Karen Wager-Smith, Phd, a neuroscientist researcher of Depression contacted me to let me know what she and her colleague discovered through research. When they stressed lab rats and expected to see changes in brain chemistry, they did not observe any chemistry changes. Instead they observed an inflammation response, which produced “sickness behaviors” in the animals.
She wanted me to share this with the world, that it is stress and/or trauma that causes depression. And thus, I am doing so.
Yes, neurochemistry can be a factor, especially for severe depression. Meds can save lives in those cases. However there are 3 major meta-analyses of all research on psychotropic meds, and the conclusion of all: these meds do not help mild or moderate depression. The majority agreed that it helps severe depression.
What IS recommended for Depression, then? Dr. Wager-Smith recommends psychotherapy that addresses the stresses that caused the depression. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an excellent psychological treatment for stressful events, because it has been proven to work on the most stressful events that cause PTSD, or Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.
On the ComprehensiveTherapyApproach.com website we have the highest qualified EMDR therapists of any EMDR Directory: all are EMDRIA-Certified. Please link to our page of San Diego Depression counselors who specialize in EMDR:
