Comment · Tue, March 17, 2015 · Ceretropic
Frustrated at this whole Chemical Imbalance myth.
Original post in this thread
faceclassic · 2 points
Sorry for the amateurish and over simplification, but I only have my own experiences and limited research to go on. I just really hope I'm not the only one who's given in to this like so many.
It seems the general consensus among the public, because they sure like to repeat it and correct people, that the Chemical Imbalance explanation for depression and other mental disorders is a myth.
First I'd like to say, I hated the Chemical Imbalance explanation to begin with, just like "depression" diagnosis and "ADHD" diagnosis. It was a buzzword that the general public could comprehend. Then they oversimplify it even more by stating it's a myth. I believe in ADHD symptoms, but the causes and the symptoms are way too variable to just pass along a stimulant.
2 incredibly oversimplifications that caught on. This seems incredibly dangerous and irresponsible. I refuse to believe imbalances aren't affecting different symptoms and disorders.
Maybe I'm naive and idiolistic, but after md's, pdocs, psychologists, it's all about pigeon holing. Me, and multiple people I know walk in and get pigeon holed. Go in, walk out with an SSRI, then get lied to about how it worked for x # of patients.…
What they were answering
Direct reply to the original post — see the thread post above.
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · Ceretropic
I don't think you should cringe when you hear someone was diagnosed with depression. I was diagnosed with depression over a decade ago. I had a good job, a supportive family, and a loving girlfriend. I ate right, and worked out almost daily. There was no logical reason for me to feel the way I did. That just made it worse. Then people always ask you what is wrong. "I don't know! I have no reasons!" Depression is a very complex thing.
That being said, nothing any doctors did helped me. Medication did not help me. They might as well have been Derek Zoolander and Hansel, trying to beat the files out of the computer, screaming like monkeys. The only thing that helped me was to lose everything, and force myself to move forward.
I've since spent most of my waking life trying to learn about neurochemistry. There are things I know now that could have sped my process along. However, the change and realization still needed to come from within. I still needed to learn how to direct my internal thoughts outward, instead of inward. My brain still operates in the same manner it did back then. I have just learned how to use it to my advantage now, rather than my detriment.
So there are neurochemical imbalances, and genetic variations in gene expression that affects mood. It's just not a simple cause and effect relationship. Alleviating one or multiple of those factors can help you to work through the higher-level thought processes, and get you on a path to figuring out how to live with the genetics you have been given. I get your frustration with the medical community, trust me. But don't use that frustration as an excuse to rule everything as useless. Some people do benefit from the standard regimen. Then others do have to look for alternatives. I do think parts of the system are very broken, and many people fall through the cracks. There are options for them, though.