恶人谷

This article is very long, but I think it's worth reading. Sometimes I have a hard time explaining to people that depression can hit those who are genuinely positive and by nature upbeat and optimistic. There is no rule or justice in this disease.

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/pri ... 79,00.html

(No registration required for accessing the link.)

I am awfully confused by depression. Exactly which part of your body go wrong that you will have depression? How come it have effects like making people think "everybody will be better off without me?"

Exactly which part of your body go wrong that you will have depression?

Exactly, in your brain.

That's the short answer. The long answer is: we don't know exactly how or why, but we have some guesses and ideas and clues.

一堆，现在已经知道的有五羟色胺系统，norepirenpherine，多巴系统；acytylcolin系统，好像哈。
多巴系统挺有意思的，好像在basal ganglia那一片管craving，prefrontal cortex那一片管舒服受用。

瓦塞，这个多巴系统是不是管上瘾的啊

4 and a lot other stuff

把神经专家招出来了，我仰慕地说

Such a good article! I always wonder the relationship between "blues" caused by temperory frustration in life and "clinical depression". does the former trigger the latter? Oh the former is the initial sympton of the later? Guess it is not answered yet?

森林的火焰 wrote:把神经专家招出来了，我仰慕地说

不是专家，昨天去了一个讲座，今天现炒现卖

I always wonder the relationship between "blues" caused by temperory frustration in life and "clinical depression". does the former trigger the latter? Oh the former is the initial sympton of the later?

The short answer is probably -- "Not really."

The best theory we have based on some clues is this:

1) There are genetic varations in the functionality of serotonin in the brain. Some people have more effective serotonin "mobilization" systems, but others (probably a fairly large segment in the population) have less effective systems.

2) There are traumatic and stressful events in life, such as loss of a loved one, being fired from a job, bankruptcy, divorce, and severe organic illnesses (surgeries, infections, hospitalizations, etc.).

1+2, you have something like at least 75% chance of having an episode of major clinical depression. Among these patients, about 50% (? Don't quote me on this) never have a relapse in their lives. The rest will have 1 or more relapses.

If you have only 1 or 2, then you have about 25% chance of having a major depression episode.