18A couple of months ago, US actor Robin Williams took his own life, which was a universal shock. However, after his death, we learnt that he suffered tremendously from serious depression.
It becomes hard to reconcile the wonderful man who made us laugh with a deep depression.
After he died, there were many happy memories recorded in the local media from the time when Williams was filming Popeye in Malta. The celebrity brought to our attention the suffering of depression – a condition that can afflict anyone, in any walk of life.
A different view of depression has been expressed in a new book – The Untrue Story of You – by Bryan Hubbard, who suffered from chronic depression for years.
The author’s belief is that the common root cause of depression and of addiction is one that is not acknow-ledged by medicine and psychology. His belief is that life could, and should, be better than it is. A profound dissatisfaction such as this has a metaphysical element to it.
Therefore, being wealthy, leading a wonderful life (such as the one we imagined Williams to have had) and owning everything ordinary people desire will not make this feeling go away.
Hubbard believes that the past is you and your thoughts
To have these feelings, the depressed or addicted person must have known a time when they experienced an ecstatic moment in life.
Hubbard describes this time as “being at one” with the world, or an overwhelming sense of joy, bliss or deep happiness. Psychologists call these emotions ‘oceanic feelings’.
These feelings are most frequently felt by us as children and become increasingly rare as we age. Most of us accept this ‘newer’ version of the world but the depressed person feels too acutely and is very sensitive about it.
The depressed person is crushed by the dullness of everyday life (or what they perceive to be the dullness, in comparison to their ecstatic dream).
An addict could attempt to recreate this feeling through the use of drugs or alcohol. Those who suffer from deep depression will probably tire of being told they should be grateful for the lovely home, job, spouse, or family that they have. It is similar to a sufferer of anorexia, who is continually told that they are slim, but they just don’t see it. All they see is a fat, ugly person.
If this rebelliousness against life is correct, then anti-depressant medication is not going to help in the long term. Hubbard believes there is a spiritual basis to this feeling of depression.
It is important to recognise that the past is not dead but continues to live with us every day until it overshadows our lives and any sense of wonder we may have.
A good example would be those who have lost a loved one. The past for them isn’t just a memory; it’s a palpable entity. Researchers at the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, researched how childhood hurts affect us as adults. They came to a surprising conclusion. The more abuse (emotional and physical) one suffered as a child, the shorter the life. The way our parents treated us as children will determine how long we live (Am. J. Prev. Med., 2009).
The research team produced a list of possible abuses, which they termed as “adverse childhood experiences
• The parent swore or insulted the child;
• The parent acted in a way that made the child fearful of physical harm;
• The child was often slapped, pushed or grabbed;
• A parent often hit the child so hard, there were injuries or marks;
• The child was touched or fondled;
• The parent involved the child in some form of sexual acts;
• The parent had a drink or substance abuse problem;
• A parent was mentally ill, attempted suicide or went to prison;
• The mother was hit in various forms or threatened with a weapon;
• The parents were separated or divorced.
The researchers took a sample population of 17,000. In that sample, approximately 12,000 recorded one of the above issues from their childhood. Those who suffered six or more issues as children died 20 years earlier than participants who had not recorded any. The project leader said that “it is important to understand that consequences to childhood trauma can extend over an individual’s life”.
A further study published in the same year reached a similar conclusion with participants born in New Zealand between 1972 and 1973. The adverse experiences during the first 10 years of life were noted and those suffering at least three adverse issues were more likely to be suffering from depression or inflammatory problems such as arthritis or heart disease.
Hubbard believes that the past is you and your thoughts. It becomes a vicious circle. The past continues to build as you have more and more experiences that vindicate the ‘world view’ of how life must be.
Eventually, you become ‘time heavy’. Any sense of well-being or joy is blotted out by overarching shadows of the past.
kathryn@maltanet.net