Shankar Vedantam

Your depression isn't.

There have been a number of studies that have also found that people who are experiencing depression in some ways can have a more accurate view of reality than people who are not depressed.

That when we are in a low mood, in a bad mood, sometimes we might actually be able to see ourselves, to see the situation more clearly.

And in some ways this aligns with your thesis that if a low mood is designed to make us stop and think and ponder, perhaps we're able to stop and think and ponder better.

than when we are in a euphoric mood.

You've also indicated that in some ways your own depression was the origin story of your research career as a psychologist.

In some ways, it seems odd to say this, but depression helped you find your purpose in life.

I want to take a moment and underline something really important.

You've studied some of the silver linings that come with depression.

You've challenged the idea that depression is a brain disorder or merely about errors in cognition.

Some people might listen to this and say, okay, John Rottenberg thinks that the enterprise of treating depression with psychotherapy or medications is flawed.

They should be discarded.

That is not what you are saying, right, John?

I understand, John, that a few years ago you reached out to one of the psychiatrists who treated you when you were depressed.

Why did you reach out and how did the conversation unfold?

In our companion story to this episode, available exclusively to subscribers to Hidden Brain+, we explore John's ideas about how it's possible to live a good life, even to flourish, if you or someone you know has depression.

If you're a subscriber, that episode is available right now.

It's titled Flourishing After Depression.

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