The fact is that biological
depression is a part of life for millions of older adults. Yet, that may be the
tip of the iceberg for a syndrome that blends into the common experience of
practically everyone who reaches older ages. Ancient wisdom combined with new
scientific evidence sheds a light on how the inevitable struggle of aging—even
biological depression—can be turned into your best life possible.
“In a
spiritually sensitive culture, it might well be that age is something to be
admired or envied.” Rowan D. Williams
Major Depression (aka: clinical depression)
is a brain disorder. A terrible condition that can strike at any age; yet, it is estimated that there
are seven million older adults with depression in the U.S. An added five
million have what’s known as a “subsyndromal” depression—meaning they have
depression symptoms but don’t meet enough official criteria to get the
diagnosis. What that means is that there are an awful lot of people in what
ought to be the golden years of life dealing with dreadful sad and nervous moods
and/or having sleep and energy difficulties, losing desire or pleasure in even
basic things such as eating and being with others, dealing with increased aches
and pains, and having awful thoughts about life and themselves.
In the midst of all the symptoms of this
insidious illness, there lies something that may be equally disturbing. It may
or may not surprise you to hear that at the core of all depressions are psychological
issues that are common to practically everyone as we get older. I’ll explain.
Children can totally immerse themselves in
a fantasy world. Even as they grow up and into young adulthood, they can still live
in a form of fantasy—that their lives will last forever. Even the first
inklings of “Oh my gosh, I’m turning 30,” can be easily distracted from at that
age.
Eventually, the distractions and denial collide
with reality—the reality that everyone and everything we love and cherish
including our own existence will be gone. Reaching retirement, the death of
friends and family, the loss of looks and abilities with increasing medical
conditions, these are all intrusions into that youthful fantasy which can lead
to what the poet Thoreau called “lives of quiet desperation.”
Add the increasing vulnerability to brain chemistry
imbalances and the twelve million older adults with known and reported symptoms
of depression may just be the tip of the iceberg.
So is this the inevitable outcome of
leading a human life—that our older years are bound to be fraught with grief
and the stress of aging, which also raises our odds of having a clinical
depression? The answer is not only “no,” the outcome can be the opposite…if
it’s played right.
Examples abound in both religious and
nonreligious circles of individuals who, in their older years, are endowed with
such wisdom and heightened maturity that they find peace and contentment they
had never known before.
Then, looking to the East, there’s the
classic story of Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha who, having grown up
insulated, was exposed to old age, sickness and death in a way that shocked and
depressed him. (Remind you of the more gradual anguish that comes from getting
older?) Using that heightened awareness, he Awakened himself to a reality that
has been described as Nirvana, an ecstatic realization that brought him to a
higher level of living than he had ever imagined possible.
So what does this myth—if it is actually
all a myth—have to do with clinical depression in older adults? Plenty. Because
there was a Siddhartha and he did realize something that has been passed down
faithfully over thousands of years to modern times: that suffering can spur
great Awakening. And that great Awakening reveals the mystery and amazement of life
every second we are alive.
Now granted Major Depression is a brain
disease. However, as much as we know about the biological causes of depression,
we are learning more and more about the potential of the brain (called
neuroplasticity) to undergo radical change at any time of life. Any time of
life!
Let’s put two and two together: The brain
can get sick and cause depression. The brain can also be trained to radically
evolve into a great Awakening—a stage of extraordinary maturity known to a
small segment of the population for thousands of years. It means a blissful excitement
and appreciation for life and pleasant tranquility all the remaining days of your
life.
Ergo, get the sick brain well with:
·
Complementary healthcare (blending
alternative healthcare with conventional medicine)
·
Modern life and wellness
practices (all the things you’d learn in the self-help section of a bookstore,
from diet advice to how to organize clutter to ways to manage stress)
·
Meditation or contemporary
brain exercises used for the same purpose as meditation (the subject of my book
and workshops)
Of course, you need a clear and concise
game plan, based on brain sciences, complementary psychiatry and modern
life-wellness. And all of it has to be geared specifically for the purpose of
promoting the highest stages of brain
development known (that is, “Awakened” levels).
So, that’s how it is technically done. The
inevitable suffering and shock of advancing age—even clinical depression—can be
used for transformation into unimaginable appreciation, meaning and life-satisfaction.
Yet, to be able to implement this rigorous
game plan there must be structures in place for community support, professional
guidance and education in a variety of areas. However, regardless of the
difficulty and need for a clear plan and support structures, the larger point
is that nothing can take away from the heartening fact that negativity around aging
can be transformed into a
better, brighter and more amazing experience of being alive.
Sound like pie in the sky? Many major discoveries,
like human flight, were based on what was possible. Just as flight
revolutionized human society, heightened brain development has the potential to
significantly transform how we look at aging.
Jeff Skolnick, MD, PhD is author of the
book Awaken Your Brain and can be
found online at www.SatoriWest.net.
No comments:
Post a Comment