Viva la Revolution!

[jakeforpresident]

Depression is an evolutionary survival strategy, which some people are predestined to for evolutionary social reasons, (there always has to be the "working class" or "proletariat" of social groups--bottoms of the heap so that there can be a middle and top.) That's why my pic is of lenin, i want a worker's revolution ha ha
check this short article out:

Platelet monoamine oxidase activity correlates with social affiliative and agonistic behaviors in normal rhesus monkeys
DE Redmond Jr, DL Murphy and J Baulu


After a 4-mo study period, quantitative measures of stable behavioral traits in individual rhesus monkeys correlated significantly with platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity. In particular, behavioral items reflecting social activity and social contact, both agonistic and affiliative, were inversely correlated with enzyme activity. Time spent alone was positively correlated. Since platelet MAO activity is generally stable and predominantly controlled by genetic factors, it might serve as a "genetic marker" for individual differences in "normal" behaviors possibly related to differences in MAO activity in the brain and other tissues.

from: http://www.psychosomaticmedicine.org...stract/41/2/87
Since social rank in primate groups like ourselves is graded on affiliative and agonistic behaviors MAO low activity is associated with higher social status, and thus a healthier psychology.
Mankind is bred to desire social power, and when it is not gained to the content of the individual mental disorder rears its ugly head.

This is also why MAOIs work well when there is a family history of response to MAOIs.

There are likely other factors involved but this is strong evidence for social rank being inherited partially by genetics!

[QuackQuack]

So we're depressed because we're not living up to our evolutionary social potential?

[jakeforpresident]

Originally Posted by QuackQuack

So we're depressed because we're not living up to our evolutionary social potential?

No, we are depressed because we have low affiliative social status (bottom of the heap) and depression allows us to stay there.

Its really stressful trying to climb the social ladder, especially if you are typically unsucessful... and if you have stress long enough, you get depression.

(scientists induce depression in animals with stress, like restraining rats from moving for repeated periods of time).

[QuackQuack]

People become depressed when they are rejected from having social status, so that they become lethargic and are more easily eaten by predators, preserving the lives of their more fit siblings, and removing them from competition for food.

[jakeforpresident]

precisely.


Check this out:

Serotonin transporter (SERT) and monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) mRNA levels in the raphe nuclei area of the midbrain were measured by the multiplex reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction method in male mice with repeated experience of social victories (winners) and defeats (losers) in ten daily agonistic confrontations. Experiments revealed enhanced SERT and MAOA mRNA levels in the losers compared with the winners and controls. It has been supposed that SERT and MAOA genes are involved in enhancement of serotonin inactivation in response to the increase of serotonergic activity shown earlier in the losers. A positive correlation between MAOA and SERT mRNA levels in the raphe nuclei area of the midbrain was shown.

Source: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science...c069d5d469cc45

Basically MAOA and SERT raise when social status lowers. This is likely why antidepressants like MAOIs and SSRIs work.

Although it could just be an adaptation of high levels of serotonin caused by low social status: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science...55a9de7a87dacb (serotonin reverses social status)

Or I could be right: http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/con...stract/65/1/38 (serotonin turnover is higher in depressed patients)

[QuackQuack]

So you can drug people to forget that they are of low social status, or you can improve their social status?

[jakeforpresident]

Originally Posted by QuackQuack

So you can drug people to forget that they are of low social status, or you can improve their social status?

My thinking is if you make someone forget they are of low social status they will begin to act like they have higher social status, and will thus raise their social status as a consequence.

In human society the dominance hierarchy isn't as set as in most primate societies, so there is always room for social improvement.
Humans being seperated by technology from evolutionary pressures has created lots of diseases, including mental diseases.