tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4332582469324010500.post6524404818322092098..comments2024-01-16T12:22:10.415+00:00Comments on We are not the beautiful: A plague of depression or sadness rebranded - what's the truth about capitalism and mental illness?We are not the beautifulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469463466277712732noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4332582469324010500.post-86879689653870895552014-12-13T16:42:41.078+00:002014-12-13T16:42:41.078+00:00Thanks, and I agree it's not an easy task. Whi...Thanks, and I agree it's not an easy task. While you desperately need the appreciation than an alternative is necessary and conceivable, so much energy has to go on defending what you already have against multiple onslaughts We are not the beautifulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12469463466277712732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4332582469324010500.post-33643817293837185862014-12-13T14:55:00.621+00:002014-12-13T14:55:00.621+00:00Good, lucid piece. And generally a well-written an...Good, lucid piece. And generally a well-written and well-read blog. I personally am trying to shift to positive action and reflect on alternatives to what I agree is a crumbling inhumane system. Not an easy task of course. ivbhttp://14andafter.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4332582469324010500.post-2234955823956483282013-08-25T13:53:30.068+01:002013-08-25T13:53:30.068+01:00Related to this, I found a very interesting articl...Related to this, I found a very interesting article from the New York Times about depression is being "overdiagnosed on a remarkable scale"<br />http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/12/a-glut-of-antidepressants/?ref=ronicarynrabin&_r=1<br /><br />But the article - in line with what I was arguing in the above post - does not say that those diagnosed with depression had no mental health issues, merely that they did conform to the criteria for labelling them 'depressed' and therefore suitable cases to be treated with pharma company pillsWe are not the beautifulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12469463466277712732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4332582469324010500.post-87198260686670187862013-08-14T15:18:02.311+01:002013-08-14T15:18:02.311+01:00Yes I'm not equipped to judge on this point. I...<br />Yes I'm not equipped to judge on this point. I would say, though, that if what you say is right - chemical imbalance theory works in some cases but not in others, a large chunk of the money the NHS spends on anti-depressants, - at least £640m a year according to my calculations - is essentially wasted, and could be detrimental to patients. And people complain about public money wasted on homeopathyWe are not the beautifulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12469463466277712732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4332582469324010500.post-76276466499035335852013-08-14T09:15:20.399+01:002013-08-14T09:15:20.399+01:00"Self says that the chemical imbalance theory..."Self says that the chemical imbalance theory of depression, on which SSRIs are based, is “essentially bunk” – he may be right, I don’t know"<br /><br />My chip-in on this point:<br />There are certain cases where the imbalance theory is woefully inadequate, and cases where it is quite useful and predictive. That means that it should really be thought of as one part of a larger theory which remains unexpressed at the moment.<br /><br />I know it's a minor point, but I do like to note that psychiatry is still in its infancy, and is not at all helped by having to fight with economics. Imagine if physics had rich backers trying to make sure we believed in heliocentrism, and you get an idea of how awful it is.SaltyJusticehttp://www.starlightstudios.orgnoreply@blogger.com