There are many beliefs about why depression happens, just like with last months topic, Anxiety. It all depends on who you talk to. Let’s dive into a few common explanations along with some not-so common ones, including as always, my TCM (Traditional Chine Medicine) explanation.

Chemical imbalance

Growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, this is by far, the most common reason any adult had for me as to why depression happened. It’s why anti-depressants exist. Here is the thinking: Chemicals you have likely heard of like serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine, are all involved in us feeling good, in one form or another. They are called neurotransmitters.

More specifically, serotonin regulates our mood along with lots of other things like sleep, digestion and sexual function. Norepinephrine increases arousal and focus (fun fact: It’s released in other areas of the body other than the brain which then, is called a hormone). Dopamine plays a huge role in motivation and reward (think of that feeling every time you look at your cell phone and you got a text. Yey! Right? That’s dopamine.) For more on dopamine, click here > Dopamine Deep-Dive.

So, the theory goes, not enough serotonin? Mood issues. Not enough norepinephrine? Low arousal and focus. Not enough dopamine? Low motivation and no “Yey! I got a text message” feeling. All which could be described as a depressed feeling.

Out of date?

However, more and more research is proving this chemical imbalance explanation may be outdated. Not to say depression has nothing to do with a chemical imbalance, but that there is simply more…much, much more to the picture. Even Harvard Medical School is catching on:

“It’s often said that depression results from a chemical imbalance, but that figure of speech doesn’t capture how complex the disease is. Research suggests that depression doesn’t spring from simply having too much or too little of certain brain chemicals. Rather, there are many possible causes of depression…There are millions, even billions, of chemical reactions that make up the dynamic system that is responsible for your mood, perceptions, and how you experience life.”

For the full article, click here > What Causes Depression? Harvard Health Publishing.

Genetics

There definitely shows to be some link to genes, however the studies are still not clear. Your mom has depression? You have a 2-3x higher chance of also having depression, than someone with a non-depressed mother (How genetics can factor into depression, Verywellmind.com). Now, this only means you have a bigger chance of developing depression-not that you will.

There is also talk of the ability to turn on or off these very genes, depending on how you choose to live your life. This is called Epigenetics. It is a fact that not all the information in every single gene is “expressed” or “turned-on”. This is called gene-regulation and our body does it naturally, (Can genes be turned on and off in cells? NIH.com). But imagine, if we can decide to turn off that depressed gene your mom gave you, at will? Wowzers.

Negative self-talk/Social-Cognitive Perspective

“Why did you just do that?” “You sound so dumb.” “You are worthless and will never amount to anything.” This is negative self-talk. Left unchecked, and it runs a muck. Read more about this in my previous post: Anxiety Part 2: Why does it happen? Crashcourse also talks about this thinking pattern at minute 8.00 in their Youtube video: Depressive and Bipolar Disorders.

Physiology: Motion equals emotion

What does a depressed person look like? Do they talk fast or slow? Is there head up or down? Are they breathing deep or shallow? Do they talk loud or quiet? Do they move slow or fast? Hands down, 99% of you answered slow, down, shallow, quiet and slow. That’s because, as humans, we all exhibit similar motions for the emotions we are feeling. Change up your motion and you change your emotion.

Tony Robins explains this best. Watch here > Tony Robbins | On Physiology

Liver qi stagnation

TCM talk. When qi (energy) gets stuck in our bodies, we most commonly experience that as physical pain or depression/irritation. In TCM, the liver controls free-flow of qi and is used when talking about emotional depression. Once energy becomes stagnant, it’s call Liver qi stagnation. Stuff is stuck and can’t move. That, alone, sounds like depression to me

That’s a good point

This qi becomes stuck for a few reasons but the most common is strong emotions. Over time, these strong emotions take a toll on the liver, energy gets bogged down and depression arises. TCM has tools to move this energy. Using needles, we focus on acupuncture points that move qi. Large Intestine 4 and Liver 3 are the biggest energy-moving points known to man. Together, they are called the Four Gates.

That’s a good formula

Acupuncturists also use herbs to move qi. Some awesome formulas are Xiao Yao San (think irritability and loose stools), Chai Hu Jia Long Gu Mu Li Wan (think typical depression-dark days, moody and sad) and Si Ni San (think moodiness with cold hands and feet). Keep in mind, these formulas can be used for lots of other things. This is just a snap-shot as they relate to mental depression.

Here’s a great article that goes more in-depth on this topic, by Master Lu’s Health Center: What is qi stagnation in the liver?

I hope this blog gave you some new ideas to entertain. We are here if you have any questions. Leave a comment below or email us at villageacupunctureandmassage.com.

See you next week!

Rachel, Licensed Acupuncturist at VAMT

If you need immediate assistance, call the Suicide Prevention Hotline or Mental Health Hotline for free, confidential, 24 hr safe support. You can also
reach out to us, to a friend or family member, to a therapist (Wellspring Group in New Brighton, MN), or a support group (NAMI, Open Door). 

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