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That the lateral habenula overfiring leads to depression, and the l.h.‘s purpose is to warn us of negative outcomes - that’s an amazing insight to me. I think C

by manmal 9y ago

That the lateral habenula overfiring leads to depression, and the l.h.‘s purpose is to warn us of negative outcomes - that’s an amazing insight to me. I think CBT should listen up here. What if you can learn to dial down l.h. activity by deprioritizing negative outcomes in your daily life? This could be the shortcut everybody has been looking for, replacing years of treatment with only weeks/months?

sjg007 9y ago
Sure I mean CBT teaches you to observe negative thought patterns and answer them rationally. Writing a journal or talking to a therapist helps you escape the mind. But clinical depression has physiological effects too so medication helps with that.
- AnIdiotOnTheNet 9y ago
  In my experience, this is a bad idea. The negative thoughts can use the rationalization engine in your brain just as well as the other parts, so engaging with them on rational terms has, for me, only given them more influence.
  - sjg007 9y ago
    By rationally I actually meant realistically. The negative engine is over estimating the risk. So you may take a negative thought to its logical conclusion and be depressed but you've forgotten to weight the likelihood of that outcome. And also that the input premise is likely false e.g. you are not a horrible person for example. Or you always do things wrong.
  - chongli 9y ago
    Part of the goal of CBT is to see yourself and your thoughts from the perspective of a detached, but curious, observer. Recognizing that you're an animal and that you have patterns to your thinking can help you build self-compassion. It's an ongoing process though. The key is not to engage so much with the thoughts themselves or their implications but in the processes that arrive at those thoughts which cause so much pain. Recognizing the pattern well enough that you're able to step back and say "Ahhhh, I'm in that mood again."
  - c3534l 9y ago
    Part of the point of CBT is recognize when you're engaging in rationalization behaviors so you can prevent it. CBT is meant to increase your awareness of what you're doing in your life to cause you harm and misery and to help you build patterns and habits which relieve you of those things. Maybe I'm being presumptuous, but it doesn't sound like you've had actual, therapist-led CBT.

by manmal 9y ago

sjg007 9y ago

Sure I mean CBT teaches you to observe negative thought patterns and answer them rationally. Writing a journal or talking to a therapist helps you escape the mind. But clinical depression has physiological effects too so medication helps with that.

AnIdiotOnTheNet 9y ago
In my experience, this is a bad idea. The negative thoughts can use the rationalization engine in your brain just as well as the other parts, so engaging with them on rational terms has, for me, only given them more influence.
- sjg007 9y ago
  By rationally I actually meant realistically. The negative engine is over estimating the risk. So you may take a negative thought to its logical conclusion and be depressed but you've forgotten to weight the likelihood of that outcome. And also that the input premise is likely false e.g. you are not a horrible person for example. Or you always do things wrong.
- chongli 9y ago
  Part of the goal of CBT is to see yourself and your thoughts from the perspective of a detached, but curious, observer. Recognizing that you're an animal and that you have patterns to your thinking can help you build self-compassion. It's an ongoing process though. The key is not to engage so much with the thoughts themselves or their implications but in the processes that arrive at those thoughts which cause so much pain. Recognizing the pattern well enough that you're able to step back and say "Ahhhh, I'm in that mood again."
- c3534l 9y ago
  Part of the point of CBT is recognize when you're engaging in rationalization behaviors so you can prevent it. CBT is meant to increase your awareness of what you're doing in your life to cause you harm and misery and to help you build patterns and habits which relieve you of those things. Maybe I'm being presumptuous, but it doesn't sound like you've had actual, therapist-led CBT.