Depression and Evolution

Depression afflicts approximately 9.5 percent of all Americans in any given year¹. To treat the symptoms, Americans spend more on antidepressant medications than on any other class of drugs. To help alleviate the suffering caused by this debilitating disease, people spend more than $10 billion annually on antidepressant medication². Additional billions are spent on alcohol and illicit drugs to relieve the pain of depression.

What is Depression?

Scientists debate the root cause of depression. Many say it is a physiologic disorder, brought about by genetic predisposition to the disease. Others claim that depression is a disease of social alienation when person lacks meaningful social connections. Both sides agree that depression has measurable physiological affects including: low levels of serotonin, decreased energy. Depression tends to cycle viciously, leading to deeper isolation which in turn leads to more depression. 

This loneliness is often exacerbated by loss of faith in God. This lack of faith is caused, in part, by doubt from inconsistencies and conflicts in literal interpretations of religious literature. The reconnection to a higher spirirtual power through the through the integration of evolution and spirituality allows for a greater sense of connection, thereby diminsihing depression.

Treatment:

• Drugs are useful, in that they can end the physiological symptoms long enough for people to reconnect with others. 
• Talk therapy can be excellent, because it provides people a deep connection with another human, which in turn changes a person's physiology, relieving the depression.  Talk therapy can also fail, when the therapist and client do not connect, leaving the patient feeling worse than ever.
• Many people find relief by connection to something greater than themselves, whether by helping a friend or relative, tending a garden, joining a cause, or by connecting to God, (aka Ultimate Reality).