A fascinating examination of the brains of people who suffer from anxiety and depression has revealed some really interesting insight about how your brain works, and why its so hard to stop thinking once you get in a negative state.
According to a report on the study from Forbes, an examination of 9,000 brain imaging scans has showed that people who suffer from depression or anxiety show low levels of activity in areas of the brain responsible for “cognitive control,” while showing increased activity the parts of the brain which “process emotional thoughts and feelings.”
In other words: People who suffer from depression/anxiety have a harder time controlling their thoughts and keeping their mind from running away from them.
I mean, realistically speaking, this should surprise absolutely no one. If you suffer from depression or anxiety, you know that it is nearly impossible to control your thoughts or your feelings. But, for those of us who suffer, I would hope you can take a degree of comfort in this study, as it physically explains why your brain simply will not shut off on days where you are in pain: It can’t.
It’s okay. It’s not your fault. It never was. But this is just so interesting to me because it shows the biological mechanisms behind depression and anxiety. And it unquestionably lends credence to the notion that we have to treat depression, anxiety and other mental illness as a physical disease, rather than some separate emotional one.
As I’ve written in the past, there is a strong connection between rumination, depression and anxiety, and this study may help explain why: They are all physically connected.
Of course, this begs the question: What can we do about it? When our brains get “locked in” to this state, how can we alter it?
I mean, there’s the usual stuff: Therapy, medication, meditation, exercise, etc. We know that this stuff works to an extent.
I’m not even sure where to go from here, but I do think this study is absolutely fascinating. It provides a biological explanation that we already knew was out there. It explains why its so hard to stop our brains. I am walking, talking rumination, and I would LOOOOOVE to see what my head looks like when I get into a funk.
Let me wrap this entry up by adding to what I said before. If anything, I would hope that this study provides some perspective and can help get rid of some of the guilt and self-loathing that you may experience when you get into a depressed state. Depression and anxiety are not your fault. They never are and they never will be. And this entry helps to prove it. Your brain is, quite literally, working against you and making it hard for you to break out.
Mike Schlossberg - Author 