It is typical in today's modern and Westernized culture when asked what to do about depression is that we look for nice, clear-cut solutions to any problem that arises – "if this...then do that", "if that...then do this and this"...Depression does not lend itself to such easy fixes! Because we tend to isolate each problem that occurs, or look at every piece of information on its own merits, we can miss the 'bigger picture' or fail to see the 'woods' for the trees. When it comes to physical, emotional or mental discomfort this has frequently come to mean looking for the apparently simplest solution to whatever ails us. If you get a headache, take some aspirin. If you get depressed, go to the doctor and he/she will give you some 'anti-depressants'. This is looking at the trees - the symptoms - without looking at the 'woods', the environment from which the 'tree' of our depression has sprung.

Treating symptoms of depression, rather than examining the root causes and looking at mind-body, or physical-emotional health 'in the round', with a holistic approach - results only in the immediate symptoms being 'salved'. Such symptoms are the body's way of telling us that there is something that it is not getting, or maybe that it is getting too much of something! Symptoms of physical ailment can be the 'manifestation' of the fact that the body's defense system is fighting off an infection. The symptoms can therefore help to determine what it is we need to do to assist the body in its fight.

Simplistically, when we get a cold we may find that we seem to begin craving liquids, or juices and other things that contain vitamin C. At other times when we are ill we lose our appetite - this may at first seem strange, but the 'processing and digesting' of food is actually one of the most stressful activities the body has to undertake. Lack of appetite, and abstinence from eating for a while enables the body to focus all of its resources on fighting off an infection. So reduced appetite is an effective natural response that redirects the body's natural energy and defensive powers.

When considering what to do about depression we need to understand that depression is also a sign or symptom, but of emotional, psychological, or mental distress. Simplistically it is a sign that we're not happy. That sounds pretty obvious, but think about it for a moment. Due to the fact that we have lost a lot of our native instincts, thanks to 'modern living', we often have to rely on our subconscious mind to try and get messages through into our conscious world. Using a pharmaceutical solution to try and 'cure' our problem simply 'nullifies' the effort that our subconscious is making to inspire us to proper action. This means that 'pill-popping' can go on for a protracted time as our symptoms persist, or seem to re-merge whenever we try to 'come away' from the medication.

When symptoms of depression are intense, or profound, and our desire even to continue living feels almost 'quashed' - it may be that using chemical intervention has some benefit at such times. But it should not be forgotten that the problem that inspired the depression still remains to be dealt with. Thus the real challenge begins, because it is incumbent upon us to delve into those aspects of our lives that might be uncomfortable to face up to...(article "What to do about Depression" - continues)