5 facts about depression, about which no one ever tells

According to the World Health Organization, more than 350 million people of all ages are suffering from depression, making it the leading cause of disability worldwide. Depression is also classified as a mental disorder, but is it really consistent with this classification?

Antidepressants may exacerbate depression

Many studies show that antidepressants can exacerbate depression. For example, a new study published in the Journal of Medical Hypotheses describes how chronic depression reaches its peak (statistics you can not argue with) during treatment with antidepressants. This indicates that the use of drugs is not really a solution to the problem. The study showed that many people who take antidepressants, in the long run, they also provoke depression. In addition, many researchers say this.

Neuroplasticity: a change in thoughts leads to changes in the brain

Positive thinking can literally change your brain. This is called neuroplasticity, which shows how our thoughts, feelings, and the perception of the environment can change our brains.

Neuroplasticity is widely used in the scientific community, where they continue to prove that our brain is extremely flexible and changeable. Again, neuroplasticity shows how thought can change the structure of the brain. It is used in the treatment of various diseases. This means that constant positive thoughts and activities can heal our brains and strengthen those areas that stimulate positive feelings.

The fact that our consciousness has the ability to transform our biology alone is well illustrated by the placebo effect.

Depression can be treated with psilocybin (fungus)

Numerous studies have shown the effectiveness of psilocybin in improving the mental state. For example, relatively recently a study was published in the journal of the Royal Society. Scientists monitored brain activity with MRI in the normal state and after patients were given psilocybin. Under the action of psilocybin, the models of the connection between the centers of the cerebral cortex were completely different (those parts that play an important role in consciousness). Researchers have outlined links that reveal the activity of new neural networks between disconnected regions of the brain.

So we can see that the brain behaves quite differently under the action of psilocybin, which can have serious consequences for the treatment of diseases such as depression.

In people with depression, the front waist cortex is more active. Psilocybin is able to disable this excessive activity. But instead of increasing the level of serotonin in the brain, psilocybin binds to the serotonin receptors and mimics them. As a result, the brain can function as if it has a sufficient amount of serotonin, although in fact it is not.

Researchers from the University of Norway also reported that the use of psilocybin, LSD and mescaline not only does not cause long-term mental health problems, but in fact in many cases helps to solve them.

There are many studies that have studied the beneficial relationship between psychedelics and depression, and many of them emphasize that they have nothing to do with mental health problems.

It takes effort

It is very easy to take a pill and calmly expect the result, but to combat depression you need effort. You have to change your way of thinking. Obviously, it is very difficult to do this, and it may take years, but considering neuroplasticity, it is certainly worth trying. The more positive thoughts you have, the better. The more you look at your problems as an opportunity for growth, the better for you. The more you eat healthy food, do physical exercises and the things that you like, the better. If you are not motivated by depression, and you are in bed all day, you can think that you do not want anything else. But as soon as you take the first step, the changes will begin inside of you, not outside.

The environment is our experience

To feel depression, especially in the modern world, is not something abnormal. Many of us are forced to live a life that we do not want, to spend long hours at work, which we do not like, just to make money for food and home. Our passions, joys, desires of the heart seem to be completely ignored. But if we look at this question correctly, we must consider the environment and make the necessary changes.

Again, being depressed does not necessarily mean that your mental state requires immediate treatment. It is necessary to look at what we are doing because of our own desire, not by coercion. In most people, these actions are very similar. They visit various entertainment venues, bars, sports events and much more. But is this really what we want? Is this a healthy source for joy. Is it good to constantly surround yourself with toxic substances?

The idea of "success" for all has become common, but in fact, what a person can achieve is purely individual. That's why many people feel useless. The same applies to education, appearance and much more. Each person has a certain set of criteria, through which we understand what it means to be successful or to do something "good."

Instead of confinement ...

So, perhaps, the problem of depression is not entirely psychological or biological. Perhaps it is related to the environment that we created around us. Many people lack joy, hate their work and struggle to survive. But how can you educate yourself in positive thinking, if you spend most of your life on things that are not connected with real pleasure?

That's why it's very important to follow your heart and your hobbies. Regardless of what you are doing, you need to find time for what you love, and take the necessary measures to make it happen. There are always changes that you can make in pursuit of your happiness, no matter how insignificant it seems to you. Joy is not in the end results, but in an attempt to achieve them.