If You Are Depressed, Your Brain and Body Stop "Talking"

Why does depression affect your brain, body, moods, and behavior—everything about you? Because when you're depressed, your brain and body can't work together well enough to help you function normally. Your body depends on your brain to tell it to eat, drink, sleep, move, and feel. When your brain and body stop "talking," you're unable to process these important messages (it's like your brain is giving you the "silent treatment").

Your brain's limbic system helps regulate your emotions and your motivation. It's made up of several different areas, each responsible for certain tasks. Here are some examples:

• The thalamus screens and sorts messages from your senses (sight, smell, touch, hearing, and taste). If your thalamus doesn't receive the messages correctly, one result might be that foods don't look, smell, or taste appealing.

• The hypothalamus is the source of your feelings, including vein sexual feelings; it also controls your blood pressure and tells you when you're hungry and thirsty. If your hypothalamus is impaired, you may feel hungry a lot, lose your appetite, or have an increased (or decreased) interest in sex.

• The amygdala can activate anger and aggression, or make you feel calm, depending on the part that's stimulated. Overstimulation or under-stimulation of the amygdala may cause problems with anger and self-control.

• The hippocampus forms and stores new memories. If your hippocampus isn't working properly, you may have trouble learning new things or remembering what you've learned.

• The Reticular Activating System (RAS) alerts your brain that messages are coming from the five senses, then helps you concentrate by filtering this input. If this function fails, it may be hard for you to focus. The RAS is also responsible for regulating sleep.

• The cerebellum is responsible for posture, balance, and muscle coordination. If messages aren't transmitted properly in this area, you might have difficulty playing sports or just doing normal daily activities.

• The cerebrum, the largest part of your brain, does the "thinking" jobs like solving problems, making decisions, and receiving, storing, and retrieving memories. Your intellect, language skills, and ability to understand numbers and the alphabet are all based in your cerebrum. If the nerve cells in your cerebrum aren't functioning well, you may not be able to think clearly, use good judgment, or communicate effectively with other people.

In fact, when you're depressed, normal functions like eating, sleeping, walking, thinking, feeling, and remembering may seem like monumental tasks.



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