1 year, 8 months ago
Opinionated Q: Why do so many people in the US suffer from depression?
In many other countries, depression is not nearly the social and health issue it has become in the US. Why are so many people in the US diagnosed with depression? Do you think depression is over diagnosed? Under diagnosed? Do you think depression is over treated with drugs? Undertreated? Do you think depression should be treated differently in adults and children?
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M$1 Answer
I believe that depression comes when one doesn't have or chooses not to process the pain in their life through an outlet. Depression is a mere series of negative thoughts about life. It gets you stuck, leaves you unmotivated, and in many cases has an adverse affect on your health. In areas where depression is not high, the culture has been taught to process life's pain/situations differently. Not being rich doesn't equal dispair in most places around the world. Learning to make the best of what you have (even if it's just your life), you can choose to be optimistic.
In regards to medicine and science, you can use the egg and chicken analogy to explain "clinical depression." The brain of a depressed person proves to be different chemically than the brain of the optimistic person. It's impossible to know which came first (the depression or the chemically imbalance), but since it IS a known fact that stress and depression have a negative affect on health, then I believe that the depression affected the chemicals released in the brain rather than vice versa. That is not to say that depression should never be treated with medicine. Some people are far gone in their negative thinking where they can no longer help it. However, it is to say that medicine should only be used to boost one and not long term. The real change will come from a re-training of the mind, so that when negative things occur in life, they can be processed without taking you out. Some optimism must be a part of this re-training.
In regards to medicine and science, you can use the egg and chicken analogy to explain "clinical depression." The brain of a depressed person proves to be different chemically than the brain of the optimistic person. It's impossible to know which came first (the depression or the chemically imbalance), but since it IS a known fact that stress and depression have a negative affect on health, then I believe that the depression affected the chemicals released in the brain rather than vice versa. That is not to say that depression should never be treated with medicine. Some people are far gone in their negative thinking where they can no longer help it. However, it is to say that medicine should only be used to boost one and not long term. The real change will come from a re-training of the mind, so that when negative things occur in life, they can be processed without taking you out. Some optimism must be a part of this re-training.
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
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