Posted by SLS on November 12, 2012, at 13:10:05
In reply to Depression is Infectious Inflammation, posted by bleauberry on November 10, 2012, at 5:35:08
I had an interesting conversation with my doctor this morning. He seems to be drifting in the direction of your doctor regarding the notion of infection mediating depression. A little searching on Google demonstrates a growing interest in this.
My doctor wrote the following articles detailing infection, inflammation, and psychiatric symptoms.
However, I also found the following article. It provides some evidence to support my contention that inflammation could be the result of MDD rather than its cause.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120105112235.htm
The following article provides a basis for a theory that depression accompanies infection as an adaptive response.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120301103756.htm
I think that depression normally functions to prevent an individual from spending too much time, energy, and stress in pursuing a futile goal. It allows one to accept and adapt to his environment. Major Depressive Disorder might be a derangement in the physiological dynamics of this otherwise healthy process.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=depressions-evolutionary
Looking at the big picture, it seems to me that the word "depression" represents a plethora of conditions with a broad range of etiologies. It doesn't make sense to me to look at depression as being a singular pathology.
- ScottSome see things as they are and ask why.
I dream of things that never were and ask why not.- George Bernard Shaw
poster:SLS
thread:1030987
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20121029/msgs/1031135.html