Homeopathy and psychiatry: Atypical depression

Having dark, violent thoughts, feeling alone in the world/cut off from humanity, and caring for no one — this is the homeopathic Dendroaspis polylepis (the black mamba snake).

by Dr. Edward Gogek — 

At age 23, Jason was an adult, but he came to see me at his mother’s insistence. “I know I am depressed. Every doctor I have seen has diagnosed depression, but the medicines they give me never work.” He was right; he had tried every antidepressant I could name. His depression was unlike any I had ever seen.

“At times I feel so depressed I want to die. But it is only when I am alone. I am hopeless any time I am by myself. If I sit to write, it is dismal. I am fine when talking to others, but as soon as they leave and I am by myself, this dark cloud comes over me. When I am alone, even just for a minute or two, I start thinking really dark thoughts about how I have messed up my life. I even get suicidal.”

“How alone do you feel?” I asked.

“When I am by myself, I feel completely alone. There is no one else in the world, or anyone who is on my side. It feels like everyone is out to get me. I am totally cut off, and I do not care. They all hate me anyway, so why should I care?”

“They all hate you?” I asked.

“They hate me, so I hate them. I just think of hurting them, or worse. In fact, I crave violence; it is an inclination I have to control.”

Having dark, violent thoughts, feeling alone in the world/cut off from humanity, and caring for no one — this is the homeopathic Dendroaspis polylepis (the black mamba snake). Considered the scariest and most dangerous of all snakes, it kills not just for food and defense, but also for pleasure. It is a hard constitutional state for a human to handle, and people who need this remedy are not very happy.

It seemed like the remedy for Jason, but I was not completely sure. I needed to confirm that I was correct. So I asked all the snake keynote questions, including “How are you about animals?”

“I love animals. I like them better than people. My dog was my best friend,” he said.

“Any animals you really like or are really afraid of?”

“Reptiles. I had lizards and snakes as pets when I was a kid. I love the feeling of holding a snake.” (People who need snake remedies are either so terrified of them they will not open a book with a picture of one, or else they have pet snakes.)

“How do you feel about people being behind you?”

“I do not like it. I will not sit with my back to a door,” he said. (Snakes almost always attack from behind. They ambush their prey. People who need snake remedies carry the same fear.)

“How about tight collars, turtlenecks and neckties?”

“I will not wear them, cannot stand them.” (The neck is the snake’s most vulnerable point. People who need these remedies often cannot stand to have their necks touched.)

“How long can you hold a grudge?”

“Forever,” he replied. (Snakes want revenge, even years later.)

He had all the snake keynotes and several for black mamba, so I gave him homeopathic Dendroaspis polylepis 200C.

The next day, Jason’s depression was noticeably milder. He could tolerate being alone. Three weeks later, there was no depression, his eyes were not as scary looking and he smiled. It has been two months, and his depression, which did not respond in the least to antidepressants, is now gone, and he no longer feels cut off from the world.

Edward Gogek, M.D., M.D.(H) is a board-certified psychiatrist in Prescott, Ariz., who uses both alternative and conventional treatments. He graduated from the Hahnemann College of Homeopathy and has studied the sensation method with several of the Mumbai homeopaths in India. 928-443-0032 or www.drgogek.com.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 31, Number 2, April/May 2012.