Key Depression Question: Do You Feel Better on Vacation?
Did you know that in South America, there's no such thing as a stomachache?
You don't walk up to an Ecuadorian and say, "I have a stomachache" because that's useless information to them. It's too broad, too generic, and not at all helpful.
Instead, you specify whether it's the upper stomach or lower stomach that's causing the pain.
Is it your upper stomach (where food goes after you eat) that's hurting? Or is it your lower stomach (where your intestines are working to clear waste from your body)?
By providing that specific information, they can offer appropriate help. Treating an upper stomach stomachache is different from treating a lower stomach stomachache, and that's vital information.
Now, you might be wondering why I'm blabbering about stomachs and South America. If you rolled your eyes and thought, "Oh God, she's setting up an analogy again," you're absolutely right. That's exactly what I'm doing.
As many of you know, I'm currently focused on sharing solutions for depression. During the years when I was figuring out how to overcome depression, I learned an immense amount about this condition, and it helped me. I delved deep into the subject, discovered solutions that worked for me, and now I no longer struggle with depression.
Now I badly want to organize that information and share it in a helpful way. Put together a little “here is everything that helped me overcome depression and, by the way, 90% of what I needed to understand was that our society is clueless about what causes and what heals depression,” guide.
So, I'm working on it, making progress day by day. However, I don't want to wait until I have a perfectly polished guide to share what I've learned. Right now, 17.8% of adults in the US are dealing with depression.
That's 45,985,104 people if you’re wondering. 17.8% of a 258,343,281 person the over-18 population.
And here's what I wish every single one of those 46 million people knew: Just like a South American doctor wants to know if it's the upper or lower stomach that hurts...
People suffering from depression need to be asked, "Does your depression a) get better on vacation or b) stay the same no matter where you are or what you're doing?"
That question was the key that unlocked my path and made it possible for me to overcome depression. Dr. Mohan Advani, a wonderful psychiatrist (who has since passed), did some "depression detective work" with me, and that was THE question that gave him the insight to help me.
"Keely, you're clearly in the middle of a depressive episode. You have no energy, no vitality. Life feels like a heavy burden, and you sometimes wonder if being dead would be better than being alive."
"Based on your history, I understand that you've been experiencing cycles of depression throughout your entire adult life and that you've been on antidepressants since you were 19."
"So, here's my final diagnostic question: If I offered to send you on your dream vacation right now, without having to worry about money or time off, would you go?"
And when I enthusiastically said, "Yes, absolutely, I would 100% go," he said, "Great. The treatment protocols you've been pursuing for the last 7 years were basically a waste of time because the type of depression you have, where you feel different on vacation compared to your day-to-day life — it doesn't respond to those treatments."
"So here's what we're going to do instead..."
And he was right. Once I realized that my "I feel better on vacation than in my day-to-day life" depression needed a different approach than "I feel exactly the same no matter where I am or what I'm doing" depression, everything changed.
Everything.
So, if you're struggling with depression, maybe ask yourself that question. Or ask your loved ones if they are. If you're in my camp, if your depression gets better when you go on vacation, I can help you. Whether it's through the eventual publication of this guide or through one-on-one work in my shamanic energy medicine practice.
And if I'm not your cup of tea, that's perfectly fine. But knowing that the treatment protocols are different for these two types of depression — it's information worth having and I hope it helps.
Keely