Evolutionary psychologist, Dr. Markus J. Rantala explains why we get depressed

Why do we get depressed? And why has depression increased dramatically in the past decades? We had a rare chance to interview one of the radical pioneers in the mental health industry, an evolutionary psychologist, double-doctorate Dr. Markus J. Rantala for this short video. Backed by research and data, he explores the questions that have been puzzling humans for decades, even more so in modern times: why do we get depressed? Is it central to human experience and what are the links between lifestyle choices and depression? As an evolutionary psychologist, Markus looks into the prevalence of depression in different indigenous tribes and other parts of the world and proposes theories that can help better understand and treat depression in the future.

Markus Rantala, PhD. is an evolutionary psychologist, with a double doctorate in biology and psychology. He has over a decade of experience researching the evolution of mental health disorders and he has authored a book about the topic. In 2018 Dr. Rantala & al published a groundbreaking 12-category model for depression subtyping which has received a lot of attention around the world. Dr. Rantala is currently working on further developing this model and also extending his research to other mental illnesses. In early 2021, Dr. Rantala continued to lead the way in psychiatric research as he published an industry-defining paper on Bipolar disorder: An evolutionary psychoneuroimmunological approach.