Assign 12 Reaidy Sept 29 (2)

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1 Assignment 12: Discussion Paper 1 on A Cure for Darkness Perla H. Reaidy Department of Educational Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin EDP 383C: Developmental Psychopathology Dr. J. Mark Eddy September 29, 2023

2 Assignment 12: Discussion Paper 1 on A Cure for Darkness Depression has long afflicted our society, but its journey from its origins to our current understanding has been extensive. A Cure for Darkness: The Story of Depression And How We Treat It entails the history of depression, spanning from its etiology to its treatment to the influence society had on access to treatment and the formation of the disorder. Despite this book focusing on depression, the themes abundant throughout the text in Part One and Part Two can be applied to the development of psychopathology. Before diving into the key takeaways that were highlighted in the text, first a summary of these parts of the book. In Part One, there was a primary focus on following the research and discussing the etiology of depression, specifically circling back to a pivotal figure in psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud. Depression was not understood, and research was being conducted to better understand the etiology behind the disorder, resulting in the biological approach, which meant the disorder affected the nervous system, or the environmental/social approach, which involved talking therapies, change in diet, and psychoanalysis. Part Two further delves into treatments of the disorder, specifically those addressing the biological approach, being cocaine, electroconvulsive therapy, and MAO inhibitors. More research and publications have led to our now common methods of assessment and treatment of depression, as well as other developmental psychopathologies. As much as we have learned, there is much still to be discovered about developmental psychopathology, however, this book has contributed much thought to how one can view developmental psychopathology. Overall, the following three takeaways are ones of significance and repetition: the complexity of the etiology of disorders, the individualization of treatment plans, and the influence of social and cultural constructs in research.

3 Key Insights Complexity of Etiology and Symptomology Disorders often resemble intricate webs, challenging to trace to a single point of origin but shaped by numerous contributing factors, as seen in the case of depression. The book outlined two major approaches to the cause of depression: biological and social/environmental factors. The debates of “nature versus nurture” persist today for various disorders and various contributors can cause the development of the disorder, while also aiding in grouping disorders based on these factors. When first studying psychopathology, the nervous system was one that particularly caught the eye, so much so that mental institutions became “hospitals of ‘nerves’ and ‘nervous disease’.” (Riley, 2021) Biological reasonings for understanding mental illnesses rooted in fascination with the nervous system, thus wanting to further understand this system may help physicians understand why individuals were suffering from these psychological disorders. Many biological psychiatrists were convinced that neurons or the brain attributed to the development of these mental disorders, going as far as to believe that “every facet of insanity was rooted in some physical aberration in brain tissue (Riley, 2021).” Kraepelin believed that manic depressive insanity was a body disorder and was hereditary, a trait passed down from parent to offspring (Riley, 2021). In a study regarding the etiology of pre-and postnatal depression, it was found that a genetic component did contribute to “heritability of depressive symptoms was 16.2 % prenatally and 25.7 % postnatally,” which in turn does seem to align with Kraepelin’s train of thought (Samuelson, 2023). However, the disorder was not heritable, but rather some similar symptomology.

4 Inching closer to the function of biology contributing to depression, a discovery was made when Phineas Gage, a construction foreman, was in an accident where a metal rod had impaled him right below the cheekbone, through his brain primarily injuring his frontal lobe (Riley, 2021). Phineas Gage had survived the incident, however, the doctor noted that his personality had changed. This led psychiatrists to believe that the frontal lobe was detrimental to one’s personality and mood. This was a stepping stone in the right direction, as physicians regarded the body to be out of homeostasis or in an unstable condition. To maintain homeostasis, monoamines, an enzyme, were controlled by monoamine oxidase, or MOA, which can grab and hold serotonin and norepinephrine, temporarily disabling them by altering their chemical structure, thus halting the message the monoamine was trying to send (Riley, 2021). Without this biological process, the brain would be bombarded with a confusing abundance of signals all competing for space in the synapse and causing an overall overload for our consciousness (Riley, 2021). Current research is still trying to understand the role of serotonin pathways in the development of depression. In Borroto-Escuela, et. Al. (2021), it was found that disruption in certain heteroreceptor complexes has affected the diffusion of serotonin, which can contribute to the development of depression and other types of psychiatric diseases. However, the theories have changed biologically, and the same questions of why and how remain. Studies regarding theories developed decades prior are still being studied and perfected as we continue to understand how our bodies and brains work and how these functions, or lack thereof, contribute to psychopathology. Another valid approach considered was the effects of environmental and social surroundings on the development of these disorders. Men were thought to develop depression due to the “fast-paced modern lifestyle and need to compete in growing urban centers around the

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