[themgt]

The problem with using a purely neurochemical explanation like this is the rates of these disorders differ dramatically between societies and within societies geographically, demographically and over time. It is clear that the United States in particular is, especially in recent years, churning out unprecedented numbers of severely psychologically ill individuals. The idea this is solely due to previously undiagnosed individuals or otherwise not representative of a sickening society is difficult to support.

Frankly we have spent too long acting as if mental disorders could not possibly have anything to do with ones surroundings, upbringing and life in general, when it's beyond obvious that they have very much to do with those things, as well as genotype/phenotype/etc. We've used this idea that it shames individuals to suggest that the actual problems they deal with could contribute to mental damage in much the manner they can physical damage, which is simply dogma masquerading as science.

In fact, using purely neurochemical explanations denies people's humanity and lived experience, denies that we are sentient humans not some organic robots that need an serotonin oil change and some dopamine transmission fluid.

[dilemma]

Medication is essentially victim blaming by society unto the individual reacting against its conditions. And the medical health specialists are agents of society, not the person they're ostensibly helping.

[pzone]

Not trying to contradict you, but it's also one of the precious ways offering a shot at helping people overcome depression.

[sowhatquestion]

> It is clear that the United States in particular is, especially in recent years, churning out unprecedented numbers of severely psychologically ill individuals.

Is it clear? Or have we gotten better at diagnosing conditions that people have been experiencing all along? (Not to mention reducing stigma and making people more likely to admit to having these conditions.) In any case, citation needed.

[phineastcat]

When I got diagnosed with manic depression, I did some research on my family medical history going back several generations. Many of them through two lineages (my father's mother's family, and my mother's father's family) in my family exhibited symptoms of manic depression, but have no corresponding diagnoses.

Not anything scientific, but it does point toward the fact that destigmatizing mental illnesses and our better understanding of them is leading to more diagnoses, not anything else. Everyone's quick to forget how horrifying psychiatric care in the US was up until quite recently.

[zamalek]

> organic robots

Where does diabetes fall I to this argument? I'll concede that depression is frequently misdiagnosed, especially as a misdiagnosis for other conditions (e.g. MTHFR) and even more frequently as a self-misdiagnosis. However, this does not change the struggle of people who genuinely suffer from it.