Unmasking Depression: The Evolutionary Catalyst for Growth

Exposing the True Purpose of Depression and Rejecting the Folly of Big Pharma

Amid the sharp increase of mental health issues in the industrialized world lies a problematic remedy offered by pharmaceutical companies, which is the use of drugs to treat depression. Big Pharma is incentivized to create detrimental medical solutions to perplexing, but otherwise normal mental states that people find themselves in. Depression is one of those states, and it serves a VITAL evolutionary purpose in the path toward individuation.

Depression is a prolonged mental state characterized by feelings and ailments such as anxiety, hopelessness, low energy, insomnia, agitation, social withdrawl and a diminished capacity to feel pleasure. Severe cases can lead to suicidal thoughts and an aversion of life’s challenges.

It's commonly thought of as merely a mental problem; but whether it arises from the mind or not, it also causes physical impairments such as the loss of appetite and fatigue, which inevitably leads to stark behavior shifts.

The isolation aspect of depression is similar to when you are sick, and you naturally just want to keep to yourself. This is thought to be due to shifts in the immune system which lead to the greater production of cytokines. Cytokines can be produced when the body is experiencing an infection or inflammation, and they are associated with the desire to socially isolate. While there is clearly a difference in the chemical and immunal state of an individual with depression, it's not the cause, but rather just a symptom.

Doctors and scientists have claimed that depression is a chemical imbalance, and as such, it should be treated with medicine. Depression does entail hormonal fluctuation, but treating this as the problem itself is simply putting the cart before the horse. This is typical of Big Pharma, as they often want to solve the symptoms, rather than address the ROOT CAUSES that lead to the disharmony in the first place. To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail, and to a mediocre doctor with a patient, every problem needs a pill.

The true cause of depression is complex; but it is commonly associated with highly stressful life situations, a lack of perceived control, and a poor lifestyle. It’s ultimately an unmet expectation or need that is emerging as a strong emotional and behavioral influence.

Hence, depression often surfaces as a feeling of great turmoil between the self, the persona, and the ego, almost as if one's beliefs begin to gnaw away at a weakening pride in one's identity. This disturbance is why depressed individuals tend to have a fragmented self-image, which reflects a disharmony between the governing forces of personality and behavior. The resulting low or chaotic self-esteem can have many ramifications, namely a low confidence level, which makes the prosepect of taking control of the situation seem insurmountable.

Do you think that a pill can solve a poorly integrated sense of self, unhelpful beliefs, or lifestyle issues? Suppressing this natural state delays the process of individuation and adaptation that the body and mind so strongly desire, which paradoxically causes the illness to hang around until it is not only confronted, but understood.

Many other lifeforms experience depressive states as well, such as rodents, primates, fish, birds and dogs. This likely means that it serves as an evolutionary advantage, but how could depression actually be helpful? Typically, there are two features present in depression, which are rumination and lower energy consumption.

Rumination is a looping mental state in which someone thinks about the same negative experiences or thoughts for an indefinite period of time. The salience of one's most pressing issues, paired with social isolation, can be seen as a powerful state for problem-solving. Perhaps, this enhanced ability to analyze problems lends advantages to animals who can experience depressive states, although depression is typically associated with less vibrant brain activity.

Furthermore, the low-energy state of depression results in a slower consumption of calories, which has made it a useful tool for our ancestors in circumstances where starving to death was a true threat. While most of us do not have the prospect of starving to death, the body is preparing itself for circumstances it perceives as threatening to survival.

While many interpret this finding as a sign that we are not adapted for modernity, this actually seems to be a reliable indicator that an individual needs to make a change in their lifestyle. It's quite absurd to conceal this natural phenomenon, which could strip someone of their deepest intuitions that indirectly seek to re-light one’s extinguished flame.

