• Congratulations to the Class of 2024 on your results!
    Let us know how you went here
    Got a question about your uni preferences? Ask us here

The legitimacy of depression as an illness. (1 Viewer)

SurferNerd

Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2006
Messages
90
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
lol fair point
and YES

How many people wait until they're diagnosed with clinical depression until they claim that they are so? Viewed from an ordinary person on the street, the symptoms are inherently difficult to quantify as a bona fide illness and not a fleeting mental state.
I'm just putting forward the common sense view that we dont always take people at their word/opinion on such things

there's both an everyday meaning and a medical meaning attached to the term. Their is often a distinction
Agreed.

What is people's thoughts on the use of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in the treatment of depression?
 

sunsettah

Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2008
Messages
154
Location
NSW
Gender
Female
HSC
2009
Hmmm okay... yeah, I don't think I have come across anyone like that.

But I can see your point.

I guess, even if those types of people do exist, that doesn't mean that EVERYONE with depression is faking it. That generalisation seems to be quite prominent on this thread. No one is focusing on the people who go through this stuff and never tell anyone... what the hell is their motivation for faking it? (Not that there is anything wrong with getting support though.. it's encouraged!)

Do you know what I mean though? People just seem to be stereotyping depressed people into this narrow and quite unrealistic pigeon hole.



Yeah, I mean it's pretty stupid. Especially amongst youth. It's a massive thing, from mild depression/anxiety, to the nasties like psychosis and BPD, so many people are just oblivious to the in depth stuff about it.

All they see if someone who cries too much, or doesn't stop worrying, etc.

And it really hurts when there's nothing you can do but hurt more and more
 

Iron

Ecclesiastical Die-Hard
Joined
Jul 14, 2004
Messages
7,765
Gender
Male
HSC
2004
Zap the fuckers imo. Let the sparks fly. Unleash the power of demon voltage upon their corrupted brainzzzzzz
 

Ashabella

Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2008
Messages
136
Gender
Female
HSC
2009
lol fair point
and YES

How many people wait until they're diagnosed with clinical depression until they claim that they are so? Viewed from an ordinary person on the street, the symptoms are inherently difficult to quantify as a bona fide illness and not a fleeting mental state.
I'm just putting forward the common sense view that we dont always take people at their word/opinion on such things

there's both an everyday meaning and a medical meaning attached to the term. There is often a distinction
"How many people wait until they're diagnosed with clinical depression until they claim that they are so?"

You're talking to one right now.
 

Iron

Ecclesiastical Die-Hard
Joined
Jul 14, 2004
Messages
7,765
Gender
Male
HSC
2004
"How many people wait until they're diagnosed with clinical depression until they claim that they are so?"

You're talking to one right now.
What's the process, if you dont mind me asking?
Do you fill out a form, or does the Dr plug some whatsit into your brain?
 

Ashabella

Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2008
Messages
136
Gender
Female
HSC
2009
lol fair point
and YES

How many people wait until they're diagnosed with clinical depression until they claim that they are so? Viewed from an ordinary person on the street, the symptoms are inherently difficult to quantify as a bona fide illness and not a fleeting mental state.
I'm just putting forward the common sense view that we dont always take people at their word/opinion on such things

there's both an everyday meaning and a medical meaning attached to the term. There is often a distinction
What's the process, if you dont mind me asking?
Do you fill out a form, or does the Dr plug some whatsit into your brain?

Funny.

They ask you about what kind of symptoms you experience - just like with any other illness.
 

Iron

Ecclesiastical Die-Hard
Joined
Jul 14, 2004
Messages
7,765
Gender
Male
HSC
2004
lol sensitive!
Everybody knows that some people are happy to label themselves as depressed and import all the legitimating medical information attached to this. -I cant help it! It's who I am! Why fight nature???
That's the distinction mine fren
 
Joined
Jun 19, 2007
Messages
190
Gender
Female
HSC
2009
Is the argument from ignorance a general perspective or just one that you've suddenly come to hold dear to yourself?
Ahh you're cracking me up!!!:rofl:
"I get knocked down, but I get up again" << I'm not sure if they'll have many more idiotic and hurtful arguments to form :)
 

TylerDurden09

New Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2008
Messages
24
Location
Paper Street
Gender
Male
HSC
2009
You're agreeing with a nonsense scatterbrained interpretation of reality instead of a valid argument?

Nice to see where the cognitive deficit lies in this thread. It certainly isn't on the side of those upon which you allege.
I just find your emotional investment into a light-hearted internet forum discussion quite disturbing. Irrespective of whether you are right, there is a furious anger in your posts. Almost an underlying sentiment, a plead for help.

Are you depressed my friend?
 

Iron

Ecclesiastical Die-Hard
Joined
Jul 14, 2004
Messages
7,765
Gender
Male
HSC
2004
Interestingly enough it is a sensitive issue to label an entire field of study a psuedo-science and not take heed of its teachings because you're unable to differentiate between the meaning of a word in different contexts?

So people who do anything illegitimately directly undermine the particular information or knowledge related to that event or item, regardless of its impact on society?

This is like an inflated wet paper bag, you realise?

I dont believe that i've expressed any problem with the medical science, cunt? (though it is interesting that diagnosis is based on a verbal description of symptoms).
 

KFunk

Psychic refugee
Joined
Sep 19, 2004
Messages
3,323
Location
Sydney
Gender
Male
HSC
2005
Great, how does this undermine science based medicine and psychology?

*Waits for DSM-IV entry on Homosexuality*
Pedantic correction: DSM-III

Homosexuality was eliminated as a disease category in the creation of DSM-IV. Note, though, that gender identity disorder still exists as a category. There are a number of LGBT , and similar, groups advocating its removal in DSM-V (slated for release in 2012 I believe).
 

