In 1621 Robert Burton wrote a book that was an epic attempt to understand melancholy. Four hundred years later, it is a text that can still teach us a lot.
In 1621, Robert Burton published ‘The anatomy of melancholy ‘The first attempt in the modern western world of understanding and classification of the causes, symptoms and treatments of this universal human experience.
Burton, who was a scholar and professor at Oxford University in England, was inspired by both the writings of other authors and his experiences.
But to what extent this fundamental work of Burton is still today, in light of what we know about depression and mood disorders?
To answer this question, the British writer Amy Liptrop therefore analyzes five of Burton’s theories.
1. Identification of standards
For depression patients, experience may seem chaotic and disconnected, but our mood states often follow fairly consistent patterns. Robert Burton theorized that melancholy was a “hereditary disease” and tried to identify mental disorder models in families and during the generations.
It may not be so wrong: today we know that depression has genetic and environmental components.
Dr. Frances Rice, who works with families in the treatment of depressive disorders, explains: “When a parent suffers from serious depression, I would like to see a health system in which both the child and the family could be assisted together – and that the family also received this care”.
Genetic models are not only to predict mental illness; We can also observe the models in our behavior.
Burton’s study on melancholy is not limited to the darkest moments – also guides the reader for the dizzying heights of his own emotions.
With progress in understanding humor disorders, contemporary scholars suggest human emotions that the emotional extremes experienced by Burton could actually be symptoms of bipolar disorder.
Burton had a surprisingly lucid perception of the constant coming and coming from his emotional state – and on the factors that influenced these changes.
Nowadays, this consciousness is considered an essential tool in the management of mental illness.
If we manage to identify the models in our mood and in our behaviors, we can start checking the external factors that contribute to them.
2. The benefits of a cold bath
In his book, Burton has collected a wide variety of ideas and texts written by other authors. One of the concepts that included was the advantage of swimming outdoors, “in cold rivers and frozen waters”, something that was recommended for those who wanted to live for a long time. And maybe he was right.
Four hundred years later, dr. Mike Tippton, director of research at the University of Portsmouth Extreme Environments Laboratory in England, supports this idea.
It associates it with a phenomenon called cross adaptation: “Since a person gets used to the stress of cold water and learns to control it better, both physiological and mobiles, this also reduces the inflammatory response to other types of stress that can contribute to disorders such as depression”.
3. Be in contact with nature
For Burton, nature was essential to relieve the symptoms of melancholy. He enhanced the virtues of herbs and flowers such as blindness and electric to lighten the mind, purify the veins of melancholy and rejoice in the heart.
According to Professor Simon Hiscock, director of the Oxford Botanical Garden, plants such as blinding were used to treat melancholy, anxiety and depression from classical antiquity.
It was believed that this modest grass not only brought joy, but was also administered with wine to Roman soldiers to instill their courage before battles.
Burton noticed that the “cheerful” effects of nature were not limited to edible plants.
It was also a fervent defender of gardening, digging and plowing to revitalize the body.
For Monty Don, a British gardener and presenter, this idea remains valid until today. Don describes the “powerful medicine” that rises when it is physically connecting with plants, manipulas the earth and feeling the growth of the vegetation that has been planted.
Monty Don has experienced the benefits of the exercise in his experiences with depression: “I often think that the best exercise is combined with a sort of purpose,” he says.
Bring the dog to take a walk, for example, offers exercise, a sense of purpose and a connection with nature.
Burton’s beliefs about the power of outdoors have been formally recognized and even incorporated into the treatments of the United Kingdom National Health Service.
4. A shared problem
“The best way to find comfort is to share our sadness with a friend, not to repress it in our chest,” Burton wrote 400 years ago.
Introspection and isolation are common behaviors between those who suffer from depression. Although this rarely improves the situation, fighting these socialization impulses may seem almost impossible.
Dr. Rice suggests to plan pleasant activities as part of the treatment plan.
The programming activities provide a push to perform them, increasing the possibilities that the patient gets benefits, even if this is the opposite of what he feels.
When you are looking for a doctor because of a mo -mood, it is likely to receive a recipe for antidepressants, but now doctors can also prescribe social drugs, such as art lessons or walking groups.
If loneliness, not a serious mental disorder, is causing Apedonia (the loss of pleasure in the activities that were previously pleasant), social revenues can be much more effective than drugs.
Coesistence is essential. Burton, therefore, was right to suggest: “Look for friends … whose jokes and joys can rejoice”.
5. Balance between professional and personal life
Well, “the balance between professional and personal life” is not exactly the terminology that Burton would have used.
The writer preferred the much more poetic term than “love for learning” rather than “excessive study”.
His theory was that he was too curved on books and roles meant not to dedicate enough to other practices that we know be beneficial for mental health, such as exercise, sleep and socialization.
Here is the concept of balance: when our minds are restless and agitated, the study offers a welcome distraction, a positive focus and a sense of purpose.
However, studying too much makes us sedentary and alone, neglecting the other activities that feed a healthy mind.
Although Burton wrote his work 400 years ago, his collection of theories on the causes, symptoms and treatments of melancholy remains useful and relevant today.
Of course, his understanding of physiology is completely obsolete, but Burton, just like those he has studied, had an intuitive understanding of how to relieve our melancholy symptoms.
If self -confidence, swimming, nature, community and reading have worked for them, why shouldn’t they work for us?
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
