Depression is one of the worst afflictions anyone can suffer because no matter what the outer circumstances of life, the EXPERIENCE of life is dark, painful, hopeless.
Words can’t describe the awful pain that is depression. It’s torture…
The reason I’m so desperate to speak about this is that the truth about depression is just not common knowledge.
Depression, like so many other health conditions, is treated as if something suddenly went wrong with your brain. Anti-depressant prescriptions are taken en-masse…
These drugs attempt to alter the chemistry of your brain to try to FIX a lack or excess of brain chemicals like “serotonin.” The SSRI (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors) anti-depressants for example aim to stop serotonin being lost from the brain and therefore keep you happier. But there’s a real lack of evidence that these drugs help, and even short-term benefit seems likely to be the placebo effect.
Drugs can only ever treat symptoms
The short-sightedness of this whole approach makes my blood boil. I feel angry about it. Very angry. Because MILLIONS of people are being duped into thinking that they need drugs which can only ever MASK an underlying problem…
Does it ever occur to doctors and scientists to ask just WHY people’s brains do not have enough serotonin? What is the true UNDERLYING CAUSE?
And if you agree to take tablets, and perhaps you feel you can’t cope without them, where now is the motivation to address the underlying causes — IF you knew there were some, IF you knew what they were and IF you knew how to change them. But who knows about this? — Hardly anyone is teaching this stuff. It’s not common knowledge.
Something like “not enough serotonin” is merely a SYMPTOM of a dysfunctional biochemistry, a less than optimal state of health brought about by decades of contributing LIFESTYLE factors.
True causes of depression
I can tell you that overwork, over-stimulation (coffee, tea, cigarettes, chocolate), too much stress, too much alcohol, not enough quality sleep, lack of exercise and CRUCIALLY, poor diet are all contributing factors. Some or ALL of these are the TRUE underlying causes of depression.
Decades of sub-optimal lifestyle is the true cause of depression and folks are being FOBBED OFF with tablets.
And like I said, if you fob people off with a crutch like a drug, they will just get used to using the crutch, get comfy with it.
Drugs should be a last resort where a person is so ill that they are incapable of reason, of hope, of self-motivation, of understanding.
You need the TRUTH, not drugs
You need to know the truth about depression and its causes so that you are EMPOWERED in your life.
Depression is merely a SYMPTOM and your body works as a beautiful synergistic whole.
It’s an INSULT to mask the beautiful harmonious functioning of your body with the sledge-hammer action of drugs where lifestyle changes will not only CORRECT the condition but return your body to a state of balance and your mind to a state of joy.
I suffered 13 years of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME) and I can tell you without a shadow of doubt, that depression is a symptom of a body in trouble.
To mask SYMPTOMS with drugs is not the way to go because it DOES NOT ADDRESS the true causes.
The power of lifestyle changes
I remember when I started making lifestyle changes, my brain literally started to wake up again. I felt popping sensations in my brain and I felt like someone just switched on the light! Your diet especially, has an amazingly powerful effect on mood, and it’s not only about nutrients, but about how food alters your hormones, which in turn, not only affect mood, but powerful factors affecting health or disease outcomes in the future.
The other thing you need to be aware of is that if you take a drug, then your body will adapt to the presence of that drug. It will become dependant on that drug. And ALL drugs have side effects. How could they not… they are SLEDGE HAMMERS.
I’m just trying to give you options here. My aim is just to get to the truth. Sometimes a drug is necessary to buy you time to sort your life out, but you need to see the big picture — understand how to correct the true causes of depression.
And I believe wholeheartedly that you were never meant to get depressed. Your body isn’t incapable of joy. Something did NOT JUST BREAK.
Depression cause and effect
There are causes. It’s simple cause and effect. And the cause of depression is decades of sub-optimal lifestyle. Call me a liar.
So please, if you’re suffering the “black dog” as Winston Churchill put it, I want to give you hope, to give you a reason to believe you can be free, that you can be happy naturally again.
