Depression is common but it’s not a sign of weakness. In fact, experiencing the condition for a brief period can actually benefit you. A leading psychiatrist has claimed that a bout of depression could be good for the soul — it may bring misery to its sufferers, but it can also leave them tougher and more resilient, the Daily Mail reported on Monday.
“We see it as a defect — often patients see themselves as broken in some way — whereas I think of it as a defence mechanism. It has simply adapted in the human species to give us long term benefits,” Dr Paul Keedwell of Institute of Psychiatry in London was quoted as saying.
According to him, depression, which has played a key role in evolution, can also spark creativity. However, Dr Keedwell had warned that the condition in severe form can be terrible and life threatening, unless treated. “But for many it is a short term painful episode,” he explained.
The study came just days after researchers in Canada claimed to have found that depression could double a coronary artery disease patient’s chances of repeated heart ailments. “We found that both major depression and generalized anxiety disorder were more common in cardiac patients than in the general community,” Nancy Frasure-Smith, the lead author of the study by McGill University and Universit de Montral, had said.