I seem to constantly run into studies and figures which suggest that Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is now the most commonly diagnosed of all diseases in the typical Western-Industrialised Nations; such as the Eurozone, Scandianavia, the UK and North America. It is tempting to draw a direct correlation between the kind of 'civilization' that we have developed - since these phenomenons are also manifesting in other highly industrialised and organised societies in South-East Asia and Japan - but this is at best a nebulous field of study and it is hard to establish any clear and irrefutable evidence.

Contrary to what many seem to believe, MDD is not about 'feeling blue' or being moody and uninspired, nor is it a question of ordinary lazyness, stubborn mindedness or antisocial unwillingness to participate in social activities; it is a consistent 'state of mind' which by the singular individual is often even perceived as 'normal': This is it. This is what life is about. Nothing has any meaning and death is where it all ends.

According to an American governmental website [1], these are the typical symptoms:

• Persistent sad, anxious or "empty" feelings
• Feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness and/or helplessness
• Irritability, restlessness
• Loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex
• Fatigue and decreased energy
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering details and making decisions
• Insomnia, early–morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping
• Overeating, or appetite loss
• Thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts
• Persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment

(Note that the symptoms are not consistent in all people and may or may not include all - or even any - of the above list, but the overall condition is characterised by a deeply rooted sense of 'meaninglessness' in the subjective life experience, often in combination with a sense of guilt for being 'self-indulgent'; for not being grateful, or happy, about the perceived opportunities and privileges that our modern lives are offering us.)

Personally, I can't help but think that this is a pattern which reveals a deeper, underlying problem which is embedded in the culture itself; manifesting as well in the tragical events when people 'go postal' and burn out in a destructive rampage, as in the quieter states of individual suffering that so many are experiencing. Whereas it certainly is possible to obtain proper medication and therapy that has a positive effect, surely this cannot be the correct answer to the questions this predicament is raising?

If you ask a religious person, he or she will almost certainly say that the prevalence of MDD is a consequence of humanity having turned away from God. Typically, a Christian person will argue that the abandonment of hope and faith will automatically lead to Hell, defined by the former Pope John Paul II to be a state of being a lost soul, someone who has no contact with God, and that the way back to a healthy and happy life is to open your heart to Christ in prayer. However, a Muslim will say that failing to live your life as ordained by the Prophet in the Quran will lead you into Jahilia, a state of wicked Godlessness where you will be unable to give praise to the wonder of existence in any appropriate way. On the other hand, a Buddhist might argue that the reason for suffering is desire, and that desire comes from Maya, illusion, which is a consequence of life in Samsara, the kingdom of the senses; but that a life in meditation and contemplation can help you realise your Buddha-nature so that you may find Nirvana, enlightenment.

Is it just me, or is there a pattern in there?

Personally, I am not a religious person. I am a philosopher. I have no answers, but I try my best to formulate intelligent questions. However, I will without hesitation agree with any religious person that a lifestyle of mindless consumption and the constant pursuit of momentary pleasures is a certain way to unhappiness and a sustained feeling of meaninglessness. A lack of purpose and direction leads to a life of distractions. Humankind, as well on the whole as on an individual level, cannot live on bread and circus alone, as the Roman poet Juvenal said in his Satire X. The disease that is MDD is a result of environmental conditioning, it's not a weakness of the individual who are experiencing these feelings. If anything, it shows that said person understands that there is something wrong with the picture. It is a sign of intelligence.

Because I am vehemently opposed to the idea that drugs can solve problems, I am skeptical to the common approach of medicine. However, drugs can make you sleep and calm you when you're upset, and as such they may serve as 'weapons of self defence' in an acute situation. But the actual healing has to come from a fundamental change in the patterns of as well thoughts as behaviour. First and foremost, you need to realise that your situation is not unique. On any given day, at least 1 in every 20 people that you pass on the street are experiencing a similar situation of MDD. [2] They can be more or less clever in hiding their true face and glossing over their suffering, but make no mistake; when they are alone with themselves they feel the same things as you do. And they are ashamed of it. They feel weak. Which, of course, only drives the vicious circle into further downward spiral rotation.

Mexican painter Frida Kahlo created a work called 'Broken Column' in 1944 [3], which specifically related to the pains of her medical condition of having an injured spine; but I find it to be a good metaphorical representation of how modern lifestyles are severing the connection between mind and body. However much hyperbole it may be, I am of the mind that modern people are emotionally crippled, simply because we have lost our connection with nature, perhaps even to reality itself, as French philosopher Jaques Derrida [4] claimed. I don't think that any amount of glossing, either by drugs, behavioural therapy, or by desperate submission to religious ideas, is an appropriate way to confront this predicament. Unpleasant as it may be, I think we, as human beings, have to face the fact that we made a wrong turn some centuries ago and that as a result from this we have now created a social system which is essentially inhuman.

We look to paleolithic prehistory for fossils and signs that can give us clues to why we became what we are today. There are several acclaimed milestones; such as controlling fire, the invention of tools and implements, agriculture, and city structures. However, for a deeper understanding, we need to look at 'the human software', i.e. the history of ideas and ideologies, or, more to the point, the study of how ideas move within human populations over time; memetics [5]. In my opinion, it is a crystal clear sign of something being majorly wrong when it has become normal to suffer from depression. One would think that in a healthy society, the only depressed people will be those that has this condition as a secondary diagnosis, following experiences of trauma and other great disturbances in their life. But this is not the case today. We have a situation where it is a 20% chance that any newborn child, during their lifetime, will fall into a state of mind where it seems a rational option to end your life by your own hand.

[1] www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression/what-is-depression.shtml

[2] www.wrongdiagnosis.com/d/depression/stats-country.htm

[3] www.abcgallery.com/K/kahlo/kahlo61.html

[4] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Derrida

[5] www.lycaeum.org/~sputnik/Memetics/