As part of my continuing series on psychological topics from the perspective of a political scientist, the author looks at depression as a psychological phenomenon. His training in the social sciences and particularly politics, so I have no particular information on this subject except for personal experience and readings that he has done. We should now ask the obvious question: what is depression? Depression means many things to many people, from the down and out from one recent crisis brought upon by a thought, to the long-term pathological form dealt with by psychiatrists using MOIs or similar drugs. Most of us will never deal with such depression, and the only drug we might take to deal with our problems is marijuana, only for short-term relief and liberating of the mind.

What is depression? For the sake of this essay, depression is a negative short-term reaction to a single immediate event or thought. This reaction can be very powerful, dominating the psyche, and forcing us to address it fully before moving on. Often such reaction is based on fear that can almost take over the self, so powerful and based on the worst case scenario. One of the keys to overcoming such an episode is simple. Put it in perspective and remember that you're only considering the worst case possible. Depression is rarely logical or straightforward, but it is grounded in fear.

Many of us have tried working out the problem causing the depression immediately with poor results. When you are depressed, you are in no shape to address any one specific problem, and certainly not the problem that is causing your depression. Trying to immediately resolve a problem causing depression with action is dangerous and should never be done! When you are depressed, you aren't thinking straight. Trying to resolve the problem in your head by considering all the possible ramifications of a problem is not likely to be much better. You will inevitably continue to focus on the most negative possibility and not be able to consider just reasonable possibilities. Even worst, it is likely you will start to drift onto other problems, and start looking at the most negative aspects of those problems.

Only real solution for dealing with an episode of depression is to repress your thoughts on the issue. This is where drugs often come in to help the individual in need. Most people don't need drugs, and with their side effects and costs it is hard to advocate any form of medication. Getting stoned or taking happy pills might make you feel better, but they deny yourself and can be dangerous in case of marijuana. The other way of repression is to change your environment in a way that the stimuli that created the episode disappears. If you can, run up to the woods or to another rural area where you are free from bureaucratic hassles of urban life. This has worked in the past for myself, but obviously it's often impossible to do in our world of scheduled appointments and red tape.

We often have to find ways to make our world more favorable from where we currently sit. Turn on a good radio station, and get lost in the music. Music can certainly change the individual's mood. Listen to a talk program on the radio and learn about something that is exciting a new. Look at something you like, or do an activity that you particularly enjoy. Just don't think too much about other bigger policy questions: your depression might drag them down. Do whatever you can to escape the stimuli to your depression, as long as it's reasonably appropriate for your social environment.

When your happier again, then is the time to bring back the problem that started your depressed moments. Chances are good that when you are happy, you will rationally consider what made you so down, and realize that the worst case scenario is unlikely to happen. At that point, you are in good shape to consider the ramifications of any decision that brought on the depression. Do not act for a number of hours or even days on what caused the depression, as you need to fully mull over your choices. After all, if something is causing you such pain that it is making you depressed, it is obvious that any decision you make will have serious consequences on your life.

After a decision is made, you have to realize its time to look towards future decisions. Some people have depression caused by post-decision making anxiety, but one must remember that you can't control the past or future: only the present. Follow the previous steps of getting away from the stimuli, refocusing your attention, and then when feeling better making plans for the future to deal with such stress. It's not always easy to deal with depression, but when you find ways to overcome the weaknesses in the self, it's far easier to deal with the often-harsh world around us.

Again, the author wants to emphasize that this fodder is based on personal experience and my knowledge of radical psychology. It might not be totally correct or applicable to all people, but I think that looking at thoughts and decision making has helped me as an individual in the past. People who read this and have ideas on depression or anything else can contact me by clicking the link at the bottom of the page.