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File: Date: Wed, 07 Jan 2009 08:14:20 GMT Server: Apache/2.0.40 (Red Hat Linux) Accept-Ranges: bytes X-Powered-By: PHP/4.3.2 Connection: close Content-Type: text/html Ways Of Seeing Depression - Students Against Depression Jump to content



Real Student Stories

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Picture of Anna A homophobic upbringing meant Craig struggled to come out to his parents and to fully accept himself, leading eventually to drug and alcohol addiction. Inpatient rehab helped him return to uni… more > >


Also in "Depression In Context"... “I now believe that depression is the human psyche's way of crying out for help internally, and should not be viewed in a negative way. And is something that everyone can overcome.” Tonya

 

“If you hear that everyone tells you that you have to try and feel good, then you start thinking - why am I not feeling good? A hundred years ago, people weren't that obsessed with being depressed and then they weren't really depressed.” Elena

 

“It was a big help having someone say “You're okay. There's nothing wrong with you, you're not mad or stupid. You're a normal human being, you've just got a particular illness.” Mike

Students Against Depression
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Ways Of Seeing Depression

Better Life

"Depression" has not always existed

The wide variety of experiences and behaviours that is today called "depression" has had many different forms and labels over the centuries - and still does in some non-western cultures. Only since the 1930s has depression been categorised as an "illness" in western medical diagnostic manuals. And only much more recently has it achieved more widespread social legitimacy as an illness.

Benefits of seeing depression as an illness

What is gained by viewing depression from a medical perspective, as an illness?

Side effects of seeing depression as an illness

These are very powerful benefits. At the same time, it could be argued that there are powerful benefits for those who sell medications and services to 'treat' the illness. Depression medication is very important to the profits of several global drug companies, and these companies actively seek to establish new diagnoses for which antidepressant medications can be prescribed. On a smaller scale, the livelihoods of doctors and therapists specialising in depression depend on their presentation of depression as illness for which they can offer effective treatments - reducing their incentive for presenting other ways of seeing depression.

Drawbacks of seeing depression as an illness

Are there any drawbacks to seeing depression from a medical perspective?

Recognising these limitations is not to suggest an either-or argument about whether depression is or is not an illness. There is clearly much to be gained from the illness model. Equally there is much to be gained from recognising that there are other perspectives to take.

Other perspectives

What are some of the other ways of labelling the human distress we now tend to call "depression"?

Other ways to tell your story?

These examples suggest that there is not a uniform "right" way to view depression. Being able to consider different ways of seeing depression might also help to make it less powerful in your life.

Next:

  a depression-inducing society? > >

Links

More about possible contributions to your depression story: why me?
More about depression in the student context: depression in student life , real student stories
More about critically evaluating depression: a depression-inducing society? , depression and the meaning of life

© 2007 Charlie Waller Memorial Trust British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy Award for Innovation 2006

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