The New York Times – Health – Well – Mind – To Treat Depression, Drugs or Therapy? – By Richard A. Friedman, M.D. – Published: January 8, 2015
I have always sensed that learning, irrespective of the content, is strongly correlated to healing from depression. While I have wondered about various theories that support my observation, “To Treat Depression, Drugs or Therapy?” suggests an empirically validated biological explanation:
One explanation for the varying response is that a history of trauma early in life is strongly correlated with shrinkage of the hippocampus, a brain region critical to memory and learning. Perhaps if you are depressed with a compromised hippocampus, you need the active learning that comes with psychotherapy to beat your depression. Antidepressants alone may not suffice.
This touches on a hot topic in the world of mental health practitioners and academia who have spent the last 100 years arguing viciously over the merits of various treatments for mental health ailments, various camps at odds over what types of treatment are most effective. If the fertilizer for healing from traumatic experiences is anything that involves learning, everyone (except the pill promoters) is correct.
What a nice thought!