I hate spiders…uggh! 🙈

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Okay, so how does it all work?

The 3 main neurotransmitters associated with depression are dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine. Dopamine is responsible for how we perceive reality and our general motivation. Serotonin regulates the mood, our sleep pattern, appetite and helps soothe pain. It is the ‘feel good’ neurotransmitter. And norepinephrine? I don’t think it needs any introduction after I say…SPIDERRRRRRRR! 👻

These neurotransmitters are transferred from one neuron to the other in a smooth mechanism that lasts seconds. The slightest interruption to that mechanism is what could lead to chronic or medical depression. Also, with the growth of neurons, the mood improves. So, some antidepressants target the growth of neurons, while some target the production or inhibition of specific neurotransmitters. They are not placebos as some people think. Those medicines are real. Either way, symptoms and treatment of depression differ with each individual.

 

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So, why the long story, Lucia?

If you don’t understand depression, you should still be kind and supportive. You don’t have to do too much. Just think of what you would say to someone who has cancer and say the same words, because just like cancer, depression can kill. Or better still, walk away and tell someone who understands so that they can help that person. And to those struggling with depression, I’m not going to tell you to snap out of it because that’s not nice. Instead, I’ll tell you to try to speak up and above all, FIGHT! Fight till the end. Just keep fighting. You are not alone and help is close by if you would just tell one person that you trust. 

You are not alone and you are loved! Have a blessed and safe week 💕