Should we be so Quick in Labeling Depression as a Medical Condition!?

I have become concerned recently that society as a whole is beginning to become accustomed to labelling depression as a medical condition rather than tackling the root cause of depression, a condition which I believe is being put under a dangerous umbrella called 'a medical condition' in my opinion implying it is an illness of sorts rather than state of being that is making an individual unhappy and miserable!

My concern is that if we continue to accept depression as a simple write off on the balance sheet of society we will be subconsciously lying to ourselves and failing to address and solve the real reason behind what is causing so much depression globally.

So what is causing so much depression globally? Well I don't have all the answers but one problem is no doubt the distribution of wealth along with the very structure of society and the what I think are mostly false ideologies which have built up around it.

So yes my point? We must not and should not sweep depression under the carpet of society and continue to label it as a medical condition which can be solved with some anti-depressants!

Agree or disagree? Please explain your reasoning.

You are making a good point, but it is not the point you think you are making. AT least, I think that's the point, and the point I think I want to make is this:

The medical condition is Clinical Depression, and it is a genuine condition. My best friend suffers from it, and I probably do too. It IS a medical condition, there is something int he body causing it.

The problem is, we have come to a point where leypeople are labeling all sadness, all severe sadness, as Depression. This is partly a flaw in the term for the disease; Depression really does just mean severe sadness. But not everyone who is sad has Depression. THIS is something that we need to watch out for; just because little jimmy is sad sometimes, that doesn't mean he has a disease. He might, but it's much more likely that something external is making him exactly as sad as it should. Clinically Depressed people, among other things, get way more upset about not-very-upsetting-things than is reasonable, and will often fall into sad-spells for absolutely no discernible reason.

Do not discount Clinical Depression as a genuine disorder. but do not discount all sadness as Clinical Depression either.

I kind of see depression like ADD. In other words, it most definitely can be a real disorder but it is also often over diagnosed.

Some people just have a sad disposition about them. Then there are those who really do have a chemical imbalance who can be aided by anti-depressants.

After having my son, my chemicals/hormones were completely haywire during the postpartum changes. I was on anti-depressants for about a year and they helped immensely (although they made me sick at times).

Sometimes I get really down for months at a time but it's just general life that gets to me. Anti-deps wouldn't help me much now since it's not really a physical problem anymore after my body returned to normal, physiologically speaking.

I think the problem is when anti-dep prescriptions are handed out willy nilly without really evaluating the patient. 'You're feeling sad? Here's a script,' etc.

I've heard from a lot of people on this and simply do not buy it. Because one is generally irrational or has problems identifying underlying issues plaguing them does not mean it is a medical condition worthy of note.

I do not believe the following are diseases:

- Depression
- Belemia
- Anorexia
- ADD/ADHD
- Bipolar
- Restless Leg Syndrome

to name just a very few.

Mental illnesses are things that greatly diminish a person's ability to discern reality, which may or may not be a violent thing.

Mental weakness, on the other hand, is just that, and in America we are giving crutches to people who would otherwise have to find more healthy ways to deal with life's problems. Coping skills seem to be a fading animal.

reply to post by KrazyJethro


I disagree with you hardcore on most of this, but the only one that actually makes me angry is... good LORD do some research before you say that bipolar disorder is not a disease. I have known people with bipolar disorder and they are most CERTAINLY not just "mentally weak." There is something genuinely wrong with those people. Not in that they are unsalvagable human beings or anything -- of course they are still valuable etc. etc. I do not mean to be discounting the value of anyone with bipolar disorder. but they are definitely sick, not weak.

[edit on 24-2-2010 by Solasis]

I think people are lured into a false sense of security by believing they don't have to worry about or spend anytime on food because that part of their lives "at least" is quick and conveniently taken care of. Grab a quick snack here and a pre-made meal there, satisfy the "hunger" and that's all they need to occupy themselves with.

What people aren't being taught is that 95% of the food in the grocery stores isn't food at all and only qualifies as non-nutritional, empty calorie "foodstuffs". Which do more harm for your body and brain in the long run the average person gives it credit for.

People think, "well... I'm not eating anything everyone else isn't eating". Which is exactly the point, everyone else is on anti-depressants and other prescription medications too.

