Comments on: What’s wrong with “evidence based” depression treatments?

By: Jo

Jo — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 10:55:49 +0000

Graeme, Wes I think you are both only partly correct. The increase the incidence of depression in Western Societies is seperate from the effectiveness of treatment for depression, which not doubt has improved over the years. The increased discussion of depression in the main stream media has helped many people seek treatment and increased the profile of depression as a serious medical condition. However my view is that the increase in the incidence of depression is related to the the breakdown in social cohesion. Economic pressures, financial instablity, breakdown of the traditional family, employment mobility and insecurity, loss of community, social isolation, manipulation by mass media and big business - these are just some of the factors that are causing the rise of depression. Never have so many had so much and yet felt so threatened and so alone. We evolved as social beings who lived in groups to meet collective needs. Each person was valued as had a productive role in the group. Now we are indviduals trying to maximise our share of the pie. We are consumed by mortgages, debt, information overload, accumulating ’stuff’, ’success’, careers etc. We don’t control our lives, our lives control us. We expect and want more. We are told we “can have it all’ if only we work faster, smarter, do more, know more. Those that don’t ‘make it’ or can’t cope are loosers, lazy and stupid. These are just some of the reasons why no matter how effective the treatment, and how accepting our society, more and more people will suffer from depression.

Thank you

By: Mandy

Mandy — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 23:26:38 +0000

There is still incredible stigma- we only pay lip service to it not being so. Often people report to me how disclosing depression has brought great and unfair discrimination- especially if the worker is from a “helping” profession. I think perhaps it is destructive to ones career to disclose- certainly the people who have told their stories to me now are I think more broken than if they had not disclosed. Look too at how suicidal people are treated in an emergency room - I hear health care workers say “Why are they taking up my time? I want to keep alive the people who want to live -not these loosers.” What a disgusting and vile attitude- it shows their total ignorance of human ill health which they are supposed to be specialists in. What is wrong with the “helping” professions if they cannot even understand the diseases of mental illness which makes up 30% of our burden of disease???

By: Wes

Wes — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 23:42:19 +0000

There are a few things I am concerned with in your opinions. The reason why our numbers of depression are “Skyrocketing” is not because of the failure of medication, but because as a society in general, the understanding and knowledge of depression has been increased. The negative stigma of someone having it has largely disappeared. As a society, there is no longer such a negative stigma with it. Often people before would look at that and say “that’s not sickness!” or “they’re just trying to be lazy…” etc. etc. Also people are more health concious and will now go ahead and get things “fixed” thus more and more people will go to have their depression checked out.

While I agree that medication is not just the only answer, it has been shown to help thousands of patients get back on the road to success.

By: Mandy

Mandy — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 09:11:34 +0000

Perhaps of interest http://www.drmcdougall.com/med_depression.html

By: Mandy

Mandy — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:33:19 +0000

I think perhaps this is where we are also not understanding suicide. What do you think of all the different theories and how do you think they fitted with how you and others felt as you were preparing to suicide. Joiner talks about “desensitization” to fear and distress when he talks of combat veterans, doctors, prostitutes and anorexics but my understanding of those who have suicided in this area was that they were very sensitive and possibly had great fear. De Leo talks about great shame and someone else suggested looking more carefully at broken romances and what about them can trigger suicide.