From the desk of Dr. Moshe Zloof: Advice of the week-- July 22, 2009

Control, Anxieties, and Depression

By Dr. Moshe Zloof

Our emotions, behavior and actions are determined, in part, by the balance between myriad internal chemicals and hormones (20,000 of them) released into our system, together with the ingestion, if any, of external medications and drugs.

An experiment with rats conducted at Stanford University determined the effect of feeling in control of one’s existence.

Phase I: When a rat figured out that each time a red light comes on it can press a button to avoid an electric shock, the ‘Happy Chemical’ dopamine was released, indicating that the rat was content and enjoying itself (i.e. “in control”).

Phase II: The experiment was modified whereby when the button was pressed, an electric shock occurred at random occasions. As the rat realized that pressing the button was not a guaranteed way to avert the electric shock, the dopamine level began to drop. The adrenaline and cortisol levels started to increase simultaneously, indicative of the frustration and anxiety of the rat as it tried various methods to avoid the shock, to no avail.

Phase III: Eventually, the rat gave up trying and switched into a depression.

If we expand the analogy to humans: most people who love their jobs do so partly because they have independence and control over what they do. Once that independence is taken away from them—maybe reporting to a micro-manager who never expresses praise or approval—they then shift into Phase II, developing frustration and anxieties as they make an effort to satisfy the new manager’s whims. Phase III: Once they feel it is all irrelevant, most become lethargic as their dopamine and serotonin get depleted—lack of serotonin may result in constant fear; eventually they burn out and depression may take over.

Advice

· Try, where possible, to get a job you enjoy, even if it means lower salary compensation.
· Be prepared to switch jobs in case work conditions become unbearable. In other words, try to be marketable and mentally ready to move on.
· Involve yourself in activities that put you in control: mental ones like hobbies (art, rebuild your antique car, research something) and physical ones like, running and tennis.
· Don’t get frustrated and substitute your lack of control at work by trying to control family members—your spouse or your children—by constantly arguing and telling them what to do.


Parenting example: Sometimes when a parent is insecure, the only control she/he has is over the young children. When the children become adolescents and start wanting some independence—which is a positive step to adulthood—instead of welcoming such development, the parent rebels against, unconsciously feeling loss of control. When making a decision as a parent, always ask yourself, “Is it really for the child’s benefit not to let go.”