Could Depression Actually Be a Form of Infectious Disease?

originally posted by: Yeahkeepwatchingme
Laughter is said to be contagious. I can't say it's a "scientifically proven fact" but it has happened to me.

People have made me depressed by sharing or being depressed. I've done the same to others. We're connected on levels we can't even begin to imagine and people can pick up on subtle gestures and micro expressions so it's no wonder they'd speculate that depression could be contagious.

S + F

I think you're missing the point completely; this isn't about the transference of emotions between people through social interactions, but about major depression being caused by a bacterial or viral infection. It has nothing to do with you talking to a sad person and having their emotional state transfer onto you, but about you getting a virus that makes you extremely depressed.

depression is the symptom of a disease not the otherway around.

originally posted by: Axial Leader
My experience is that it is a genetic trait with an environmental trigger.

But -- it might be a virus. Here is an interesting article:

www.popsci.com...

According to the above article (from 2010) about 8 % of our genes consists of information inserted by viruses.

Wow, imagine the unknown repercussions of vaccines if this we're to be true.
Maybe getting everyone vaccinated actually weakens our genetic material on the long run?

Talk about a big mistake...

I do believe that depression can be infectious, though maybe not as a pathogen, but rather as maybe a vibration or frequency that people put off and others can subconsciously feel.

I know for a fact that I am affected when I am around depressed people, some call that being empathetic, but I'm not sure about that. If I get away from those people, I start to feel better right away.

I freakin hope not cos my effin bird is a right morbid tw@!

I have no proof but my own anecdotal observations of my friends and family but - based on that - I do feel there are many factors at play and a change in any of them can impact health: gut biology, diet/nutrient intake, inflammation, exercise/activity, daylight, fresh air.

Certainly a virus or bacteria can negatively impact several of those.

The #1 cause of depression is reality.

Stay oblivious and ignorant if you wish to experience bliss.

originally posted by: Psynic
The #1 cause of depression is reality.

Stay oblivious and ignorant if you wish to experience bliss.

I disagree. Reality is a challenge. An adventure to be embarked upon. It's not always fun, but it can be quite often.

These days, if people don't want help with their depression or just don't care anymore...I leave them behind as there is no helping them types anyway. They seem to be only happy when they are bringing others down. I won't play that game.

a reply to: Blowback

Our cats don't need microbes to drive us crazy. I have one that sits upright next to me and glares at me until I start the kitchen woodstove fire up. Then she goes sit in the basket. Another of our cats panics when their food dishes get half empty. The other cat comes and lays next to the keyboard and lays his tale on the keyboard when I am online. The fur that is left behind screws up the keys. I am on my third keyboard already this year.

I also do not need cats at all to be crazy, I am experienced at being a little crazy. It is the only way to survive in the Upper Peninsula. We had about three feet of snow last week on monday and tuesday,and we might get fourteen more inches in the next day.

a reply to: Sabiduria

Cooked Spinach, with a little butter and salt, might help the crohn's disease. I can't test this on myself because I don't have crohn's disease. It is a methyl donor, it could correct a problem with folate metabolism and the increased GABA might help. I have read some research on Crohn's but the information is all over the place.

She needs to find the foods that trigger it. Some foods can stimulate the porosity of the intestines too much, allowing improperly digested proteins to go through. Now, this can cause an increase in macrophages which can lead to inflammation.

I gotta say, I'm surprised to see so many ATS folks jumping on board with this. I think it's because no one has read to the end of the study.

In closing, I think it would be worthwhile to conduct large-scale studies of carefully characterized depressed patients and healthy controls, using gold-standard clinical and infectious disease-related study protocols, as have already been developed for bacteria [68,69] and viruses [70-76]. Such efforts, if successful, would represent the ‘end of the beginning’ , as any such discovery would represent the first step toward developing a vaccination for major depression.

*cue the tinfoil hats*

a reply to: AgentShillington

One time vaccination to eliminate depression?

It requires a six inch long needle inserted under the upper eye lid combined with a stirring motion.

originally posted by: Psynic
a reply to: AgentShillington

One time vaccination to eliminate depression?

It requires a six inch long needle inserted under the upper eye lid combined with a stirring motion.

They say one time, but I keep needing boosters.

a reply to: AgentShillington

Oooh. I guess I didn't pay attention to that. I wouldn't get the vaccine anyway, my microbes are my loyal subjects, the only kingdom I have. They fight wars to keep me from getting sick. Why would I want to make their lives hell?

Oh gosh, maybe I already have a few of those crazy microbes living in me. (as I look back at what I just wrote)

I'll have to kill them off Time to break out a bottle of Seagrams.

originally posted by: TDawgRex

originally posted by: Psynic
The #1 cause of depression is reality.

Stay oblivious and ignorant if you wish to experience bliss.

I disagree. Reality is a challenge. An adventure to be embarked upon. It's not always fun, but it can be quite often.

These days, if people don't want help with their depression or just don't care anymore...I leave them behind as there is no helping them types anyway. They seem to be only happy when they are bringing others down. I won't play that game.

Good idea.

Just ignore them.

Why let them affect YOUR happiness with THEIR silly conspiracy theories.

Wait, isn't that what I just wrote?

Depression for me is just an overabundance of dopamine in my brain. I don't think that it's necessarily a disease transmitted via physical pathogen, however, it can spread a little bit. But that's a behavioral/empathetic transmission.

Now, if there was a flu going around that made people's dopamine levels rise as part of its symptomatology, then that might qualify as an infectious depression. But it's just another symptom. Everybody pretty much gets sad when they get a cold.

a reply to: Psynic

I love conspiracy theories, but if others get depressed over them, that's their problem...not mine.

Sorry it sounds cold, but that's just the way it is.

It's an interesting notion, I admit. They have been looking for this kind of thing to explain schizophrenia for decades.

I know we think of the brain as our 'personal computer' in a way, but for a moment, think of it as a large gland. It is constantly oozing different chemicals and hormones, and firing different charges. So easy for something to go wrong... to not ooze enough, or too much. Or not fire enough, or too much, in the case of seizures.

Soooo. Although it deserves thought, I think I still have to go with the manufacturing process skipping a step.

In my opinion (as a sufferer of extreme anhedonia, depression, schizophrenia & enlightenment..the list goes on)

Depression is merely the result of long term conditioning, long term fluoridation, & long term worship of money.

a reply to: theMediator

The 'Out of the Box' ATS show has interviewed Shawn Siegel, someone who has been studying the health effects and loses from vaccines. Tonight we are airing the second interview with Shawn Siegel. You can go into the archives for the radio show and listen to them.