Depression is so hard to understand.  Why does it happen?  What’s the purpose, the reason that people get depressed? It seems that nature always has her reasons, but with depression, the reasons are mysterious.  I have no conclusions, but here are two interesting quotes and a graph I’ve been thinking about:

Depression is a response that lessens further stress or trauma by shutting down, allowing time to process what has already occurred.

–Bruce Campbell, one of my Chronic Fatigue/Fibromyalgia gurus, Moving Beyond Loss 

 

Perhaps what we call depression isn’t really a disorder at all but, like physical pain, an alarm of sorts, alerting us that something is undoubtedly wrong; that perhaps it is time to stop, take a time-out, take as long as it takes, and attend to the unaddressed business of filling our souls.

—Lee Stringer, quoted in an article on Brainpickings.org

 

from Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute http://www.traumahealing.org/about-se.php

 

In your comments, please refrain from advice-giving or judgments. Stick to your own experience. “For me…” is a lot more helpful than “You should….”