JONATHAN ROTTENBERG was a depressive. Now heis a leading researcher into depression and director of the University of South Florida’s mood and emotion laboratory. He says depression afflicts many, is poorly understood and very hard to treat. If the world is to reverse what he calls the current “perfect storm” of depression risk, a radical rethink is needed on how depression is understood.
乔纳森·罗腾伯格曾是一个抑郁症患者，现做为抑郁症研究领域的领军研究者、南佛罗里达州大学情绪和情感实验室的主任，罗滕伯格说很多人受着抑郁的折磨，但对这疾病我们却知之甚少，实施相关的治疗措施也非常的困难。如果世界想要从眼下罗滕伯格所谓的“完美风暴”中抽身而出，远离抑郁风险的影响，那么对理解抑郁的方式进行彻底的再思考就是非常有必要的了。
Somebelieve that depressive illness is simply the result of a depletion in thebrain of certain neurotransmitters and is treatable with antidepressants. But Mr Rottenberg argues that it may be an evolved, protective response to certainstimuli. Depression, or rather what he refers to as the impulse to “hunker downand wait, at least for a while”, might help humans cope with grief, protectthem from conflict, or even help them to avoid being socially ostracised byalerting them to “social risk”. But behavioural responses appropriate to earlyhunter-gatherers are not necessarily suitable for 21st-century society.
一些人认为抑郁症不过是大脑中某些神经递质消耗的结果罢了，它是可以用抗抑郁药治愈的。但罗滕伯格对此有不同看法，他认为抑郁症可能是人与生俱来的一种面对特定刺激时自发的保护性反应。在罗滕伯格看来，抑郁症就是一种冲动，这种冲动让你（不得不）“稍息片刻”，它也许可以帮助到人们应对悲伤、保护他们免受冲突的伤害，甚至以提醒他们注意到“社交风险”的方式，来帮助人避免被社交孤立。但（需注意的是，）这种适乎早期狩猎采集者的反映行为并不一定适用于21世纪社会。
It is Mr Rottenberg’s view that the currentvogue for the “pursuit of happiness” may perversely push certain people towards depression. Happiness, he argues, is the result of achieving a goal, ratherthan a goal itself. He cites recent evidence suggesting that depression or lowmood can be triggered by setting unobtainable goals. Rather than becoming depressed because of underachievement, he suggests that perhaps depression is an overcommitment to goals that cannot be reached.
罗滕伯格认为，当下我们对幸福孜孜不倦的追求反而会不可避免地加剧某些人群的抑郁程度。“幸福，是达成目标（而产生）的结果，并不是做为目的本身。”他如此解释道。（此外，）最近的证据表明，抑郁，或者情绪低落，可由设置不可实现的目标导致。比起认同抑郁是因失利而起，罗滕伯格更倾向于认为抑郁或许是对不可达成目标的一种过度承诺。
“The Depths” gathers descriptions of current research to back up the author’s theories, as well as anecdotes and vignettes from depressed patients, including Mr Rottenberg himself, who suffered serious depression in his early adulthood. The personal connection first led him into this field, and is clear throughout the book.
《深渊》一书收集了对目前抑郁症研究的描述，以支持作者的理论，书中还收录了抑郁症患者提供的轶事和短文，包括从成年初期就罹患严重抑郁的罗滕伯格自己的文字。是人际关系首次引发了他的抑郁，这点在整部书中都是清楚明白的。
However, “The Depths” might make depressing reading for a sufferer. Not only is Mr Rottenberg highly critical of current treatments for depression, he also points to evidence that man’s linguisticability may be another factor increasing depression rates; people can ruminateon their thoughts, mentally chastise themselves for not “getting better” and even develop links between negative thoughts in their memories, all of which could sustain depression or lead to a relapse during or after recovery. It is not a recipe for hopeful reading.
不过，《深渊》对抑郁症患者而言绝对不是一本谈得上轻松的读物，原因不单单在于罗滕伯格在书中严厉批评了对抑郁症的传统治疗方式，也在于罗滕伯格指出的证据——人的语言能力可能是抑郁增长的另一个诱因：人们会反省，会在心里责备自己没有成长进步，甚至会将记忆中的那些消极思想联系起来，种种作为都将导致抑郁的长存，或者是导致抑郁在康复期间或之后的复发。因此，《深渊》不是抑郁症患者的心灵鸡汤。
Yet Mr Rottenberg also offers solutions.Throughout the book he emphasises that experiencing low mood is not uncommon; more important, it is not the sign of failure it might sometimes feel like. He believes a new focus on what he calls “mood science” is more helpful than afocus on diagnoses of depression. A fresh way of thinking could be the key to revolutionising people’s understanding of depression, and even for developing new treatments. The book’s final chapter is almost a clarion call to open the discussion about depression, remove its social stigma and break with current scientific convention to help those suffering begin their recovery. As he says,“It is possible.”
但罗滕伯格也是提供了解决方法的。他在书中强调道，情绪低潮的体验并不少见，我们应该记住的是，情绪低潮并不是人们有时所感觉的那样，被认为是一种因失败而起的情绪反应。罗滕伯格相信，对“情绪科学”——他是这样称呼的——投入新的重点研究，比起将重点放在寻找抑郁的起因上，前者明显对患者们更有帮助。对抑郁的全新思考方式可能会成为彻底改变人们理解抑郁的关键，（在此基础上，）更有可能开发出新的治疗方法。书的末章不啻于一声嘹亮的号角声，它就抑郁话题抛砖引玉，为“抑郁”二字正名，并与传统的科学认识划清界限，（这样做）为的都是帮助患者们迈向痊愈——正如罗滕伯格自己所说：“痊愈是可能的。”
