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Originally posted by captainplanet
I’ve known many people who suffer from chronic depression, both medicated and not. The medicated ones seem to lose valuable skills in judgment whereas the un medicated ones feel defeated or powerless.
Isn’t depression just an overwhelming and uncontrollable desire for something to change? Your state of mind can change things in you body, how else would you explain faith healers and the placebo effect? So why do we assume our bodies are wrong and not our environment or situation? Is there proof that people are born this way? Are there babies born, diagnosed with, and medicated for depression?
Originally posted by captainplanet
Whenever I hear about “chemical imbalances” creating depression or other illnesses , I can’t help but think that the chemical imbalance is a result of the depression, which is a result of a problem that your subconcious knows needs adressing. I think a lot of people are depressed about a variety of real problems and we feed them drugs so they will be complacent and not try to fix them.
Like, “you think something is wrong with society and it makes you depressed? Nonsense, take this pill and fit in.”
Is this idea wrong? Can it be that some people just want seemingly impossible things and instead of trying to make them happen and/or coming to terms with the fact that they are wrong, they are given drugs under the assumption their must be something wrong with them if they disagree with society?
Originally posted by dionysius9
If an "authority" is given the power to decide what constitutes a chemical imbalance, that opens up a huge door for the potential of abuse.
A law should not be judged by its intention, but by how awful it would be if it were abused.
Originally posted by tgidkp
to me, it has been a "sign of the times" that there is such a sweeping epidemic of depression in the united states. the unique mix of democracy and capitalism that the US was founded upon, and has since spread to other nations, has allowed basic human narcissism to crash into the brick wall of materialism. in other words: when a person is given the opportunity to have "whatever he wants", he will most likely destroy himself.
Originally posted by tgidkp
and yet, all other roads to personal fulfillment remain un-validated. if you believe in Jesus, yoga, extra-terrestrials, or anything else transcendental, you will assume the label of "kook". there seems to be no answers for those in life whom are seeking after real meaning.
Originally posted by tgidkp
and when you have finally given up your search for this elusive "real meaning", they have a pill that you can take. it will allow you to re-assume your march toward the inevitability of death, without the existential terror that should accompany such inevitability.
Originally posted by tgidkp
the sad thing is that instead of heeding the deep yearnings of the universe and honoring the remarkable position that we have found ourselves in as human souls, it seems that most people would rather go down quietly.
"chemical imbalance", indeed.
Originally posted by captainplanet
Isn’t depression just an overwhelming and uncontrollable desire for something to change?
Originally posted by Tenebrous
Technically any prescription drug that corrects a chemical imbalance is mind control, hence why i myself would never take them. However, its mind control in a benevolent way, well somewhat its mindcontrol to sell pills, but many of these peopl truly enjoy life better on them, even though it creates a false reality. Are you more getting at are people going to use chemical imbalances as an excuse to distribute mind control substances.
Originally posted by NuclearPaul
They tried the "chemical imbalance" stuff with me a few years back, when I was feeling a little bit down. They told me it may take a few months to "correct" the imbalance with their pills.
I replied that if the situation which produced these feelings disappeared instantly, the "chemical imbalance" would instantly rectify itself.
This is how I know they lie.
Feelings are real and happen for real reasons, IMHO.
To my knowledge, nobody has ever said that the chemical imbalances are the be all, end all cause of depression. They're a symptom of depression, and one that can be managed to provide for a better quality of life for the patient.
I think it's absolutely wrong. People aren't depressed because they want to be, nor are they depressed because they want something they can't have. There's a difference between being sad and being depressed. Emotional ups and downs are a part of life, but a persistent negative outlook on everything that impacts your life, your family, etc., greatly reduces your quality of life.
While the medication can help to relieve the symptoms, it really shouldn't be used as the only course of treatment. It can help a depressed person to better deal with issues and make sure things in their life are in order, but usually should be coupled with psychotherapy to work from both sides of the problem toward a solution. If you can treat the physical and the mental, your chances of success in eliminating depression are much greater.
As far as medicated people losing their judgment and un-medicated people feeling powerless, I'd say those are overly broad generalizations.
But, most anti-depressants and related medications have the power to alter moods (isn't that the point?), and it's entirely possible that people will behave differently once the medication has taken sufficient effect. Whether or not the behavior is bad, though, depends on the person.