If you're malnourished, then you should be depressed. So don't do that anymore. Go and eat good food. Learn how to make food and meals from the 5% of grocery store food that is ACTUAL food. Spend a good portion of your "precious" time making and working with food. Don't write it off as a big waste of time. It's one of the most important uses of time we can each take part in, especially in this age of advertising and adulterated foods.

People need to stop eating from a box and a drive-thru window and understand how these fake food ingredients are affecting their bodies and brains. Our brains need real nourishment, it's vital for proper operation. Neglect that piece of the puzzle and we'll wind up on the down side of the sliding curve with everyone else.

I learned that the hard way.

reply to post by pharaohmoan


Like the much lauded onetime candidate for a nobel prize, Boris Yelnikoff says:

Whatever works.

I'm not sure if I understood you quite right but if I did then something seems odd about what you write. Now this may be a lame mainstream position, but anyways. It seems to me that they labeled depression as a medical condition for the very same reason that you wrote this op - they wanted it to be taken more seriously and to no longer marginalize the issue. Isn't that the very story of the creation and evolution of the psychiatric "science"?
It seems to me that labeling it as a medical condition does the opposite of marginalizing it - in some instances it is even abused in the other direction: we are starting to frame problems in medical perspectives that don't always deserve to be labeled as such.
So didn't this classification further the same cause you are supporting here?

When I knew some Psych-students in my university days they always struck me as anti-easy solution pills, but maybe that' just because they werent yet practicing.
Most of the people that push the " for every problem a pill " are Big Pharma or people who are in their pockets - and not primarily psychiatrists/"psychologists".

2 cents.

I think that 99% of those illnesses are fake. Anything to push pills. Watch the documentary "psychiatry an industry of death" and you will get the jist of it. Every year they come up with new disorders. As it stands, probably 80% of the population has something. Not sure what % of school kids are on medication now but it's growing fast. It's an easy out. They are trying to make us into drones without desire. One guy can go to 5 different doctors and they will give 5 different diagnoses with 5 different prescription... Any disease where there is no physical proof is bull to me. At least if you break an arm the bone is cracked. Chemical imbalance? Where is the test that proves that? All heresay

I think doctors should refrain from handing out medication and using the term depression for someone who is just feeling a little down. The meaning of depression has been diluted over the years so much that many folks tell truly depressed people to simply cheer up or get a grip of themselves, not understanding that it is a terrible and debilitating mental health problem that can utterly destroy your life.


[edit on 24-2-2010 by Solomons]

reply to post by pharaohmoan


Well I would see it as a medical condition simply because chemicals dictate whether or not you're 'depressed.'

That being said, depression is only natural. It is a natural condition of humanity. However, so is something, for example, like diabetes, and it is a medical condition. Maybe we as a society should be more focused on the root of the problems of society to takcle depression. Of course this won't happen and we'll keep being fed our medicine.

Happiness is also a natural condition of humanity. Maybe more of that going around would help. If depression were explained as being as natural as happiness and not necessarily a bad thing (which I'm not sure if it is or not but I'm assuming it is not), maybe it can help society understand that moods are okay. Just don't let them escalate. Remember, happiness is always around the corner.

Originally posted by Solasis

I disagree with you hardcore on most of this

That's fine, but why?

good LORD do some research before you say that bipolar disorder is not a disease. I have known people with bipolar disorder and they are most CERTAINLY not just "mentally weak." There is something genuinely wrong with those people.

True bipolar seems to me to be nothing more than marginally psychotic people, which means it's really just a reclassification. This is evidenced by the "loss of grip on reality", otherwise known as psychotic episodes (sever mania).

Not in that they are unsalvagable human beings or anything -- of course they are still valuable etc. etc. I do not mean to be discounting the value of anyone with bipolar disorder. but they are definitely sick, not weak.

Anyone who loses their ability to perceive reality is sick, not weak. This is true and what I said, so where is the disagreement?

Originally posted by KrazyJethro
I've heard from a lot of people on this and simply do not buy it. Because one is generally irrational or has problems identifying underlying issues plaguing them does not mean it is a medical condition worthy of note.

I do not believe the following are diseases:

- Depression
- Belemia
- Anorexia
- ADD/ADHD
- Bipolar
- Restless Leg Syndrome

to name just a very few.

Mental illnesses are things that greatly diminish a person's ability to discern reality, which may or may not be a violent thing.