Depression is more common in the industrialized world compared to villages and hunter-gatherer circumstances. Aspects of modernity such as low levels of exercise, boredom, and low income have a positive correlation with depression, whereas lifestyles more similar to our ancestors which were characterized by increased physical exertion, and adequate access to resources.

This is a miraculous finding, because it means that depression is largely a LIFESTYLE ISSUE. Our bodies are looking out for us, and this is why they put us into an energy conserving, problem-solving state when we are stressed out and perceive unfavorable circumstances to be likely in our present or future. This adaptation involves the body prioritizing survival over reproduction and other behaviors typically associated with good health.

This is why exercise and socialization are critical components to maintaining a healthy mental state, and it's something that people who live in tribes normally get more of, where we in our modern individualistic world of office jobs and suburbs often do not. Depression is like a COMPASS which points in the direction of a BETTER LIFE, but only if you respond to the call-to-action demanded by its presence.

While many view depression as something exclusively negative, let's take a look at what nature herself rewards and her methods. Charles Darwin presumed that all life seeks to merely survive, but it's clear that intelligent, non-homogenized life wants to thrive.

Why does the lion FEEL invigorated after eating the gazell? Why do humans FEEL content after a productive day? On the opposite end of the spectrum, why do we FEEL remorse after a squandered day, or even worse, a LIFE which has been wasted? The body typically rewards those who actively participate in challenging endeavors with BETTER HEALTH and a POSITIVE MOOD, which in return correlate to genetic fitness.

The downside of the fact that nature rewards us, is that she also punishes us for not reaching our perceived potential. Those who are in stressful circumstances, where the body regards itself as low status or likely to endure struggle, prioritize survival over genetic fitness and propagating the species.

While depression can be debilitating, it's important to recognize it as a SIGNAL from your body that you need to change something about your life. Bubbling up from your unconscious is a warning that you are likely headed for rough times, and that is critical to pay attention and respond to in the pursuit of a life well lived.

The very act of understanding that depression is an evolved feature, rather than a bug, allows us to remove the stigma associated with it. In this light, any time someone experiences a depressive state, rather than feeling pity for themselves, it prompts them to take action and courageously move away from the lifestyle and beliefs held that lead to the issue in the first place. Armed with this greater understanding, one should scoff at doctors and Big Pharma, who view this state as an ERROR, as something that should be quelled through the use of DRUGS.

Pharmaceutical companies do not want individuals to be informed on the true nature of depression. If a doctor could prescribe a Get Your Shit Together pill, they probably would, but that's not how modern medicine works. While not all doctors are like this, this reflects a big problem with the modern medical practices.

Every mental or physical ailment that people have is only seen through the lens of financial gain, and providing a subscription-based "service" which you pay for every month. It's almost as if they do not have your best interest at heart, that maybe you are alone in this world when it comes to your health.

This is a fundamental understanding which will change how you view your health, rather than feeling like you have no control, you absolutely have a LOT of control through self-education and lifestyle changes. Doctors are not the only source for health knowledge, and in fact they should often be the last resort in mental health matters, not the first.

Science is often mistaken for TRUTH when it's actually a PURSUIT of truth. While taking medicine for depression may not be completely counter-productive in all circumstances, it should NEVER be treated as a fix all solution.

As a society, it's important for us to develop an understanding of depression that is based on reality, rather than blindly going with what Big Pharma and doctors tell us. As Friedrich Nietzsche once said, "There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy."

Covering up these legitimate signals from your body is comparable to repeatedly getting an important, potentially life or death message, and then ignoring it. One should relish in the fact that his body labors day and night, delivering insights and awareness through FEELINGS and MENTAL STATES.

We liberators of the soul harness negative emotional states, especially depression, as a source of TRANSFORMATIONAL ENERGY, as a direct challenge from the universe, demanding that we pursue our INTUITIVE DESIRES. By understanding these warnings from the body and mind, rather the succumbing to them, nature will remove her punishment, blowing one's sail full of a STRONG, ANIMATING LIFE FORCE once again!