BlogHer - Xanax - Comments

Nordette You Got It

cluelesscrafter — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:11:00 -0600

Snarky responses are the only way to cope with the frightening results of this science. I'm considering this crazy talk.

http://www.thecluelesscrafter.com/

Hey, I'm all for this

Nordette — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:07:46 -0600

I'll take anything that implies I'm superior, and since I fight depression with regularity I'm all over this. O.K. Not really but kind of hoping this is one more sign pain has a divine purpose and the next time someone tells me I over-think and over-analyze, I'll just smile smugly and say, "That's because I'm more evolved than you, you happy person, you. Deal with it."

Postpartum depression, however, whole other animal.

Nordette Adams is a BlogHer CE & you can find her other stuff through Her 411.

I think there needs to be

emcgillivray — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:31:34 -0600

I think there needs to be a distinction between being clinically depressed, which is harmful to your health and even your life, and being just depressed/blue. Okay, being depressed/sad/blue can make you more analytical; that's great and possibly an evolutionary adaptation. Being clinically depressed is an illness and is not a good thing and in no way helps the evolution of humankind.

Erica

Sliver of Ice

This Research Can Screw Everyone Over

cluelesscrafter — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:24:32 -0600

There's quite a risk that these results will play down the importance of treating those with severe depression. I think this study should change the word "depression" to something like "melancholy" or "malaise," not something referring to a real medical problem.

Also, how do the drug companies react to this? Like hell they'd want us to kick off our crutches and shout "drugs are dead!"

http://www.thecluelesscrafter.com/

sigh bleh

wondergirl — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:07:53 -0600

Good response, Catherine. Surely no one conducting this research has suffered a severe depressive episode, because if they did this speculative evolutionary psychology theory would have not made it out of the starting gate. This is not the kind of study that should be out and available to the millions of people that are trying to get through depression. Dr. John Grohol's response on Psych Central is also great.

Argh

ozma — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:29:39 -0600

I hate that kind of speculative evolutionary psychology. BLEH. Such a stretch. We don't know why that gene was selected for. We don't even know if that gene's expression in depression is the thing being selected for.

Darn. I thought their research on religion and genes sounded interesting. On second thought, I realize that is hooey also.

The woman writing the Time article is even dumber. There is no necessary risk to an individual if they modify some evolutionary adaptation. We evolved to have hairy legs--should we not shave them? Why are people so dumb when it comes to evolution? Whereas we know depression can be risky. And even crippling.

Sorry. This type of evolutionary psychology infuriates me sometimes.

"Most men are within a finger's breadth of being mad." Diogenes

Really science? Are you going there?

the weirdgirl — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:40:05 -0600

Wow, this kind of reminds me of the researchers whose study "suggested" that left-handed people were brain damaged.

Interesting. And kind of BS, too.

alladither — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:23:24 -0600

I love Catherine's take on this information. Not only is depression a detriment to parenting effectively, it's pretty bad for the person living through it as well. If depression is related to suicide rates. Which, yeah... I'm quite sure it is.

Angie

www.alladither.com

www.HalfAssedKitchen.com

I will as soon as I get

Super Jive — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:06:23 -0500

I will as soon as I get home!

SJ also writes at I, Asshole.

Make it vertical

Liz Henry — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:45:07 -0500

I overheard someone in the hall saying "Wait! make it vertical, for the header!" before they took their photo...

----------------
Liz Henry
lizzard@bookmaniac.net
Contributing Editor, World and Latin America