The Mechanics of Depression ― The Metamorphosis of Melancholia

R3 Files Podcast ― The Success of Failure

In the 21st century we are constantly reminded that modern societies are interlinked via digital platforms and that, popular social forums are important to experience a sense of valid connection in order to improve our mental and physical wellbeing. The overall aim being to protect ourselves against a growing crisis of mental health disorders. This type of advice is constantly being channeled as a daily narrative via governments and the media to ostensibly improve an individual’s health. But how true is this observation of connectedness? As mentioned in a previous episode, is it not the case that the connections we make through technology are actually making us a more lonely species? Thus serving as a timely reminder of the elusive nature of mental health, which remains a dominating presence occupying the deepest recess of our thoughts.

I begin this episode by delving into the subject matter of mental illness from the context of English Literature, as portrayed in some of the greatest plays and novels in the world. This includes, Shakespeare’s Macbeth and the novel Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte. Another striking example of the troubled mind, but this time within the realm of art is by the German renaissance artist, Albrecht Dürer. Dürer's engraving called “Melencolia 1” is a powerful image which addresses the issue of personal malaise, or sadness in a prescriptive manner. In the modern context, what we now describe as depression was previously referred to as melancholia and was commonly understood to be a state of “human dejection” for almost two and a half millennia. Dürer seeks to imply that melancholy is prevalent in the most basic human endeavours not only in the world of artistic and intellectual genius but from a wider societal viewpoint.

This vexed matter is explored by first starting with a definition of depression as classified by the (DSM-5) manual which is the standard classification of mental disorders used by mental health professionals in North America. For instance, depressive disorder is characterized by an abnormal depressive mood known as dysphoria which refers to a state of general unhappiness. While, dysthymia is a longer lasting form of depression characterized by a tendency to be depressed without hope. I then proceed to review the various symptoms of depression, before examining each of these symptoms in greater detail. For instance: What are the specific thought patterns caused by depression? What are the behavioural patterns of depression? What are the physical symptoms of depression?
I then consider the more broader subject matter of, What are the known causes of depression? Traditionally, this included humoral explanations based on the four bodily humors: blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile. Also, mechanical explanations which were popular in the 18th century, which focused on poor blood circulation and a lowering of brain cells. From the 1960s onwards the dominant idea was that depression is caused by a chemical deficiency of neurotransmitters such as serotonin. This line of thought is referred to as “The Chemical Imbalance Theory” but has now been challenged, in favour of more sophisticated explanations based on the biological mechanisms which cause depression such as psychological and sociological causal factors.

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