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(The Conversation is an independent, non-profit source of news, analysis, and commentary from academic experts.)
Jonathan Rottenberg, University of South Florida and Todd Kashdan, George University Mason
(THE CONVERSATION) of the suicides of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, we, as a nation, have recently been sobered by the threat of depression for public health. Depression is a common mood condition considered by the World Health Organization as the leading cause of disability in the world, ahead of widely publicized claimants such as cancer, heart disease and stroke. diabetes. As you read the news today, you will learn that depression leads to self-injury and suicidal thoughts, drug overdoses, shootings in schools, and altercations with the police. Can this darker human weakness ever pave the way for something better?
What do clinicians know about redemption and personal growth as a result of depression? How often does it happen?
In a forthcoming article in Perspectives on Psychological Science with our students, we came to a shocking conclusion: the experts have virtually nothing to say on this subject.
Consensus opinion in Psychology, Psychiatry and Public "Depression is a chronic and recurrent illness, with every depressive episode lived increasing the risk of future episodes," as Dr. David said Solomon and his colleagues at the National Institute of Mental Health in 2000. Or as Saba Mousavi and his colleagues from the World Health Organization wrote in the Lancet: "Without treatment, depression tends to take a chronic course, be recidivist and, over time, be associated with increasing disability. Leading thinkers in one sentence: Depression is a recurring and chronic condition that is hard to contain even when it is treated.
In other words, science The scientific literature clearly states that if you have already suffered depression, it will probably hit you again and ruin your good years (ironically, making pessimistic predictions could exacerbate depression people). You will have problems at work, your relationships will suffer, and your happiness and your sense of life will be hindered.
Yes, depression can be a permanent problem. Yet, as we have deepened the epidemiological findings, we have also seen signs of better results – an aspect we have found is rarely studied. For example, in rare longitudinal studies that modeled the entire population, 40 to 60% of people who had previously suffered from depression never experienced recurrence even after being interviewed for years and even dozens of years later
. 39% of people who have ever been diagnosed with major depression at least once in the past report having a positive mental health condition, defined as having no mental health problems in the past year, and a sense of satisfaction almost daily last month.
Shimmerings suggest that a substantial percentage of those who suffer from depression can get rid of and continue to thrive. It means living better than the average human without depression, experiencing frequent positive emotions, good relationships, self-reliance of thought and action, and meaningful goals. From Demi Lovato to Duane "The Rock" Johnson to Robert Downey Jr., we already have spectacular testimonials about prosperity after struggles for mental health. The researchers' task now is to follow these encouraging signs with a systematic collection of data on how people thrive after depression.
A key step for scientists will be to use clear definitions of prosperity or well-being guided by standards of well-being. be collected in national population samples. For example, our newly proposed standard for prosperity after depression incorporates nine different aspects of well-being, and requires that a person not only be rid of the major symptoms of depression, but also that it present a Well-being Profile Above 75 For some, depression is a bridge to something better, rather than an inevitable death sentence. For some, complete healing can simply take time. Others can achieve this through formal treatment. Still others may discover a new purpose in life or a daily routine that works for them. Some people may thrive after the first time that they were depressed; others can only get there after several periods of depression.
The most exciting thing about lighting different pathways of prosperity is that some can help the 300 million people who are fighting depression around the world. The need to improve intervention in case of depression is crucial because current medications and psychotherapies, even if they help the majority of patients, often provide only partial relief from symptoms ; Unfortunately, most people who struggle with mood problems do not follow any treatment.
Clinicians' neglect of depression after depression is debatable as data show that depressive patients are looking for more than just the absence of distress and disorder. They want to love and be loved, to be engaged in the present moment, to extract joy and meaning, and to do something that matters – something that makes the pain and setbacks of daily life worthwhile. Is the point of intervention not helping people unleash their potential despite a mental disorder?
We have discovered that psychology and psychiatry have a blind spot for good results. This blind spot is bigger than the depression. It covers suicidal gestures, substance use problems, anxiety and eating disorders. It covers most major mental health issues. In all these cases, we have found a lack of even the most basic estimates of the number of people who fully recover and thrive in their lives.
We believe that as long as this blind spot is not filled, therapists and doctors should lightly. People experiencing problems in treatment settings are regularly told that their condition has a poor prognosis. Until we know how much blooming is common, such statements are misinformed, even hurtful. They do not serve patients well.
People need to see other human beings as they are, which often differs from our intuition, our expert opinions and the inner monologue that plagues us when we know the depths of depression. Our new vision of possibilities after depression is not only a closer fit of existing scientific evidence, it also proves more promising.
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article here: http://theconversation.com/thriving-after-depression-why-are-scientists-ignoring-good-outcomes-98288.
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