Free Response Unit 12
Genetics, a negative explanatory style, and misuse of alcohol can play a role in developing or
worsening depression. Alternatively, psychotherapy, a positive explanatory style and proper
drug therapy can contribute to alleviating depression.
First, a person’s genetic make-up often plays a role in developing depression. Depression is a
mood disorder and mood disorders often run in families. In fact, the risk of major depression
increases if a person has a parent or sibling with the disorder. The research evidences that the
heritability of major depression is about 35-40%. Among identical twins, this rate may be higher
even if the twins are reared apart. In adoptive children, this mood disorder often has close ties to
biological relatives. Using linkage analysis geneticists examine DNA from affected and
unaffected family members looking for differences. If culprit gene variations can be identified,
the door may be open to more effective therapies. Clearly, ones genetic makeup plays a role in
developing depression, although genetics do not explain every case by any means.
Also, a person’s explanatory style could contribute to developing or at least compounding the
mood disorder of depression. A person’s explanatory style (ES) describes how he or she
determines where to place blame for their failures, and a negative life view surely has a part in
developing or worsening depression. Specifically, one’s ES determines whether they have a
negative or a positive way of handling failures. A person with a negative ES believes that bad
events will last forever (stable), these events will affect everything (global), and that the events
are their own fault (internal). Depression prone people respond to events with this negative, selffocused thinking. They can develop a depressing sense of hopelessness. Therefore, a negative
explanatory style can certainly contribute to developing depression. Also of note, a negative ES
can also be an indicator and not a contributor of depression.
Conversely, a positive explanatory style, is where one looks at bad events as situations that will
pass (temporary), only pertain to one area of life (specific) and not their fault alone (external).
So switching to a positive ES could help to alleviate depression.
The misuse of alcohol would not be useful in alleviating depression. Rather the use of alcohol
may actually contribute to worsening or sparking symptoms of depression. As studied in Unit 5,
alcohol is a depressant. It lowers one’s inhibitions, slows brain function, disrupts memory
formation and reduces self-awareness. Again, while alcohol may not cause depression, abusing it
could certainly make depression worsen. For example, if a person was experiencing a temporary
period of sadness triggered by a stressful event and turned to alcohol to anesthetize them self
against the pain…the depression could be made worse. If a person with a genetic predisposition
to either substance abuse and/or depression began abusing alcohol, he or she would take the risk
of becoming dependent on the substance. Certainly, alcohol could never be used to alleviate the
feelings of sadness or depression.
Psychotherapy would be useful in alleviating a person’s depression. Psychotherapy is a type of
mental health treatment involving various psychological techniques, and different approaches.
This type of therapy is also known as ‘talk therapy.’ Psychotherapy consists of interactions
between a trained therapist and a person seeking to overcome psychological difficulties and to
achieve personal growth. While psychotherapy is a broad term and the actual treatment can vary
from practitioner to practionerr, the treatment is marked by the close work with the patient to
reveal and deal with the underlying feelings and behaviors leading to problems. Therefore,
psychotherapy would be an appropriate method to help alleviate depression in a patient seeking
counsel. The patient would be wise to seek a therapist trained in dealing with depression.
Finally, drug therapy can be quite useful in alleviating depression. At least two neurotransmitters
play a role in mood disorders. Norepinephrine which increases arousal and boosts mood is scarce
during depression and over abundant in mania the second is serotonin- which is also scarce
during depression. Drugs that relieve depression help increase norepinephrine or serotonin
supplies by blocking either reuptake or their chemical breakdown. Consistent physical exercise,
such as walking or jogging, reduces depression as the physical activity increases serotonin.
Elevating serotonin may promote recovery from depression by stimulating hippocampus neuron
growth. Therefore, proper use of drugs, after being evaluated by a psychiatrist (a medical
doctor), can be effective in alleviating depression.