Depression isn’t caused by a shortage of serotonin
Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash
If you or someone you love suffers from depression, a helpful thing to know is that depression is not caused by a shortage of serotonin.
Allow me to say that again for the folks in the back:
Depression. Is. NOT. Caused. By. A. Shortage. Of. Serotonin.
In an ideal world, most people reading this would already know that. “Of course it’s not caused by a shortage of serotonin, Keely. Duh. That’s a reductionist model of depression. It takes something complicated and boils it down to a catchy (and well marketed) oversimplification. Besides, this has been well-documented in research journals for more than a decade.”
Is depression real? Yes.
Is it painful? Yes. As a former sufferer of chronic depression, I can confirm that it’s excruciating.
And…it’s also not caused by a shortage of serotonin.
Some people who meet the clinical definition of depression have elevated levels of serotonin. Others have reduced levels of serotonin. Some are right there in the serotonin sweet spot.
And–serotonin levels aside, they’re still suffering.
That’s why I’m writing this.
Personally, I couldn’t care less whether your depression is caused by a shortage of serotonin, chronic inflammation, trauma, an aversion to your job or an allergy to the color purple. There’s not a “right” cause and a “wrong” cause, a “noble” cause and a “weak” cause. There’s just a cause. That’s it.
What I do care about–passionately–is root cause resolution.
If you suffer from depression, I want you to be able to find a solution that works for you.
And I’m red hot peeved when people can’t find root cause resolution for their depression because of the serotonin myth. (“This is just the hand I was dealt. Some people’s bodies manufacture the right amount of neurotransmitters but mine doesn’t. My doctors haven’t yet found the pill that works for my unique chemical makeup, so I’m just stuck feeling this way. It is what it is.”)
Yes, perhaps your depression is what it is. Maybe it is a “black dog” that will follow you for all your days. But what if it’s not? What if understanding that a serotonin shortage isn’t the problem helps you find a solution that works for you?
I’m not just saying that as a hypothetical. I’m saying that as a lived reality. My personal experience follows that pattern: when I thought that my body didn’t produce the right blend of neurotransmitters, that I was simply one of the unfortunate few, I lived in cycles of chronic depression. I tried meds, I tried therapy, I did the things I was supposed to do. And I watched in horror as year after year, I got worse instead of better.
Then I had the good fortune of working with a psychiatrist who told me to stop giving away my power. He turned me into a depression detective. I dove down rabbit holes, reading textbooks, peer-reviewed studies, self-help books…you name it.
And, in 2015, I was lucky enough to learn that the chemical imbalance theory of depression was simply that–a theory. A hypothesis that had largely been disproven.
Now, in 2022, it’s conclusively been disproven.
I’m not a doctor. I’m not a scientist. I’m not even a journalist.
I’m a writer. A writer who enjoys sharing ideas. So here’s the idea I’m sharing today: If you or someone you love struggles with depression and an outdated theory is interfering with you finding root cause resolution for your specific situation, I hope that this idea helps.
If you want to know more about the science behind it, dig in. Dig in, dig in, dig in.
Here’s a video to start with (thanks Austen).
Here’s a fairly short article published in the Journal of Molecular Psychiatry.
I keep thinking that I ought to write an ebook about depression and maybe I will. Maybe I’ll wade through the data and put it in crisp, clear terms. Or maybe I won’t. We’ll see.
What I won’t do, however, is wait until I have every itty bitty piece of information in one place to share helpful tidbits. That’s held me back in the past and too many people are actively suffering from depression for me to wait.
So, this is my musing for today. I hope it helps.
If it doesn’t help, I at least hope it doesn’t hurt. Here’s a critical message from a harm-reduction standpoint: if you are taking medications such as SSRIs for your depression, DO. NOT. STOP. because of something a stranger on the Internet said. First off, they might still be helping, even if it’s not for the reason we thought (see the YouTube video I shared). Second off, antidepressants are serious medications. Never stop them without the help of a professional. Doing so can have real and lasting consequences. Personally, I spent seven years on antidepressants. When it was time for me to stop taking them, I did a YEAR-LONG WEAN. A year. 365 days. And I still had a rough experience, even going that slowly. This is serious stuff. Treat it that way.
