A Silver Lining to Depression? Letting Go May Be Easier

Depression might be good for something after all.

A new study reveals that people with depression may be less likely to cling to unattainable goals, therefore making room for opportunity in other areas of their life.

Our society praises perseverance and we’re often told that with enough effort, we can achieve any goal we want. While this go get ‘em ethos can be motivating, an “overambitious life plan can also prove to be a trap,” according to researchers, Prof. Klaus Rothermund and graduate student Katharina Koppe of Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany).

People often feel helpless or out of control if their goals are unreachable.

“Some people develop depression as a result of such futile efforts,” said Rothermund.

In the study, depressed and non-depressed patients were asked to solve as many anagrams as possible in a specific time frame. The catch? Not all the anagrams were solvable, but the participants didn’t know that.

“These unsolvable tasks represented unattainable goals, which it was necessary to give up as soon as possible in order to use the time effectively,” Koppe said.

Researchers found that depressed people spent less time on the unsolvable puzzle compared to their non-depressed counterparts.

Skeptics may say this sounds like a case of giving up, however, the researchers suggest a person’s ability to disengage is actually an important adaptive function of depression. In other words, if you’re able to identify that the chasm between your goals and possibilities is too great, you’re more apt to abandon the unrealistic scenario for something attainable.

The researchers hope this new information will shed light on how we view depression treatment.

“The general lack of motivation that is typical of many patients with depression apparently gives rise to a greater ability to abandon goals, and one could use this in therapy,” Rothermund said.

Therapists may be able to help patients disengage and focus their energy on areas where they will be successful. Often, small victories can help motivate a person suffering from depression.

“If we stop seeing depression simply as a psychological burden, which just needs to be removed through therapy, we might also be able to use the patient’s crisis as an opportunity for personal development,” Koppe said.

More research is needed on the topic, but for now, it’s interesting insight into how depression may create opportunity.

The study was published in the Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry.