Book review: The Depths: The Evolutionary Origins of the Depression Epidemic, by Johnathan Rottenberg.
This book presents a clear explanation of why the basic outlines of depression look like an evolutionary adaptation to problems such as famine or humiliation. But he ignores many features that still puzzle me. Evolution seems unlikely to select for suicide. Why does loss of a child cause depression rather than some higher-energy negative emotion? What influences the breadth of learned helplessness?
He claims depression has been increasing over the last generation or so, but the evidence he presents can easily be explained by increased willingness to admit to and diagnose depression. He has at least one idea why it’s increasing (increased pressure to be happy), but I can come up with ideas that have the opposite effect (e.g. increased ease of finding a group where one can fit in).
Much of the book has little to do with the origins of depression, and is dominated by descriptions of and anecdotes about how depression works.
He spends a fair amount of time talking about the frequently overlooked late stages of depression recovery, where antidepressants aren’t much use and people can easily fall back into depression.
The book includes a bit of self-help advice to use positive psychology, and to not rely on drugs for much more than an initial nudge in the right direction.
One thing that is a strong predictor of suicide is the feeling of “being a burden”. It could be beneficial if people who weren’t able to contribute to the group lost their will to live.