Mental weakness, on the other hand, is just that, and in America we are giving crutches to people who would otherwise have to find more healthy ways to deal with life's problems. Coping skills seem to be a fading animal.

I'm glad you're not calling the therapeutic shots, because clinical depression and bipolar disorder...at very least from your list...are serious illnesses. Treatment of both has changed the very nature of many people's lives, and to suggest otherwise is wrong.

Yes...there is too much pathologising of complaints, but let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

I'm glad you're not calling the therapeutic shots, because clinical depression and bipolar disorder...at very least from your list...are serious illnesses. Treatment of both has changed the very nature of many people's lives, and to suggest otherwise is wrong.

It's easy to change someones life when you drug them. Hell, if I take happy pills it will do the same to me. Just like coc aine, or any other drug.

Originally posted by Grossac

I'm glad you're not calling the therapeutic shots, because clinical depression and bipolar disorder...at very least from your list...are serious illnesses. Treatment of both has changed the very nature of many people's lives, and to suggest otherwise is wrong.

It's easy to change someones life when you drug them. Hell, if I take happy pills it will do the same to me. Just like coc aine, or any other drug.

Very true. But what I think he's trying to argue is that these are serious conditions. THEY ARE MEDICAL CONDITIONS. Only drugs can control the chemicals that cause this imbalance and depression. Or just a different mindset the way I argued. If people just realize that depression is a natural condition of humanity (being sad is natural) just as happiness, maybe they would begin to realize that happiness is right around the corner.

reply to post by Portugoal


I agree with you that it's natural but it's not an imbalance. They have no tests to prove that it's an imbalance... They just say that like in the old days they used to say the earth was flat and the masses believed them.

One of the common factors that we see in depressed individuals, and especially those within the manic/bipolar depression spectrum is a sort of personal connection with large-scale world events. Some tend to be obsessed with the news and current events and depending on the overall perceived state of the world can become extremely manic or deeply depressed.

And with the way the media continues to bear down upon us harder and harder with their special brand of fear all those people out there who suffer from this become more and more depressed.

Convenient?

Originally posted by Portugoal
If people just realize that depression is a natural condition of humanity (being sad is natural) just as happiness, maybe they would begin to realize that happiness is right around the corner.

In clinical depression, the Great Bird of Happiness could drop a golden egg in your lap...and you still couldn't get out of bed. And bipolar? Nor is that a matter of will, and anybody who suggests otherwise simply has no familiarity with the either condition.

As my father said once, if they had had Paxil 25 years ago, his life would have been different.

So...again...there is a tendency to hand out pills too easily, but to insist that mental illnesses such as these are the result of a weak mind, is to blame the victim. That's pretty darn regressive.

reply to post by JohnnyCanuck


I'm not trying to blame the victim at all. Really I'm blaming society. And I'm talking about depression, being sad, being miserable, seeing the world in a highly negative way. It isn't there fault. But if society were to be taught that it isnt their fault, it's natural, maybe it would curb the amount of people being prescribe depression pills. Drugs help. But how much in the end?

As for being bipolar, I see that as a totaly different condition really. I'm sure drugs do help, especially in this case. But again, it's a natural condition. It's definetly not fun or a good thing but it is what it is. If people feel like drugs will help them, which I'm sure they will, all the power to them in taking them.

There shouldnt be anything wrong with being natural, however.

Guess everyone is entitled to an opinion,but at least do some research,which is at best what op give his 2 cents,wonder if he has any medical training,in my years have known people who have taken their lives because of clinical depression,please think before you touch keyboard,a foot in mouth is very unattractive

Originally posted by Oldtimer2
Guess everyone is entitled to an opinion,but at least do some research,which is at best what op give his 2 cents,wonder if he has any medical training,in my years have known people who have taken their lives because of clinical depression,please think before you touch keyboard,a foot in mouth is very unattractive

I agree with you, and thank you for making that point. Suicide is an all too prevalent 'natural' remedy for 'natural' mental illness. The worst part of these 'you can do it without the doctors' threads is that people are put off from seeking treatment that works. No need to hit rock bottom and lose everything before you seek help. And if you have a good doctor, he/she will ensure that you get the right help.

Talking folks out of treatment is a totally immoral side affect of these innocent conversations.

[edit on 24-2-2010 by JohnnyCanuck]