The Root Cause of Depression

The pharmaceutical industry would like to have you (and the scientific and medical community) believe that clinical depression (for the most part) is a manifestation of a chemical (in particular, neurotransmitters) imbalance. The neurotransmitters that are most commonly “put back in balance” by the mode of action of anti-depressants are dopamine, noradrenaline (norepinephrine), and serotonin. Prozac, for example, is the first of a class of drugs called SSRIs that tries to bring back in balance the serotonin levels of a depressed person.

At best, anti-depressants (and all other types and classes of psychiatric drugs) are able to put the levels of neurotransmitters back in balance (to some degree of another). These drugs do not have any power to affect or address the root cause of the chemical imbalance itself. For all the advancements in medicine and science, that root cause (and the curing and management of it) is still clouded in mystery.

As someone who has fallen into the abyss of a life-threatening depression (it is not important to know how long I was in that hole) and who battled his way out of it permanently, I feel that I am in a position to offer a point of view that is worth being taken into serious consideration by those who are in the hole and by friends who are trying to help someone out of the hole.

The root cause of a deep and prolonged depression (or the underlying chemical imbalance; if you prefer to address it from the physiological point of view,) is a breakdown in the harmony between the body and the soul. Neurotransmitter imbalance is a physical manifestation of this breakdown between the body (tangible) and the soul (intangible). The best term that I can think of that seems most applicable to refer to this condition is “spiritual breakdown”.

Because of their inherent nature of deciphering only that which is tangible, medicine and science cannot offer anything (tangible) to heal a condition that is rooted in the intangible. Yet, the intangible is real…it is grasped only by those who open their minds to getting to know the intangible aspects of their being and existence.

Medicine and science also offers psychotherapy as means to bring about healing. This usually is used in conjunction with drugs but is also used alone. However, its efficacy is limited to helping the patient gain a better understanding of aspects of human nature that is associated with their condition (specifically, unhealthy thinking and unhealthy thought processes). Human nature is within the realm of the body and is, thus, outside the realm of the soul. Psychotherapy is therefore is inadequate for addressing the root cause, notwithstanding the beneficial psychological aspects of it.

The key to long-lasting healing is in finding a way to restore harmony between the body and the soul. Even if one cannot bring themselves to fully believe in the existence of a soul within them, one has nothing to lose by way of trying the steps that can bring back harmony between the body and soul.Drugs can only stabilize (albeit imperfectly) the chemical imbalance for as long as you are taking it. You will still need to address the root cause (spiritual breakdown) in order to heal the condition of depression permanently and break away from any dependence on imperfect drugs and/or psychotherapy.

I share some steps (that worked for me) for the healing of spiritual breakdown in my blog titled "Steps to True Healing of Depression".

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