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 Marty L. Cooper, MFT

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April 2011                       Vol. 3, Issue 5 
Greetings!

Greetings! 

Here is the Q&A number 8, which touches on the depressive symptoms of anhedonia and hypersomnia, and the problem with self-blame.  With depression, we keep running into this problem of blaming ourselves for our suffering, and thinking that provides us with a solution:  fix my broken self.  But it doesn't work, so see below for some thoughts on why that might be.

May the entry into Spring find you in good health and spirits.

Be well,
Marty
Q: When I feel depressed, I sleep...a lot. What's wrong with me that I can't just go outside and enjoy the sunshine? 
  
A:    So, two symptoms of depression are at work here:  hypersomnia (excessive sleep) and anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure).

           Hypersomnia is that state that often accompanies depression, where you sleep...a lot, more than your normal pattern.  (Insomnia is the other common symptom, where you sleep too little.  80% of depressed individuals experience sleep problems.)  Hypersomnia often involves increase in nighttime, as well as daytime sleep, and is a response (as is insomnia) to stress in general that may be triggering depression, as well as the stress of depression itself.  Some of this sleep actually can feel restful, and compensate for the stress, but often it makes one feel more groggy and un-rested.  Which is hard enough, but then this very un-rest can be interpreted as laziness or as something being wrong with oneself, contributing to the depression.

            The second symptom, anhedonia (from Greek, "without pleasure"), is the inability to experience pleasure, where the sunshine just isn't enjoyable.  Scientists describe this as an effect of depression, in that depression apparently compromises the dopamine reward system in the brain, where the normal chemical reward (dopamine is the "feel good" brain chemical) doesn't happen so easily, where the brain has to work harder than usually to get a pleasant (chemical) reaction to what is normally pleasant experience.  Why you can't just enjoy the sunshine is at least in part because, being depressed, your brain looks at the sunshine and just kind of shrugs.

            Now, since depression has much to do with how we interpret our experience (Aaron Beck, the originator of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, had the great insight into what we now take for granted:  thoughts influence emotions and moods), hypersomnia and anhedonia usually are themselves pretty depressing.  In other words, to find yourself lethargic and less productive, and unable to find pleasure where you are used to experiencing it, both can be interpreted as not just impersonal effects of a complex illness-depression-but as signs that there's something wrong with us, our bodies are breaking down, or that even life itself is broken.  Otherwise, why would we be feeling so bad?

           But in terms of working with depression, it's very important to hold in mind that these are common (shared by many) symptoms of a very common (pervasive) illness whose origins are still uncertain.  As much as depression may try to make the case for your suffering being because of you, personally, individually, essentially...it's simply not, at the end of the day, that personal.  

            And why is this important?  Because in over-personalizing the experience, one ends up in blame--"What's wrong with me that I can't..."--and thus get caught up in a loop of, "There's something broken about me and I need to fix it to stop suffering."  Then you look for what's broken, identify it--"I think too much," or, "I feel too much"--and set about fixing it.  Except that depression is too complex to so easily explain (even now, the causes of depression are poorly understood, as much as the symptoms can be clearly identified), and also depression is not about a broken self.  Depression is about too many things, generally--the body's response to stress, patterns of negative thinking, a genetic predisposition to reactivity, trauma, spiritual malaise, cultural oppression and objectification...at least...--to make it so easily "fixed," as if it were a plastic toy with a loose wheel.

            Depression responds best not to problem solving per se, but to acceptance and skillful change.  So, here, accepting that hypersomnia and anhedonia are just symptoms of a condition called depression, shared by many, understood clearly by few, opens up the possibility to skillfully take actions which are not based in a kind of blame driven panic.  So instead of, "Something's wrong with me that I have to fix, now!" it goes like, "The sun isn't as attractive and I'm sleeping a lot.  Ok, I guess that's how it is now.  So instead of kicking myself when I'm already down, I wonder what I can do that might help.  Hmm.  Maybe I'll call my doctor for help with the sleeping.  And perhaps a friend can support me in running through the park together.  Ok, let's try."  Very different approaches and tones, no?

 

 

Online Articles
 
Past articles can be found at my articles page by clicking here.
About Marty
Marty L. Cooper, MFT

Marty Cooper is a San Francisco psychotherapist who helps individuals
struggling with anxiety and depression to not only manage these "wild
moods," but eventually learn how to overcome them.  His background in
both Western approaches to healing, as well as Eastern mindfulness
practices (meditation) give a wide range of perspectives and techniques to bring to the work of taming mood. 

Marty's passion arises out of his deep understanding of how painful anxiety and depression can be, and his wish to help others learn how to avoid overwhelm, as well as to find meaning in experience that can otherwise at times just seem pointless.

Joy, connection, and a life not ruled by fear are all truly possible.
Services
 
I offer psychotherapy to those who are wanting to learn deeper and more effective management strategies for their anxiety and depression, as well those who wish to find out how to overcome these wild moods.  I work comprehensively with mental, emotional, bodily, and spiritual dimensions, all of which are necessary to overcome the chronic quality of anxiety and depression.

If you are looking to make changes that last, then please call me and set up an initial phone consultation, so we can see if or how I can best be of service. 

Marty L. Cooper, MFT
415.835.2162
[email protected]