A reader left a comment that highlights the usefulness of insight into depression, and I took some time responding. In doing so, I could see how (as often happens) the blog format forced me to gloss over a vital exception to the strategy I proposed in the last essay. The topic is worth raising to a level of a post of its own. Here’s what Lynn observes:

…Often, when depression hits me, it takes me a couple of days to recognize the pattern. Once I do, and once I gather the strength to look at why I might be down, often I find something that is bothering me. Once I acknowledge and accept the anger (uncertainty, regret…) often the depression disappears almost magically…

In all my writing and in working on myself, I resist inflexible formulae, so I find it easy to agree with Lynn. There are definitely times when introspection helps. Freud wasn’t entirely wrong. We can and should learn by examining the events, attitudes, and expectations that influence feelings.

But there are also times (and for me these are the more frequent) when ruminating on causes only makes things worse. Personally, I seldom find that my depression can be traced to an isolated and discrete anger, resentment, sorrow, disappointment, or whatever. When there is a localized problem like that, identifying it can help. But more often my low states seem due to many factors, most of which I can’t change.

Plus, even when there are specific conditions creating my mood, I don’t usually need to spend more than a short time mentally working on them. After a certain point, examination becomes obsession, and healing gets thwarted. In all honesty, I’m in little danger of overlooking any factor worsening my depression. Although I am capable of slowing my thoughts, I’m not capable of entirely stopping them. So most of the time whatever’s most troublesome gets explored sooner or later. If I can identify some way in which my attitude toward the problem could be softened, or I could take a larger view, then noticing the problem and changing my perspective often does lead to improvement. But this process of identification and adjustment does not require habitual explaining of the sort that I’m aiming to discourage. It only takes a moment to see a distortion and resolve it.

It’s also important, I think, to keep in mind that eliminating depression isn’t always the healthiest goal. Depression is a mental state that will resolve of its own accord and sometimes conveys rich messages. Finding the hidden meaning is a valuable undertaking at times. So recognizing causes can be important if it provides insight, even if it doesn’t lead to a better mood. But once the relevant factors and lessons are identified, it again becomes counterproductive to ruminate on them.

Wisdom means knowing how to choose the right tactic, for the right reason, in any situation. Often with depression the best option is deep and silent acceptance. But not always, and I appreciate Lynn’s pointing out the other side.

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