Depression carries a sense of shame because external circumstances (status, security, appearance) seem to contradict the internal despair, creating a perception that the depression is unjustified, leading to silence.

Wax pursued understanding how the brain works through research and study of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy because she wanted empirical knowledge about controlling 'her chemicals' and 'cooling the engine,' not engaging with 'fluffy' approaches.

Ruby Wax experienced severe depression that lasted several months; it is not sadness but involves a complete personality change where you're left with 'a block of cement' in a state like hibernation you cannot wake from.

Neuroplasticity is the fact that you can change the wiring in your brain by changing how you think, and genes that develop the brain keep changing because they are dependent on experience; it's like being handed a blueprint and deck of cards where how you play them is up to you.

Gloria Gaynor's 'I Am What I Am' is wrong—you're not fixed, you have many possibilities for changing through neuroplasticity.