TylerDurden09

New Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2008
Messages
24
Location
Paper Street
Gender
Male
HSC
2009
Pedantic correction: DSM-III

Homosexuality was eliminated as a disease category in the creation of DSM-IV. Note, though, that gender identity disorder still exists as a category. There are a number of LGBT , and similar, groups advocating its removal in DSM-V (slated for release in 2012 I believe).
for the layman, what is DSM xx ??
 

KFunk

Psychic refugee
Joined
Sep 19, 2004
Messages
3,323
Location
Sydney
Gender
Male
HSC
2005
What is people's thoughts on the use of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in the treatment of depression?
In general CBT is thought to be effective for treatment of depression (for example, see study). CBT is probably the best studied method of psychotherapy (the evidence which exists is of a fairly high standard). Compared to medication, CBT has the advantage of providing individuals with the skills needed to prevent relapse into depressive episodes (as well as being useful for managing acute episodes). On average, in the long-term, I expect CBT is more useful than medications, though I am sure that there are cases where either medications are particularly effective in an individual or CBT is of limited use.
 

Iron

Ecclesiastical Die-Hard
Joined
Jul 14, 2004
Messages
7,765
Gender
Male
HSC
2004
Ah, just invert Schroe and you have a half-decent Catholic imo

NNNNNNNNNNNNnnnnnnnnnnnnnnobody expects the Spanish inquisition
 

KFunk

Psychic refugee
Joined
Sep 19, 2004
Messages
3,323
Location
Sydney
Gender
Male
HSC
2005
for the layman, what is DSM xx ??
Apologies.

DSM = the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

It is a text developed by the American Psychiatric Association which classifies, and provides diagnostic criteria for, mental disorders. It has fairly important implications for research, drug development and health insurance. See, for example, DSM-IV (the most recent edition)
 

TylerDurden09

New Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2008
Messages
24
Location
Paper Street
Gender
Male
HSC
2009
Yeah I'm deeply fucking depressed (Social context) at the fact that when you let a bunch of you morons go you create an echo chamber of idiocy the likes of which has never been seen.

I'm sick of the fact that people are taking scientific evidence and science-based medicine and abrogating the place it has in society because they're to lazy to perform a simple task of mental cognition.

I'm sick of the complementary medicine echo chamber and I'm sick of the utterly retarded stoicism.

I also think it's trebly hilarious that one can then attempt to undermine the points that I'm making with a jab at my mental state. Well played, old friend.

The point still remains that this thread is inherently retarded.

Comparing medical science to the boy crying wolf and thereby saying it undermines the legitimacy of the diagnosis is a load of shit and should be called as it is.

The main arguments put forward in this thread are

a) People should harden the fuck up

b) Man the drug companies control society we're overmedicated

c) We live in an emotionally-based society where everyone is entitled to be depressed

d) Sometimes people exaggerate or misrepresent facts about themselves in a social situation

And the final, and proper fucking argument

e) We don't yet fully understand the neurochemical processes of the brain, but we have a fairly good understanding that Depression is heavily linked to dopamine and serotonin levels in the brain. There may also be societal/cultural factors, but the point still remains that there is a substantial element of neurochemistry here.

And the rebuttals in order

a) This is a canard and really has nothing to do with the science of Psychology

b) Prove it. So far it just seems like you're trying to sell Acai berries or some homeopathic bullshit.

c) Prove it. It seems like you're promoting some bullshit gestalt theory nonsense and I'd rather eat a trough full of putrescent shit than sit through a second of that psycho-babble fuckery.

d) The world has attention seekers and people who are histrionic, how does this undermine it on any scientific level? Oh that's right, it doesn't. Also, you're a cunt

e) Okay commander scientist please provide papers and studies that argue with current medical wisdom, otherwise get to fuck.

The problem we have is the fact that most of the people here have NO fucking idea what they're talking about but think because they may have once interacted with someone who was an attention seeker it makes them an authority on issues of mental health.

It doesn't. If you think that, you are a cunt.

End fucking discussion.
respect us conservatives, I dont like the c-word :D
 
Last edited:

Iron

Ecclesiastical Die-Hard
Joined
Jul 14, 2004
Messages
7,765
Gender
Male
HSC
2004
:D But then I'd be too busy arguing over restricting women's reproductive rights and worrying about abortion to care about the overall levels of happiness faced by humans that are already here -

oh wait
Who are you to say that our efforts to protect life arent efforts that increase overall happiness? TRUE happiness.
Not that we give a shit about whatever society demands. We are different to youz and we should be different. That's what the world admires about us
 

TylerDurden09

New Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2008
Messages
24
Location
Paper Street
Gender
Male
HSC
2009
Apologies.

DSM = the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

It is a text developed by the American Psychiatric Association which classifies, and provides diagnostic criteria for, mental disorders. It has fairly important implications for research, drug development and health insurance. See, for example, DSM-IV (the most recent edition)
Thank you :)
 

KFunk

Psychic refugee
Joined
Sep 19, 2004
Messages
3,323
Location
Sydney
Gender
Male
HSC
2005
Gender identity disorder is an argument for another thread. Regardless, I'd hardly say homosexuality being removed due to a shifting morality of society thereby undermines the legitimacy of the diagnosis?

I keep coming back to this point because it is the point.

Either these situations undermine the legitimacy or they don't
Certainly, such a shift undermines the categorisation itself. However, it does not thereby undermine the entire DSM, though I feel that it does highlight a very important issue in psychiatry. There are very interesting moral dimensions through much of psychiatry. The research agenda paper for DSM-V explicitly identifies the existence of sociopolitical approaches to defining 'illness'.
 
Last edited:

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top