It’s possible.
Lifestyle has INCREDIBLE power to alter your mood.
A multi-pronged strategy is the way to go
Everything affects everything else!
All SIX lifestyle elements I recommend you pay conscious attention to have a powerful influence on your mood:
- Diet
- Exercise
- Drugs (get rid of)
- Sleep
- Organization
- Live in the moment
Start a walking program, eat in the way your body loves, get plenty of sleep, de-stress, learn to relax, drink lots of pure, clean water, learn how to let go of compulsive thinking, spend time with loved ones, get more organized. Do all these things and see for yourself.
“A few months ago it felt as though I was losing control of my thoughts and was slowly slipping into the beginning of a deep depression.
But having put your advice into practice, I can honestly say I’m happy now… Once in a while I’ll have have some unwanted thoughts but it’s improved 99%! You really helped me. You seriously did.
I’ve actually told a lot of people about how your advice helped me. My fiance followed your diet and got all the benefits you said a person would get. Thanks and hope you’re doing great!
Happy Matt =)
p.s. I can’t believe how much this worked.”
— Matt, USA
Believe in the incredible power of lifestyle, get into good habits to make all these things effortless and work with your doctor to reduce medication as the clouds clear and the sun comes into your life again.
Everyone deserves to be happy! Happiness is your natural state and if you’re not happy, something is out-of-whack and needs correcting. Happiness is the birth right of everyone. Don’t settle for a gray life.
Joy is for you, for all.
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Michael Kinnaird is the author of Happy Guide, the result of a 20 year exploration into what works for health and happiness.
Read Chapter 1 “The Happiness Secret”
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Yes! Lifestyle is a huge part of getting better. Coming off my worst bout of depression I felt like I had to completely revamp my life in order have any shot at making it through each day. Sleep, exercise, diet, and just re-learning to have fun again have helped tremendously.
Very nice article Mr. Kinnaird.
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Hi Brian,
Thanks for your comment.
I agree that sometimes drugs are needed in severe cases to lift the mood in order to take action. In fact, the article does say…
and…
Taking action to correct the true causes is the important thing. That isn’t happening in the real world — lack of awareness of the truth, lack of education, the pill-for-an-ill mindset, medical methods and lack of the right tools to actually make successful changes and make them stick.
Drugs can end up making the situation worse — their effect diminishes over time and by then, you’re in a situation that’s even harder to turn around.
All the best,
Mike
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Lifestyle really, really, matters. The three biggest in my opinion are SLEEP, Exercize and Alchohol. You may also have anxiety causing insomnia so you have to learn to relax.
If you are really bad go to the doc and take the pills, don’t let this article talk you out of it. You can take the meds and still improve lifestyle.
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Hi Lee,
You must get to the CAUSES. You know your son very well so ask yourself what these TRUE causes are. Is his lifestyle good? Is he under pressure at school?
I can totally understand your son’s issues. Sensitive and intelligent people are really so much more prone to depression because they see and feel everything so deeply. And a ferrari mind, although powerful, is much more prone to be temperamental and break down :-)
Try to find the causes. A naturopath may help you find any physical causes and like you say, perhaps a psychologist can help with any wrong-thinking and wrong-viewing.
If you don’t get help locally, please read Happy Guide and you’ll find all the true causes of happiness and health laid out in there.
Good luck, I hope it all works out for you both, I’m sure it will.
Mike
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Thank you so much, Mr. Kinnaird. My 18 year old son, a very, very good student, deep thinker, sensitive, good sense of humor, always had several, close friends, slowly sank into depression his senior year in high school. It is almost impossible to find a counselor that does not push pharmaceuticals as the only route to wellness. He tried lexapro with abilify. It did lift his spirts yet he did not feel like himself and refused to continue them. I support his choice. Yet I wish I could find a counselor or psychologist who believes this also. I think it would benefit him to work with a professional. We are in Winston Salem, North Carolina, if you have a colleague in this area.
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