Does Depression Have an Evolutionary Purpose? - Issue 45: Power
▻http://nautil.us/issue/45/power/does-depression-have-an-evolutionary-purpose
I had a tough time in high school. Like many other young adolescents, I saw myself as fundamentally flawed, and felt a searing isolation. Nothing I looked forward to brought any hope. I stopped getting out of bed. I cut myself. I drafted a suicide note. It was a terrible time that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. But in a strange way, my self-destructive behavior may have had a benefit. I eventually dropped clues about my situation, leading to an intervention that put me on a better track. I was hospitalized. It scared me straight, highlighting a pathway of suffering I no longer wanted to indulge. I went back on medication and did what it took to stay at my school.costly signal: According to the bargaining model of suicidality, an attempt to take one’s own life is a costly, and therefore (...)