Everyone has bad days; times when they feel unusually “down” or “off kilter”. However, true depression is not simply feeling sad. It is an illness. Just as diabetes is the result of low insulin production in the pancreas, depression is also the result of an imbalance. In layman’s terms, it is like faulty wiring in the brain. (Braun, 2000; Surgeon General’s Call to Action, 1999; Stoff & Mann, 1997.)
This literally means there has been damage to certain nerve cells in the brain. This damage is due to the presence of too many stress hormones (adrenalin, testosterone, etc.) which are the hormones activated by our autonomic nervous system (ANS) to protect us in times of danger. Chronic stress causes an imbalance in the ANS function, so that there are abnormally high levels of activation - even under small amounts of stimulus in the stress of daily living. (E.g., heavy traffic; looking for missing items such as car keys; finishing tasks properly and being on time for events and appointments) As a result, there is an imbalance in blood flow patterns which can lead to illnesses such as asthma attacks, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and, as described here, depression. If these stress hormones have no way to detach and go back to a pattern of rest, they will accumulate, cluster and damage brain cells. (Braun, 1999)
The brain is made up of neurons. The action of neurons is what causes us to think, feel and act. Neurons connect to one another through dendrites and axons. This connection is imperative to a healthy functioning brain. Stress hormones damage these dendrites and axons and as fewer and fewer connections are made, more and more symptoms of depression begin to appear.
Clinical depression is an illness not unlike heart disease. Left untreated, a diseased heart can lead to death by a heart attack. Similarly, untreated depression can sometimes lead to death by suicide. If a person has a predisposition to depression and they are put into a highly stressful environment, or have experienced a trauma, or a change in lifestyle or health, it will lead to a cluster of faulty wiring and the emotional changes are what is referred to as depression.
Suicide has been misinterpreted for countless generations as “spiritual weakness”, a “character flaw”, “selfishness”, a “flaw in morality”, or a “coward’s way out.” But a person suffering from clinical depression often feels unable to solve his or her problems, and this leads to hopelessness. At some point, suicide may seem the only way out of their suffering, or the only way to remove the burden their illness is placing on others. Ninety percent of suicides have a depressive illness. (Lester, 1998; Surgeon General, 1999)
Suicide tends to run in families. A family history of suicide increases the risk by six times. A remarkable change in life, such as loss of a loved one, (through death or divorce), moving from a longtime home to a new location, or a serious illness can trigger the imbalance of hormones in an individual who is predisposed to depression. (Stoff & Mann, 1997)
A person who commits suicide didn’t ask for their depression. They would do anything to rid themselves of their feeling of helplessness ~ even take their own life. Being depressed isn’t a result of choice any more than catching a cold or flu.
Healthy people do not commit suicide. A depressed person does not think like the average person whose brain is functioning properly. Depression actually physically prevents a person from looking forward to a better future. Sometimes they don’t realize they are ill. Sometimes they are very aware, but nothing seems to help. Perhaps, because of the taboo society has place on mental illness, they are somehow ashamed or afraid to seek help for fear of being labeled as “crazy.”
A depressed person is mentally and physically ill, and cannot clearly think about the morality issue of suicide, and they cannot logically think about the repercussions their actions will cause their family and friends. They also do not fully comprehend the value of their worth in family relationships. Regardless of how wrong it may be, if a person suffering from depression truly believes that ending his or her life will somehow make life better for those around them, or perhaps prevent their loved ones anguish due to their shortcomings, then how can a person possibly refer to their act as selfish? No, they are not martyrs; they are not saints, but they are certainly not cowards.
REFERENCES:
1. Braun, S. (2000) Unlocking the Mysteries of Mood: The Science of Happiness. Wiley and Sons, NY.
2. Lester, D. (1998) Making Sense of Suicide: An In-Depth Look at Why People Kill Themselves. American Psychiatric Press
3. Surgeon General’s Call to Action (1999) Dept. Of Health and Human Services, U.S. Public Health Services
4. Stoff, D.M. & Mann, J.J. (Eds) (1997) The Neurology of Suicide. American Academy of Science
5. Yarris, Elizabeth, PhD, (2003-2005) Understanding Depression and Suicide, B.G.S.U. Counseling Center
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