I’m sorry I can’t blog lately. All I can think about is serotonin.

Mine’s low: 80.7 (the normal range is 175 – 225).

Not eveyone with low serotonin levels is depressed, but it makes sense to me that I might be. There’s a correlation, for one thing, between low serotonin levels and chronic pain. Also, unfortunately, with anxiety, aggressive behavior, obsessive thinking, fatigue, (all of which I battle in myself every day) etc… and even scarier, with suicide, of which I hasten to assure you, dear readers, I have no ideation WHATSOEVER.

I’m taking 5HTP and other good supplements, and upping my thyroid at my doctor’s recommendation. I hope to see good results soon.

In the meantime, I’m just sorta struggling.

Low serotonin is not the cause of depression, but it’s a symptom of it. I thought this was interesting:

People born since 1945 are 10 times more likely to suffer from depression than those born before.

That is an astounding figure, and it cannot be explained away by people going to their doctor more, or depression being diagnosed more easily, as these were taken into account in the study.

Human biology doesn’t change that quickly.

What it does show clearly is that most depression is non-biological. Depression has biological

effects, but studies now show that less than 10% of depression is biologically caused.

The most widely accepted explanation for this sort of phenomenon is that society has changed. Over the past 5 decades, there has been:

* a breakdown in the extended family

* a dispersal of communities

* an increased focus on material wealth

* an overwhelming prevalence of news media

* and an increase in focus on ‘the self’.

All of which, and more besides, add up to a potent recipe for depression.

I think I’ll ease off blogging for a while (tho I’ll post my Segue intros) (and maybe a leetle note here and there) — as I have been lately anyway — to spare myself and everyone from potential damage as a result of any anxious impulsiveness or undue aggression I may display!

sigh…

(special thanks to Toni Simon for her active concern)