(with a h/t to Jessica Coblentz’ “Dust in the Blood: A Theology of Life With Depression”)

…that the aetiology of depression is just as much of a hot mess as it is for autism. The best minds have basically concluded that it could be caused by about a half dozen things and given up trying to arbitrate which is the right one. It could be particular gene expressions, hormones composing in a certain way, a particular mix of gut bacteria (yep, the tiny creatures sharing your body in your microbiome can change your mood!), brain chemistry, or none of these things. This is the case to such an extent that the DSM (diagnostic manual for psychologists in the USA) gave up completely since 1980 (this is referred to as “causal agnosticism”) and was revised to simply focus on symptoms. But then this is also a bit of a mess, as the DSM originally had an exclusion for major losses (so it might be considered normal to feel depressed for several months after losing a parent or spouse, this is the “bereavement specifier”), but bracketed out other non-bereavement losses (e.g. end of a significant romantic relationship, job loss, etc.) which might not be quite so culturally-sanctioned as “loss” and then the diagnostic manual was even further revised to exclude even bereavement as well. So context doesn’t matter either!

With that said, if you are feeling depressed, do please feel free to give me a shout. It’s part of my life and that of many other scholars and friends and while we’re not experts (lol, like there can be such a thing anyway apparently!) we are happy to share from our experience of getting through and navigating low mood as part of your lifeworld.