The connection between brain energy, depression and anxiety
As hypothesized by Energy Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder theory
It was Monday again.
She propped her eyes open with a super-sized mug of espresso. It wouldn’t do much but remind her of the times she didn’t “slinky” out of bed, which actually made her feel worse, but at least she felt something that way. And sometimes, something is everything.
She prepared some oats. Ate half of it. Left the bowl on the kitchen counter, because thanks to her weeks-old dirty dishes, the sink smelled like a landfill and the smell made her nauseous. She stared at the sink.
Another thing I can’t do. What’s the point anyway?
An image made its way into her brain. She accidentally followed the thought thread connected to it to remember a time when she did things she enjoyed. Like cooking. Cooking for loved ones, to be exact.
All of that is gone now. Nobody really gives a fuck about me. Why am I still here?
Her eyes half-heartedly zoomed in on her laptop screen as it flashed on. An incoming video call… now?
Deep breath.
“Hey there superstar! How are you doing this morning? How was your weekend? I’m so glad you’re here, we got another glitch to deal with.”
“Oh I am great! Ready to rock and roll as always 😉”
This was me at my lowest point. It is meant to describe high-functioning depression, a.k.a. “performing” while being depressed to bits. It also accidentally made me cry, which is not exactly what I was going for today.
Last week I talked about Energy Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and asked if you guys were interested in how this new theory could partially explain depression and anxiety. Lots of peeps commented “uhm, fuck to the yes” (I might be paraphrasing), so here it is!
If you haven’t read the article, or like myself have a memory that is as unreliable as a squirrel doing math, this is the gist of it:
Our executive function is limited by the amount of energy it costs, and how well we recover after a long stretch of using our executive function centers.
ADHDers seem to have a higher risk of experiencing problems with both energy supply and recovery.
This could explain why we generally are able to do a task for a little while, but lose focus or go into meltdown mode over a longer period of time.
It is possible that we compensate for this
manure sandwichsituation by moving around, switching tasks etc. That’s because it boosts dopamine and norepinephrine levels inside the brain, which forces our executive systems to focus on the task whether they are tired or not.
So…
What does that have to do with anxiety and depression?
I am so glad you asked, my dear What?son. Let’s start with anxiety. Or as this paper said: anxiety-related phenomena which are not (only) related to mood disorders or trauma.
The EDHD theory suggests that when our executive systems are dealing with an unstable energy supply, it is possible that our brain tries to force executive function by creating a state of bow chicka wow wow-ness hyperarousal.
Practically that means that it opens the flood gates to the neurotransmitters norepinephrine (the brain’s version of adrenaline) and dopamine. This does help the brain to carry out executive function somewhat, but because it is getting too much of these neurotransmitters in one go, it causes anxiety-like symptoms like being more sensitive to the information you receive through your senses, and repetitive thinking.
Well, that’s a bit of a shitpickle, innit?
Moving on to depression. The EDHD theory proposes that a sleep schedule that is all over the place, long-term stress and chronic overload, combined with long-term energy deficiency inside the brain could make you more vulnerable to depression.
The energy deficiency we’re talking about here is the result of a lack of fuel, less efficient “brain energy factories”, less resilience against cellular wear-and-tear, and reduced neurotransmitter levels. And in a situation like that, the systems inside the brain that are responsible for motivation and focus are less responsive, which contributes to a flat mood and motivation problems.
As mentioned in my previous article, this is not a proven theory and I’m just trying to translate it for you guys, so please don’t shoot the messenger. Even if that messenger has found yet another way to tell you that sleep, stress management and strategies to prevent overwhelm are worth the investment. I’ll throw in exercise too, because I’m a bit of a tit it can actually reduce the symptoms of anxiety (especially mind-body exercises like yoga) and depression (particularly resistance exercise like weight training).
P.S.: While doing the research for the video below, I came across some really interesting stuff about “high-functioning” ADHD and perfectionism. If you’d like me to write about that next week, let me know in the comments 🙏
🎥 My latest YouTube video: The hidden reason "high-functioning" ADHD causes procrastination
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As someone that struggles with ADHD, anxiety and depression, this seems pretty accurate to me. Thank you for sharing.
Adhd and perfectionism sounds like a match made in hell but makes perfect sense to me. I don't know how I'd connect it but I'd like to see what you've got.