Depression is a whole-body illness-it involves the body, nervous system, moods, thoughts, and behavior. The purpose of the paper is to identify the etiology and the treatment of major depression from a psychoanalytic and cognitive perspective. Depression is a very complex and dark disease in which a patient gets into strong self-denial and lack of self-confidence. It is a nagging negative experience, which almost takes the form of physical pain. It results in the feeling of smothering and confinement within the darkness of blue feelings of insecurity and doom. (Balch, 2005).
Depression from a psychoanalytic perspective is not just pure chemical imbalance which is based on the level of neurotransmitters. The new evidence suggests the disease has symptoms that indicate a neurological disorder that is degenerative and it creates disruption in the structure as well as the function of the brain cells. It also destroys the nerve cell connections (Marano,1999). It also kills certain brain cells and results in the cognitive decline of a person.
It also sets in neural roadblocks which results in a decline in the processing of information and holds back the patient from responding to the challenges of life. (Marano, 1999). When a person suffers from depression, there is a marked alteration in the emotional state which results from the dysfunction of some of the key brain structures like the hippocampus, the amygdala, and prefrontal cortex
This fault in the circuit results in obstruction of the generation of positive feelings and enhanced disruptive negative ones. Stress is another major factor that acts as a trigger for depressive disorder. The malfunction which sets in maybe resulting from environmental circumstances or faulty genes, or a mixture of both.
It has been noted that there is the possibility of rebuilding the nerve cells which have been destroyed by dysfunction and malfunction of the nerve cells. The nerve cells can be restored by effective use of antidepressant medication, electroshock which can help stimulate the neurons in the key regions of the brain. This would encourage behavior flexibility. There is hope that neurochemical pathways can be identified and this would revolutionize the therapy for better and faster and safer results. (Balch,2005).
The psychoanalytic treatment for depression would require a visit to the doctor once a week to help identify the unconscious internal conflicts leading to self-inflictive behavior. These internal conflicts can be identified in the symptoms of denial, troubles related to childhood experiences, negligence, and abuse.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
This has been considered the most practiced and popular therapy for depression. This approach focuses on the patient’s behavior as the object of study and emphasizes those patients with strong negative feelings of self-rejection and self-criticism, which results in the symptoms of major depression. The therapy aims to identify the causes of the negativity and pessimism and find a way to draw the patient out of this vicious cycle. (Balch, 2005).
They strongly advocate that the neurons of the brain can change if sprouting of the new dendritic spines is induced in the form of small fibrous protrusions which play a primary role in receiving the connections and restoring the nerve cells. This phenomenal change has the power to open up new neural pathways which can encourage new learning, induce the change of behavior, help face new challenges and encourage to adapt to new circumstances (Marano,1999).
They recommend that the patient should be encouraged to think positively and increase social participation so that negativity that intensifies in isolation can be controlled. It is suggested that patients should be encouraged to participate in individual and group sessions for six to eight weeks for supportive cognitive treatment based on the severity of the disorder along with medical supplements.
Reference
Balch, F.B & Balch, A. (2005). “Prescription for Nutritional Healing”.Avery Publishing Group. New York.
Feldman, R.S. (2006). “Understanding Psychology.” Psychological Disorders. Mcgraw Hill.
Marano, H.E. (1999). “Depression: Beyond serotonin. ” Psychology Today. Vol.32. No.2. ProQuest Psychology Journals. Pg.30.