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RE: Depression Is a Cultural Meme — Not An Illness

in #depression7 years ago

You do have a point about how people have become increasingly mentally softer, but depression really shouldn't be brushed off as a "meme word". Every mind has a different threshold. Sure, life was harder back in the day, and hence our forefathers were more mentally conditioned. Life has gotten much easier since then, and we evolved accordingly.Some get over grief easily, some take longer while some just go completely downhill. Not everyone can just "man up" and deal with it. You should understand that all of us are wired differently, and try to understand and accommodate the differences rather than denigrate them. Depression is very real, and every single person has or will experience it for varying periods of time. How each person deals with it is what makes the difference. And unlike you seem to think so, depression actually has a very strong scientific foundation. It changes your brain chemistry. I suggest you do some more reading about it! :). Also, you honestly just sound quite miserable by telling people that they are "better off killing themselves". And miserable is kind of a byproduct of depression itself (ironically). Develop some empathy man. Seriously.

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You do have a point about how people have become increasingly mentally softer, but depression really shouldn't be brushed off as a "meme word". Every mind has a different threshold.[...] Not everyone can just "man up" and deal with it. You should understand that all of us are wired differently, and try to understand and accommodate the differences rather than denigrate them.

Yes, yes, YES!

Sure, life was harder back in the day, and hence our forefathers were more mentally conditioned. Life has gotten much easier since then, and we evolved accordingly.

Regarding this, in a way I can definitely agree that depression is some sort of luxury condition that usually only takes place once your basic needs (think Maslow's hierarchy of needs) have been met. When your brain power is not almost completely occupied in survival mode, then the gates for emotional and psychological suffering open. This is why depression is so prevalent in developed countries, while poorer countries that objectively would seem to have a lot more reasons to feel depressed (like in the hand-chopping scenario @kyriacos described) it is almost unheard of.

And unlike you seem to think so, depression actually has a very strong scientific foundation. It changes your brain chemistry.

Definitely. Worse: your brain gets rewired in this "negative setting" and it takes a lot of effort to cultivate the good circuits again.

Great comment, @belpheg0r!

This is why depression is so prevalent in developed countries, while poorer countries that objectively would seem to have a lot more reasons to feel depressed (like in the hand-chopping scenario @kyriacos described) it is almost unheard of.

You admit then that depression is a social construct and has nothing to do with the fact of being a homo-sapien.

oh and by the way

Wrote a piece in the past about this. Depression is a disease of civilisation, not a human illness.

There is no test you take for depression. There is no medicine you can take and cure you.

There is no such thing as "normal" brain chemistry. We all have different physiology. When you read about studies referring to depression they examine the ones complaining about depression vs the ones who don't. This is a generic problem with medicine. Add to that the fact that if you believe you have a certain disease you start acting like it and science of fMRI goes out of the window.

I did do a lot of reading about it don't worry.

Honestly, that's a very juvenile argument. Most of the mental illnesses don't have a sure shot test or a medicine that cures you 100%. That doesn't make the illness "made up", it just shows how complex the brain and it's chemistry is. Besides, on what basis are you challenging established medical evidence? Besides your seemingly pure contempt for mentally "weak" people, I really don't see you countering anything with any science to back it up.