Depression Is A Mental Illness.

[RATTER15]

So I wonder if there is depression in uncivilised communities, in outback/jungle tribes etc.?

[grasscarp]

I am sure the human brain is operating in a similar fashion wherever it is in the world. I was reading recently a terrible report about those suffering with mental problems in Bali and they get locked up in rooms without basic facilities for years at a time - all hidden from tourists.

[RATTER15]

I once read a lot a lot about Manic Depression after being with a manic depressive partner.

It appeared to me at the time that manic depression was a learned behaviour rather than inherited, I think I am right in saying that very often manic depression runs in families, usually passed on from mothers to their children.

[ummmm]

I'm sure there is but do wonder is it the pressures society puts on people that makes it so prevalent in the west.

[andy-hughes]

Interesting.

Any mental illness requires an awareness of 'self' and the level of that awareness will depend on the sophistication of the society in which the individual finds him or herself.

I would suggest therefore that Indian tribes living an equivalent Stone Age life are unlikely to suffer depression in the way that someone living in a complex Western society could experience.

[RATTER15]

Very good point Andy, yes totally agree that environmental conditions and way of life would greatly impact on what would normally be a manageable condition.

[ludwig]

I think in the really primitive societies, the mentally ill people are just the ones 'possessed by evil spirits'.

There's no need to look abroad for this - you can also go back in our own history to examine the same question.

[boxtops]

I'm sure there would be, but it would be one of those inexplicable things to them. It's only is very recent years that we have been able to be open about any sort of mental illness, and to have proper diagnoses. In more primitive societies, there are also rituals for dealing with dying etc which may be helpful to the community in dealing with these things, and seeing ordinary misery and sadness as a normal process. Our "must have" society doesn't help us, either.

[Old_Geezer]

For sure. Why not ?

[woofgang]

Not sure if this helps but i was taught that there are effectively two kinds of, or maybe better to say "aspects of" depression and these are reactive and endogenous. In both kinds you get chemical changes in the body so neither is the same as "feeling sad"or being upset.
The endogenous kind is what we would now describe as the depressive aspect of being bi polar. Its purely a chemical imbalance and likely one of the things that a primitive society would call being possessed. As it probably wouldn't be considered lucky or safe to mate with a possessed person, also any existing children would likely be considered tainted, its easy to understand how the genetic aspect of the condition would quickly vanish.
Reactive depression is more complicated. Almost anybody hit with enough bad stuff, for long enough can become reactively depressed. Antidepressants can work, indicating that there is a chemical imbalance issue, but other non chemical interventions can also help which suggests that the normally healthy body can self regulate. We know that activities that increase the pleasure hormone, such as exercise, even doing enjoyable activities can help as can some kinds of talking therapies.
RATTER, I'd love to know what led you to the conclusion that being bipolar was a learned behaviour?

[DTCwordfan]

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/10/121004-animals-depression-health-science/

How about monkeys etc......?

[EDDIE51]

I am sure it is as old as mankind, I am certain that people in ancient Rome for example got depression that was a highly developed and complex society that must have given its inhabitants the same problems we have.

[EDDIE51]

Read this link it confirms what I thought, depression has been described since the second millennia BC
http://www.gulfbend.org/poc/view_doc.php?&id=12995&cn=5

[jno]

with animals: maybe but we can't be sure because they can't talk about symptoms so we can only go by observable ones

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/10/121004-animals-depression-health-science/

[kevanswerbank]

I guess so Ratter because some depression is caused by faulty brain liquids rather than external events. But it would be interesting to hear from some isolated tribe. By the way, I heard on the Radio 4 appeal that there are 1 million people with Bipolar Disorder, that it takes 10 years on average to diagnose, and that they are 20 times more likely than ordinary people to commit suicide.

[RATTER15]

Woofgang, I cant remember where I read it, it was on the internet somewhere. there are a few bits here about it being a learned behaviour.

https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=is%20depression%20a%20learned%20behavior

[woofgang]

but RATTER all of those google links come to the conclusion that it isn't a learned behaviour!

[RATTER15]

Oh, Like I said, I read up on it a long time ago, I just put up those Google links to show that it is/was a theory.