Perspectives (Soap Box)

An article appeared in the Guardian yesterday in which the writer, I think from a personal perspective, dismissed talk therapies in favour of medicating. She revealed she had 15 years of experience with depression, on and off… and yet she said:

“The invitation to "talk with tissues" also rather negates the widely-held scientific understanding of the chemical relationship between serotonin and depression.” 

(Laura Kemp, author of the article).

I’m at a loss as to how she can make such a bogus statement given her own condition and 15 years of living it! Either that or it is necessary to sensationalize a standpoint in order to get the nod from their sub editor. The writer writes it, the editors pass it and another myth about depression is reinforced. Go on to read the comments beneath the article, left by Joe Public, and it’s a very scary world out there. There are people talking anecdotally about the absence of depression in Africa, about religion as a universal cure for mental illness, about our consumerist lifestyle fuelling the depression filled waiting rooms, and about depression being a bourgeois malady brought on by a combination of too much spare time and self awareness.

(Exasperated sigh) where do I start? I can’t believe some of us are still talking about Africa as though it were a country. I can’t believe so much discussion enjoys the freedom afforded by so little evidence. And I can’t believe that there are people that think depression sufferers just looked at one too many copies of Harper’s Bazaar!

Excuse me, excuse me… let me through please, I have some facts… excuse me. The World Health Organization tells us in no uncertain terms that depression is common, affecting 121 million people world wide, it’s among the leading causes of disability worldwide, and whilst it can be reliably diagnosed, few have access to effective treatments (less than 25%). Diagnosis for many in developing countries is prohibited by poor access to medical professional, and the social stigma associated with mental disorders. In other words… don’t let anyone tell you about the state of depression in the African continent. And most tragically, depression is a factor associated with the loss of about 850 000 lives every year through suicide. When you watch the London Olympics in 2012 and admire the capacity crowds in the Olympic Stadium, think of another 9 stadiums just like it… and you have an idea of how many people that statistic describes.

“Depression is the leading cause of disability….(and) 4th  leading contributor to the global burden of disease. By the year 2020, depression is projected to reach 2nd place …. for all ages, both sexes.”

World Health Organization

That said, it really does seem as though mental illness is still fair game, unlike cancer or paralysis or heart disease. When are we going to give depression sufferers the time and space they need to return to good health… instead of persecuting them with ignorance, prejudice and bad science?

In a comment after the article Laura went on to say:

“I think dwelling on it equals navel-gazing and I haven’t got time to do that; I’m a busy person! I just want to get on with life and enjoy it.”

And there again, I see investing time in yourself to get better being called navel-gazing. Time that is no different to physiotherapy or rehab; hard work essential to return your normal functions and operate in the world again.

I hope more and more we realize that we are not all the same… that we can’t project our experience of the world on to others… and that we don’t all feel quite so comfortable in our own skin.

Is the glass half empty or half full? I don’t much care for what’s in the glass anyway. Ask me if the world is a safe and secure place to be in, or is it inconsistent and unpredictable? Ask if I feel secure and confident or inadequate and uncertain? If I feel capable or am I overcome with self-doubt? Do I believe in myself? Do you have a strong sense of who I am, or does who I am confuse me? Do I let people in close, or am I isolated and lonely?

To all those people that take a pop at depression I say: Do you think there is only one answer for all of us to these questions?… No?… Then let people sort out their s**t and you sort out yours. And if you have children… start paying more attention to the answers they are forming.

I'd like to hear what you think...