Kangol
New member
- Joined
- May 26, 2009
- Messages
- 126
- MBTI Type
- INTP
Personally, I think depression is over diagnosed. Maybe that has something to do with western culture, and societal expections, but people get diagnosed with depression after major life events, such as a death of someone they were close too. A perfectly natural response of grief gets misconstrued as depression. I think this may have something to do with the clinical definitions of depression also......I don't think this neccessairly translates as a genetic weakness.
I also rather think from what surmised from the literture I have read, that depression is very much determined by enviromental factors. Control enviromental factors, and you pretty much eliminate it's expression. Predisposition dosen't equal definite expression.
That said, It is not my intention to belittle those of you who've been diagnosed with depression.
Depression being over-diagnosed is a common criticism in the last several years of having anti-depression drugs available, and it is likely true. That people have access to the drugs as a quick solution is a problem stemming from both the doctor and patient.
The availability of the drugs allows for:
1) Doctors to have a ready, reliable quick solution to the patients' problems.
2) Patients to convince themselves and doctors that they need those drugs.
Also, it is true that predisposition doesn't mean expression.
However, when speaking from an evolutionary perspective, we have to talk in terms of statistics over long periods of time. If the potential is there, and we are of course assuming that there is a potential for higher risk of depression, then it is likely that it will be expressed.
My point was never that all depressed people are genetically inferior; in fact I said that in agreement with the article, low to moderate levels of normal depression as a reaction to difficulty can be advantageous. My point is that, like all other genetically related disorders, there is a clear disadvantage that puts their genetic line at risk, and that this is partly what allows species to evolve and survive.
Perhaps, given a more effective drug and its implementation in healthcare, as well as a stronger awareness of neurocognitive disorders, we can better prepare future generations to deal with depression to the point of avoiding severe or chronic bouts.