If it’s all the same to you I’ll stick with the scientific method.
I had a question: Why am I suddenly depressed?
I generated a hypothesis: Some change in my life caused it.
I made a prediction: If I change it back, my depression will end.
I tested the hypothesis by systematically reestablishing my old happier life one change at a time and determining its effects on my affect.
Eliminating aspartame eliminated the deep pit of depression.
Re-introducing the aspartame restored the deep depression.
Eliminating it again reproduced the relief.
Subsequent exposures to aspartame, whether I know at the time I’ve been exposed or not, are followed by bouts of depression.
Analysis shows that every repeat of an aspartame challenge results in a repeat of the depression. Subsequent removal of aspartame eases the depression. From this I can only conclude that in my case aspartame is strongly linked to depression.
I don’t know the underlying mechanism, but the data says what the data says.
You say it doesn’t.
I hate to say it, but that really isn’t a scientific test. Aspartame has a specific taste. How do you know that you aren’t becoming depressed because you expect to become depressed whenever you taste that particular flavor?
In order to establish a real effect, you would have to consume aspartame in a form where you really cannot taste it, and you would have to have a placebo control. The aspartame and sugar pills would be randomized, so that someone other than you knows which is which, and the results would need to be recorded each day when you take one of the random pills. Only after you have consumed enough pills for the effects following consumption to be analyzed statistically, would you be able to scientifically determine if aspartame has an effect on you.
This would be similar to a double blind study often used for drug studies. It is a well established fact that people will experience certain effects if they expect them to occur. Double blind studies are supposed to control for that effect.
I like the taste of Splenda over aspartame. Aspartame breaks down when subjected to heat, and doesn’t taste very good that way. And for some reason, I prefer real sugar in coffee.