The Layers Of The Depression Controversy

A person who suffers from depression will tell you the illness itself is complicated. The complications of depression go way beyond the illness itself. Diagnosis, treatment and care is far from smooth sailing. Society and culture not accepting the illness for what it is adds even more darkness to the fog.

The medical science of depression

This Is probably the most convoluted area in concerns to an illness as any we have ever encountered. Medically depression has the same roots as diabetes. The difference is with diabetes we have tangibles we can grasp. Depression at best is an iffy and at times abused science, diagnosis and claim as an ailment. The reality is we despite all we do know, we don't have a true handle on the illness at any level.

The abuse of depression

No, I am not talking about the Tom Cruisian theory of the illness. Medical insurance takes in the muddle of problems is pinpointing much in a depression diagnosis and limits coverage. Doctors write up prescriptions without full work ups. A number of psychologist and psychiatrist have been discovered doing just enough to keep some patients coming back that can afford to. I have witnessed someone using depression as a weapon against their other half to cover up an ongoing affair at work. These are only the tip of the depression iceberg. Part of the problem is the fabric of what we call depression needs to be cut up and redefined. The tendency to lump so much under one cover doesn't help with the abuse.

The cutting edge truth of depression

As far as we can tell primitive societies suffered lesser to no incidences of long term depression. That alone should be a wake up call that we more advanced in society contribute to our growing problem. Depression and family are no longer unconnected concepts. It is not just the fast pace, the pressures and social demands. It's the foods and lack of balance in our diets and physical care. Much of depression is brought on by ourselves as a society. It is no coincidence more and more children are being born with autism and other maladies not as prominent in past generations. It is from a lineage of cultural self abuse that leads to this type of birthing evolution. Plainly, most depression goes untreated. Treatment for depression is neglected because people fear the negative stigmas that are associated with the disease. The danger is untreated depression is a gateway to major mental health disorders. As society advances with the lack of developing awareness so do the incidences of unchecked depression.

Stop the gloom and doom

Depression awareness needs to be taught in schools as early as the 5^th grade. It needs to be presented as what it is a naturally occurring function of the body and not some aberration of the mind. The disease won't be accepted as an natural illness unless we teach our children to do so. That is where the education has to start. That fact is before we will teach our children how to cope and handle stress and other factors that contribute to depression, we will introduce them to the pressures of competition and high level achievement. We have it backwards. Children should be learning first how to strive for personal balance then how to use that balance when taking on high level pressure situations.

Depression and the holidays

A part of our cultural imbalance. We are taught to worship this time as “the greatest time of the year.” In further demonstration of cultural imbalance, this time of the year has the incidences of reported depression skyrocket. Part of the reason is we take our mental eye off of one another to create this holiday atmosphere. Where is the magic that is supposed to appear and make our bad feelings and hard problems go away? The focus is shifted from within to without in looking for hope and resolution. This is coupled by the material aspects of wants and desires and the cost of buying them.

The problem is not the holiday trials and tribulations 

The problem of holiday time depression is how we shift our focus. The problem is lack of balance. The problem is added into by the lack of education in learning the simple steps of depression awareness. The irony the core of of sharing and caring that is foundation of the holiday season is what depression awareness is all about.

If you are suffering depression

Communicate. If you don't have someone immediate to talk to for support, reach out for support groups. If you are depending solely on medication for treatment consider at least joining in your local support groups. While I don't mean to badmouth people who have legitimately tried to organize online support groups, I find almost all I have investigated are flawed. Not so much on the part of the people who put them together but to due to the efforts predators put into infiltrating them. The only recommendation I have for online support is that if you have not had prior face to face with the people you are seeking support from, it is a risk not worth taking. It is just another sad reflection on our society and it's refusal to take the growing depression problems by the horns.