The depression trap: Not knowing how to disconnect

In popular language we use the word “disconnect” to indicate that we need to forget about worries and daily tasks, that we need to free ourselves from stress. Then we can adopt different strategies, from taking a walk in nature to taking a short vacation, going to the gym, listening to music or taking a relaxing bath.

However, regardless of the strategy we consciously adopt, the truth is that we have a kind of automatic disconnection mechanism that allows us to “switch off the brain” when we are too exhausted.

Thanks to this system, our brain takes a little vacation when it needs it, to put it simply. That is, it does not wait for us to realize that we need to take a break, but rather it disconnects itself from reality. It does this in different ways, such as creating a feeling of dullness that prevents us from concentrating and working, thus forcing us to dedicate ourselves to other tasks that consume fewer cognitive resources.

In fact, researchers at the University of Wisconsin recently discovered that some nerve cells in the brain briefly shut down. These neurons enter a state similar to that of sleep, especially when we are immersed in an activity that does not require their competence. Meanwhile, the rest of the neurons remain active. This disconnection was called “focused sleep.”

Now Andrew F. Leuchter, a professor at the University of California, has made a very interesting discovery: people with depression have problems turning off their brain. To reach these conclusions, he recruited 121 volunteers, all with a diagnosis of major depression, and evaluated the synchronization of their brain waves and the connection between different areas of the brain.

Thus he discovered that these people have greater activity and interconnection between brain areas at rest. Said this way it might seem advantageous, but it is not, because this means that they are very prone to having ruminative ideas and that their brain does not recognize the moment in which it is too saturated so it does not “disconnect” automatically.

Specifically, he found that the limbic and cortical areas, whose concerted work allows us to process emotions, constantly exchange messages, showing greater activity than that seen in healthy people. In practice, the brain of depressed people would be unable to control the common work between some of its areas, so it would not be able to disconnect those that are not necessary. As a result, the depressed person remains in a vicious cycle of recurring thoughts from which it is very difficult to get out.

The good news is that it is possible to get out of this vicious circle. There are techniques to  combat depression that little by little will re-educate your brain. The change is gradual and it takes a lot of effort but the end result is worth it.

Reference:

Leuchter, A.F. et. al. (2012) Resting-State Quantitative Electroencephalography Reveals Increased Neurophysiologic Connectivity in Depression.  PLOS ONE ; 7 (2).