Depression is a popular diagnosis characterized by "a loss of pleasure and interest in life... accompanied by a sense of pressure, hollowness or emptiness, and low self-esteem." ** We all can feel down sometimes. But when it becomes our dominant attitude, it can feel hard to overcome. Currently the way the medical model deals with depression is by trying a wide variety of drugs -- drugs that can be of benefit to relieve some of the symptoms, but not address the underlying imbalances.

As I was cruising through my recent newsletters from the Ayurvedic Institute, I came across a fascinating and illuminating article that shed light on how Ayurveda, the science of life, viewed this debilitating attitude. As some of you might know, Attitude Reconstruction is built on the idea that we have 3 pairs of emotions and that these emotions are at the root of everything we think, feel, speak and act.

These three pairs of emotions correlate with the Ayurvedic principle that everything is a play of three forces, Kapha (sadness), Pitta (anger), and Vata (fear). So I thought it would be interesting to share with you the three kinds of depression according to Ayurveda, as well as the prescription it offers to free oneself of depression. I hope you find it as insightful as I do.

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Kapha correlates with sadness, so if you score highest on the Attitude Reconstruction quick questionnaire, you are probably familiar with these symptoms, which include feeling heavy, sluggish and withdrawn.

Pitta depression is characterized by anger, that is taken out on other people as well as on oneself. If you scored yourself highest on the Attitude Reconstruction survey you might recognize these qualities in yourself when you feel depressed.



The third kind of depression, Vata, is characterized by fear, anxiety, and restlessness, and mood swings. If fear is your most dominant emotion, you might be familiar with some of these symptoms.