I think my opinion is a bit different on this point. I don't think that having whatever we want is what's bad, I think having to struggle for survival as we try to realize a nearly impossible dream (of becoming wealthy) is what gets people down. When the world is full of so much strife, I think it tends to make things difficult to handle.
Originally posted by tgidkp
i have considered both of your reasons for the increased prevalence of depression. first, there is no reason to believe that we have more to worry about than our forebears. we do not grapple directly with the threat of death on a daily basis as they did. and second, it is more readily identified today simply because in the past, people didnt have time enough in their day to consider such a self-indulgent condition as depression. i have a reason that i would like you to consider:
Originally posted by tgidkp
and the only answers that are supported by larger society are "science", "consumerism", and pills. in other words, materialism.
Originally posted by tgidkp
the only true escape from depression is the realisation that there is something more, something that transcends such materialism. it is this realisation that is the intent behind the whole of human conciousness evolution since the beginning....and those people whom are depressed are at its very cusp.
it is also this exact belief that the pills they will give you are intended to kill.
these pills are perhaps the most insidious type of manipulation ever created.
Originally posted by captainplanet
Well that’s good to hear. So why do we fix it indirectly? You could argue some illegal drugs and alcohol can provide a “happier“ attitude, that doesn’t make it better. Isn’t numbing the result of a problem instead of helping people truly over come it kind of like street drug dealing?
Originally posted by captainplanet
I think you misunderstood me. I understand depression, I just think artificially masking it with drugs to be tactically flawed and hypocritical on the part of the government to allow it. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that it’s a billion dollar industry either. As is the war on drugs(I’m not promoting drugs, just making points)
Originally posted by captainplanet
Isn’t it wrong for parents to put depressed teenagers on these though? Shouldn’t they be given a chance to heal themselves? Wont the artificial up impede their progress in attaining a natural up? Like you implied, depression is a combination of problems. Isn’t prescribing hormonal kids mind altering drugs, kind of like prescribing a kid who’s stressed out a pack of cigarettes so he can focus on his homework? Even if he says he needs it, it is an irresponsible fix.
Originally posted by captainplanet
We took Joe Camel off the air but we have cartoons of depressed pills on TV when we are well aware of the ups and downs and human weakness. Isn’t “bi-polar” just a severe up and down? It’s a part of life, they shouldn’t be made to be on an unnatural constant just to fit in. If someone sees the commercial and goes for the prescription, aren’t they essentially giving up on being themselves? Isn’t that why illegal drugs and alcohol are so frowned upon? It’s conveniently hypocritical.
Not at all. That's like saying that antibiotics are wrong because they provide an artificial means to help the body fight infection.
People who are depressed may or may not be able to deal with their depression (much less their life) without medication. It depends on the person, but in many ways, the medication helps them to consider things reasonably and work through problems. Sometimes it's required, sometimes it isn't. Sometimes the cause of the problem isn't ever found, so people stay on medication so they can function. I don't see anything wrong with this, though it does illustrate that our medical and psychological sciences are not perfect.
Do you think it's wrong to offer pain medication to people who are in pain? Or, should they be required to feel the pain because it's natural, even if it's debilitating and makes it impossible for them to function?
Anti-depressants are not intended to make you happy, euphoric, or high. They're meant to provide a balance to excessive depression so that you're able to live.
I'd say that's between a parent, their child, and their doctor(s). If the child is suicidal, should the parent simply let them kill themselves because it's their "natural" feeling?
Again, anti-depressants are not intended to make people high. They're intended to make people not depressed. There's a difference.
You can't get the prescription without talking to your doctor. If your doctor is prescribing you medication you don't need because you saw a TV commercial, that's a separate problem. That doesn't mean the medication isn't effective at treating what it was designed to treat, and it doesn't mean that everyone taking said medication can live just fine without it.
Really, you say you understand depression, but it doesn't appear you've had much experience with it (at least from a pharma standpoint). You keep alluding to people being "made" to take these drugs, but nobody is "made" to take them. You take them because it's determined to be the best course of action for your condition. If you're a hypochondriac who gets off on taking drugs, and you have a doctor who enables you, that's a different issue.
Originally posted by dionysius9
If an "authority" is given the power to decide what constitutes a chemical imbalance, that opens up a huge door for the potential of abuse.