Depression: Just Another Addiction?

Came out of group therapy today with a real gold nugget, a theory thrown out to the group by the other engineer (read: left brain) in the room. I’ve had good group meetings before, but this is the first one that really left me thinking differently about my mental health situation (namely depression and anxiety). Better I’m not sure, but certainly through a new lens.

Now, being honest with yourself... posing these questions about your depression, wouldn’t your answer be the same as they would be for a crack addict, an alcoholic or a gambler?

I say yes. Now what does that say about how we treat depression? Are we on the right track? And an even tougher question...is rThe theory: That depression is just another addiction, a lifestyle we may not have chosen deliberately, but to some degree have chosen to retain; that depression meets the definition of addiction by virtually every measure:

• Does it control your day to day activities?
• Can you stop it? Can you control it or does it control you?
• Has it negatively affected your friends, family, job, finances?
• Does it define where you go and with whom you interact?
• Is it always on your mind?
• While wanting out, aren’t you actually afraid (if even minutely) of being better?
• Can you imagine getting through a day without it?
• Did it start off small and grow out of hand?
• Have you or do you still deny how serious the problem is?

Few could dispute that these questions essentially define what addiction is, and their answers tell you if you’ve got an addiction problem.

Now, being honest with yourself... posing these questions about your depression, wouldn’t your answer be the same as they would be for a crack addict, an alcoholic or a gambler?

I say yes. Now what does that say about how we treat depression? Are we on the right track? And an even tougher question...is recovery a lot more in our hands than we’ve believed/been led to believe until now?