Why Depression Could Be Good For You

A group of doctors are saying that depression can lead to better mental health. So does that mean those of us who are suffering from depression should just resolve to feeling blue? According to a recent article published in Prevention, maybe.

The theory is that pain and sadness during depression has a purpose in our lives and can be a clarifying, healing force. Depression can also be a natural way of getting you to solve important issues in your life, according to Paul Andrews, PhD, an evolutionary biologist at Virginia Commonwealth University:

Depression may be nature's way of telling you to stop and focus on what's troubling you, so you can move past it and get on with your life.

Andrews and his colleague J. Anderson Thomson, MD, a staff psychiatrist at the Student Health Services and Institute of Law and Psychiatry at the University of Virginia, have become controversial proponents for using depression to lead to better mental health–a theory that actually dates back to Aristotle during 350 BC. Apparently, studies have found that sadness promotes analytical reasoning and thinking that allows you to break down problems into manageable parts, making them easier to solve. It also leads to withdrawal–something that can give us uninterrupted time to think and learn how to turn grief and misery into wisdom, courage and determination. All of which are traits that will serve us well for the rest of our lives, according to these doctors.

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On the one hand, antidepressants have been blamed for being over-used. They are the most commonly prescribed drugs for Americans under the age of 60, and roughly 10% of the adult population is taking them–double the amount from just 10 years ago. What's more, twice as many women use them versus men. Swallowing a pill may lessen feelings of sadness, it's true. And while they can also diminish other side effects that correspond with depression, like sleep disorders, lack of energy and loss of interest in your favorite things, antidepressants can make it difficult to really feel what's going on within yourself.

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On the other hand, there are undoubtedly times when medication should be used in the treatment of depression. For some people–especially those who are clinically depressed–antidepressants can be necessary to make it through the day. They can even be lifesaving.

"People with more than mild to moderate illnesses–those who are debilitated by their low mood and can't do their job or take care of their kids, or who no longer enjoy anything in life–need medication," says Paul Keedwell,PhD, a psychiatrist at Cardiff University in England and the author of How Sadness Survived: The Evolutionary Basis of Depression.

In the end, even Dr. Thomson acknowledges that "in some cases, depression can be so severe that medication is required." But he stands by his belief that putting a pharmaceutical bandage over an emotional wound can disrupt true recovery which calls for discovering the source of your sadness and thinking deeply about how to get through it–a practice that can serve us well for life.

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Tell us what you think. Have you ever suffered from depression? How did you get through it?