What Is Depression?

A deeper understanding of low mood, loss of meaning, and the path toward healing

By Jeffrey Pang, M. Couns., Registered Counsellor and Clinical Member, SAC

Depression is more than just feeling sad.

It can feel like a quiet heaviness that never lifts…
A loss of motivation, energy, and interest in life…
Or a sense that something inside you has gone numb.

Many people silently carry this question:
“Why do I feel this way when nothing is obviously wrong?”

If that resonates with you, you’re not alone—and you’re not broken.

What Is Depression?

Depression—clinically known as major depressive disorder—is a mental health condition that affects how you feel, think, and function in daily life.

According to the American Psychiatric Association, depression is characterised by:

Persistent low mood or loss of interest, along with changes in sleep, appetite, energy, concentration, and self-worth.

Similarly, the World Health Organization describes depression as:

A common mental disorder involving persistent sadness and a lack of interest or pleasure in previously rewarding activities.

It is not simply a lack of willpower—and it cannot be overcome by “just trying harder.”

Common Symptoms of Depression

Depression can affect every part of your life:

Emotional

• Persistent sadness or emptiness
• Feeling hopeless or stuck
• Loss of interest in things you once enjoyed

Mental

• Negative thinking patterns
• Difficulty concentrating
• Harsh self-criticism or guilt

Physical

• Low energy or fatigue
• Changes in sleep (too much or too little)
• Changes in appetite or weight

Behavioural

• Withdrawal from others
• Loss of motivation
• Slowed movement or speech

To be clinically diagnosed, symptoms typically last at least two weeks and significantly impact daily functioning (DSM-5-TR).

What Happens in the Brain?

Depression is not just emotional—it involves real biological changes.

Research shows:

• Altered activity in the prefrontal cortex (affecting decision-making and regulation)
• Increased activity in the amygdala (linked to negative emotional processing)
• Dysregulation of neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine

A meta-analysis by Drevets et al. (2008) highlights structural and functional changes in mood-related brain circuits in depression.

This helps explain why depression can feel so pervasive—it affects how you think, feel, and experience reality.

Why Do People Become Depressed?

Depression is rarely caused by a single factor. It is usually a combination of:

1. Biological Factors

Genetics, brain chemistry, and nervous system sensitivity

2. Psychological Patterns

Chronic negative thinking, perfectionism, or unresolved inner conflict

3. Life Experiences

Loss, trauma, stress, or prolonged emotional strain

4. Relational Factors

Loneliness, disconnection, or unmet attachment needs

But beyond these categories, many people discover something deeper:

Depression is often not just about sadness—
it is about disconnection.

A Deeper Perspective: When Depression Is a Loss of Meaning

For some, depression feels like more than emotional pain.
It feels like:

• Loss of purpose
• Loss of direction
• Loss of connection—to self, others, or even to meaning itself

Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, founder of logotherapy, observed that a lack of meaning can lead to what he called an “existential vacuum” (Frankl, 1963).

In this sense, depression may not only be something to fix—
it may also be something to listen to.

A Trauma-Informed Lens: When Depression Is the Nervous System Shutting Down

While anxiety is often linked to a hyperactive nervous system, depression is sometimes associated with the opposite:

A shutdown or “freeze” response

When the nervous system becomes overwhelmed over time, it may conserve energy by:

• Numbing emotions
• Reducing motivation
• Pulling away from engagement

This is not laziness—it is a protective response.

Understanding this changes the question from:
“What’s wrong with me?”
to:
“What has my system been trying to cope with?”

A Deeper Approach: Using MEMI for Depression

Because depression often involves unresolved emotional experiences, working only at the level of thoughts may not be enough.

Multichannel Eye Movement Integration (MEMI) is a trauma-informed approach that works with how the brain processes and stores experiences.

Rather than only addressing symptoms, MEMI helps the brain:

• Reprocess unresolved emotional material
• Integrate difficult or fragmented experiences
• Restore emotional responsiveness
• Re-engage the nervous system

How This Helps with Depression

Many people with depression carry:

• Past emotional wounds
• Chronic stress patterns
• Unprocessed grief or loss

Even if these experiences are not consciously remembered, they can shape how the brain and body function.

MEMI uses guided eye movements to help:

• Reduce emotional numbness
• Increase internal awareness
• Shift stuck patterns
• Restore a sense of vitality and connection

Over time, this can help individuals move from numbness and disconnection → toward engagement and meaning.

A Note on Evidence

MEMI is an emerging approach. However, related therapies such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing have strong research support.

EMDR has been shown to be effective for trauma and associated depressive symptoms (Shapiro, 2017; WHO, 2013).

This supports the broader principle that processing unresolved experiences can reduce depressive symptoms.

Is Depression Treatable?

Yes. Depression is highly treatable with the right support.

Evidence-based approaches include:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
• Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)
• Trauma-informed therapies
• Medication (when appropriate)

A major review by Cuijpers et al. (2013) found that psychotherapy is effective for treating depression across a wide range of populations.

But beyond techniques, healing often involves:

• Reconnecting with yourself
• Processing emotional pain
• Restoring relationships
• Rediscovering meaning

You Don’t Have to Walk This Alone

Depression often isolates. It tells you to withdraw, to stay silent, to carry it on your own.

But healing rarely happens in isolation.

It begins in spaces where:

• You are seen
• You are heard
• You are not judged

Final Thoughts

Depression is not simply weakness or failure.
It is often a signal of something deeper—something that needs care, attention, and understanding.

And while it may feel like you’ve lost yourself,
recovery is not about becoming someone new—

It is about finding your way back to yourself.

Contact me for a FREE 30 minutes consultation. Take your first step towards healing and recovery today.

References

• American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR).
• World Health Organization. (2023). Depression.
• Drevets, W. C., et al. (2008). Brain structural and functional abnormalities in mood disorders. Biological Psychiatry, 48(8), 813–829.
• Cuijpers, P., et al. (2013). The efficacy of psychotherapy for adult depression. World Psychiatry, 12(2), 137–148.
• Frankl, V. E. (1963). Man’s Search for Meaning. Beacon Press.
• Shapiro, F. (2017). EMDR Therapy (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
• World Health Organization. (2013). Guidelines for the management of conditions specifically related to stress.