| When it comes to depression, the schism between | | | | neurotransmitters might function as "the internal |
| psychology and psychiatry is basically this: therapists | | | | equivalents" of Penfield's externally applied stimulating |
| influenced by Freud's psychology see depression as a | | | | electrodes? If so, he says, it "would cause patients to |
| product of the mind and talk about it in terms of drives, | | | | report feelings, recollections and ideas generated not |
| defenses, regressions, and problems of identification | | | | by conflict, fantasy, or drive derivatives, but by |
| and self-esteem. Those influenced by biological | | | | chemical stimuli." |
| psychiatry see depression as a product of the brain, | | | | Kantor's ideas have not yet been substantiated by |
| caused by shifts that take place among hormones and | | | | research but his thinking is far from wild, for much that |
| neurotransmitters. Shephard Kantor, a psychiatrist on | | | | has already been learned points in the same direction. |
| the faculty of the Columbia University College of | | | | In the meantime, Kantor stands firm in his conviction |
| Physicians and Surgeons, looks for ways of bringing | | | | that psychiatrists should learn to understand--and |
| the two approaches together. Kantor believes the | | | | accept--the chemical nature of mood disorders. |
| mental "productions" of depressed patients--negative | | | | Clearly, childhood events produce inner |
| thoughts and, in the case of psychotics, | | | | experience--feelings and attitudes that stay with us, |
| hallucinations--come from chemical changes in the | | | | affecting our lives immensely. The question psychiatry |
| central nervous system and are not psychologically | | | | wrestles with is how these powerfully resonant events |
| caused. He no longer believes that the crazy thinking | | | | interact with neurotransmitter deficits to produce shifts |
| that accompanies depression is triggered by external | | | | in mood state that are sometimes volatile, sometimes |
| events or is the residue--for example--of childhood | | | | subtle. There are differences, after all, among all of |
| interactions with parents. He believes the crazy thinking | | | | us--differences in the amount of trauma or stress we |
| that accompanies depression is caused by the | | | | experience and in the degree of chemical vulnerability |
| chemical state itself. | | | | we inherit. No one exists in a perfect state of chemical |
| But what is the effect of childhood trauma? we may | | | | balance. Where, then, should the line be drawn with |
| ask. Surely it can't be totally unrelated to depression. | | | | respect to neurotransmitter deficits? Do they exist in all |
| Kantor suggests that the mental changes of | | | | who become mood disordered or only in those |
| depression may be due to certain sensations and | | | | suffering from severe forms of these illnesses? |
| memory traces that go back to "the calamities of | | | | These are some of the important questions being |
| childhood". Such calamities produce changes in | | | | addressed, currently, in the fields of psychaitry and |
| neurotransmitter levels or receptor sites, he theorizes. | | | | psychology. |
| And it isn't just childhood trauma that does this. | | | | * * * |
| Emotional wounds at any point along the way might | | | | This article is excerpted from Colette Dowling's book, |
| produce similar chemical alterations in the brain. | | | | You Mean I Don't Have to Feel this Way?: New Help |
| Studies with primates show that circuitry linking | | | | for Depression, Anxiety and Addiction. |
| structures in the central nervous system is responsible | | | | Quotes: |
| for perception, memory, and emotion. With this in mind, | | | | "Beautifully documented... Dowling backs up her |
| Kantor says, it isn't such a big jump to imagine how the | | | | theories with facts." |
| tiniest of biochemical disturbances at any of these | | | | Working Woman |
| sites might evoke memories and moods whose origins | | | | "This really excellent book deals sensitively and directly |
| lie in childhood. | | | | with culturally imbued fears of biological therapies for |
| Kantor has another idea. One of the breakthroughs of | | | | emotional disorders." |
| modern neurology was Wilder Penfield's discovery that | | | | Donald F. Klein, Professor of Psychiatry, Columbia |
| stimulating certain areas of the brain with electrical | | | | University College of Physicians and Surgeons |
| impulses produces visual and auditory images and | | | | "A down-to-eaerth, hopeful, useful--and,from the point |
| memories. Kantor asks this provocative question: Isn't it | | | | of view of this "recovered" depressive--accurate |
| possible that the signals generated by | | | | account of how to treat depression. |