Analytical Depression

The analytical thought patterns associated with depression may actually hold hidden benefits, researchers say.

Depression is a mental illness that has debilitating effects on the lives of many, and since the birth of modern psychology, the medical community has struggled to explain its origins. In 2009, two researchers presented a new theory to explain depression in terms of its evolutionary benefits.

Analytic-Rumination Hypothesis

Psychiatrist Andy Thomson and psychologist Paul Andrews have developed a theory to explain unipolar, or major, depression called the "analytic-rumination hypothesis." The theory states that depression is an adaptation that has hasn't been selected out of the population because one of its main symptoms, analytical thought patterns, has evolutionary benefits. According to their study, published in the journal Psychology Review in July 2009, "The analytical-rumination hypothesis proposes that depression is an evolved response to complex problems, whose function is to minimize disruption and sustain analysis of those problems."

Depression and the Brain

Anderson and Thomson's study of depression, as well as other research, including a 2010 study conducted by neuroscientists in China, found that depressed patients had increased blood flow to the area of the brain associated with analytical thinking, the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex. This part of the brain is also associated with the ability to pay attention and cognitive talents such as verb conjugation. These findings may explain why the ruminative thought patterns associated with depression may actually help the depressed person to problem-solve.

Cognitive Therapy

While the analytical thinking that comes with depression may have a hidden upside, as Anderson and Thomson theorize, the fact remains that depression is a painful disease that can have a crippling effect on the person who is suffering from it. Many people suffering from depression require therapeutic treatment, in the form of medication and/or psychotherapy, in order to manage their symptoms.

If the "analytic-rumination hypothesis" holds true, types of cognitive therapy, which teach the patient to focus on how thoughts contribute to depression, may be integral to its treatment. Studies by Psychologist Steven Hollon of Vanderbilt Kennedy Center indicate that patients given cognitive-behavioral therapy may actually do better than those treated with only antidepressants, since the technique teaches them how to tackle their problematic thoughts. However, anyone suffering from depression should consult a health professional before deciding on a course of treatment.

References

• PsycNET: Depression as an Adaptation for Analyzing Complex Problems
• Psychology Today: Depression's Upside, Down
• The New York Times: Depression's Upside
• Psychology Today: Good Grief
• WebMD: Psychotherapy for Depression