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Re:Ketamine’s effect bolsters a new theory of mental illness by pc2g4d on Friday December 18, 2015 @06:02PM (#10761581)
Many people who believe they are just being struck randomly by depression are simply not aware of the reasons they are feeling depressed. That doesn't mean there aren't emotional/psychological reasons for what they're experiencing---only that they don't see those things as the cause.

For the first decade or so after being diagnosed with depression I believed it could only be explained by brain chemistry or something like that. Only later in life when I learned more about healthy relationships and what does and doesn't work for me emotionally did I realize that my depression was an obvious reaction to the dysfunctional environment I was raised in.

My ignorance of the non-chemical causes of my depression made me feel I was "just struck by it". But there really was a cause in my environment. I believe this is true for many other people as well.

Depression and anxiety in particular I think are better explained as a mismatch between human adaptation and current human environment. They are signals that things are unsafe/insecure. It seems to me more wise to focus on improving our environment than on constantly blaming the brain, whether through the serotonin hypothesis or this new neuroconnectivity approach.

Re:Ketamine’s effect bolsters a new theory of mental illness by pool on Friday December 18, 2015 @06:54PM (#10761835)
I also didn't realize how much I was shaped by my awful upbringing. I just thought I'd get away and that I was a rational person and everything would be all right.