Is the shift of depression causation in the common rhetoric toward biologic explanations actually increasing stigma? Should we be agitating away from such explanations in order to reduce the discrimination exprerienced by the ill?

Yes. This shift to biological explanations in our own lifetimes did not just come out of the blue. It is driven by NAMI, and funded by the pharma industry. Questions for you:

Why does NAMI drive this theory, despite studies that show biological explantations increase stigma? Why does NAMI ignore those studies? Who, besides NAMI has set up the causation debate between that of bad character or biology? And what is missing from these two possibilities?

The average person believes lived experience (adversity, interpersonal abuse, childhood trauma) cause mental illness. There are “psychoeducation” campaigns intent on changing these beliefs, why? Who funds them? Who profits? Who loses? What is true? The majority of people in psych wards report trauma histories.

I don’t know what we do with this. I don’t think we want to go around saying people with depression have weak characters etc. On the other hand, there is a strong body of research that shows that a vast majority of people with severe mental illness (not sure about depression on its own) have experienced abuse as children or adults, physical, emotional or sexual. I do think that is an important fact to get out there.

But I must add to the discussion, some important pieces.

Once the person starts feeling depressed, his actions and behaviors change. The person begins to notice serious changes start taking place in their character causing symptoms of (insert mental disorder of choice).

The onset of the hardest period to go through. how will the person explain his erratic behavior, better yet how will he control it around his peers and family? These may sound superficial at glance, but it’s obvious how much we think what others think, and what are reputations are like. If the person tries to pull a facade and hide his positive symptoms of let’s say, paranoia, he may say something out of context or character. If the people he is around are not supportive, the person will fall into isolation.

so what about biology? Let’s say this same patient’s mental disorder was the result of his DNA. this patient checks himself in and finds a medication that has reduced his symptoms, and now the patient has learned something significant that others may not know. That he/she had a predisposition to a certain mood disorder. It may even run in the family, and it is not their fault it occurred. BUT now the patient has lost his social support group. they may or may not recall how they acted in the past, they may have (given diagnosed disorder) displayed for example mania, reclusiveness, anxiety, bizzare ideas, etc…..

one may now try to win back their old peers or make new peers but find it extremely difficult. remember, this person is now changed. in some peoples’ eyes who are truly supportive they will always be by their side, while others will have already shunned off the individual because he just completely “went insane” and became a “lost cause”. It’s these attitudes of people that cause the extreme shame in the people dealing with mental illness.

And the study mentioned about people not being attracted to those who preach chemical like theories of depression, makes sense. Everyone wants to play the game where we make choices, and the general population still has a hard time believing that mental illness can be just as expected as a causality in a world war.

I myself made the mistake of disclosing information about my mental health to some friends. Perhaps the effect if greater in men. In a fit of hopelessness I started acting out of character and couldn’t hold in my illness any more. I let some friends know about it. Obviously they were supportive, but I knew in that moment I was someone different in their eyes, or so my thoughts had me believe. Eventually extreme shame intruded me, and I always believed that people could only see the “insane/problemed” version of me, even when I was feeling okay, causing me to feel bad. That vicious cycle stuff. It felt like a great burden to get off my chest, but if I could go back I wouldn’t disclose the information to anyone , given societies attitudes today. For what is this necessity and feeling of having to be open to others and explain their inner demons. I say if you can hide it hide it, but then again look what happened to me. I just couldn’t hide it.

“This madness has entrenched me from foot on up. If these are my last words so be it. It is in human nature to be selfish, so I’d rather get the last words for myself then have someone else speak for me with all their bullshit theories.

Freewill has become a big joke at this point in my life. Have I ever had it? I was given the minutest trivial struggles that finally overflowed the den and collapsed on in. On top of that I was given a predisposition I despise. A predisposed combination of genes prone to depression, suffering, misery, complacency, and rapid mood swings. Life would have been so easy if my human nature lacked major depression. [i]And I would have had no complaints whatsoever. [/i] Whether this vulnerability was posed upon me by a Higher Being or through the indifferent process of evolutionary theory is not an issue to examine. Both of the cases seem entirely indifferent and selfish to me. For one I never asked for this so called ‘gift of life’. It was imposed upon me out of my will. And where is truth? There is no way to find it. Whether we try and use reason to prove God, or put “faith” in this unknown- both fail to impress me. Paradoxically both of these futile attempts require ‘leaps of faith’, with the latter threatening eternal damnation for a finite life if one had not lived his life in accordance to God’s word. Whatever word that may be.

This depression has manifested itself in the sickest forms of human inactivity. Some days my mind becomes so blank that I forget who I am. Procrastination takes over in every human affair, organized school work, and errand I attempt. Socializing begins to take great effort, where it otherwise wouldn’t. Learning from past mistakes becomes unheard of. Bad habits continue. Life seems to lack meaning. I feel boring when I’m bored. Hence, I bore others when I’m bored, and that means my family, friends, and self. I depress others when I’m depressed. And this in turn makes me more depressed. I forget what it’s like to be happy. Then I forget what it’s like to be normal. It’s a vicious self defeating cycle of flames. If there is a God, I feel that he is nonchalantly observing this with his omnipotence, which must prevent him from any feelings whatsoever. I observe people of faith and realize…..eh fck it, I’m blaming others again. I don’t blame anyone for this , myself included, because it’s all one big fucking paradox. If this fog lifted I could easily score a girl, maintain my friendships, enter a lucrative and joyful career, have genuine relationships with those I love, relax, hang out, be funny, not give a fuck, and take full control of my responsibilities. But as this things worsens I begin almost not caring, which at the same time causes shame. It’s confusing. The shame and guilt is probably due to giving up on a part of me that wants to stay, and to not flake out on those that be upset over a bad decision.

Should I take medication?Therapy?Meditate?Eat the right foods? There’s such an abundance of bland information and self help material out there that it ruins the seriousness factor out any legitimate solution. Maybe I should, just snap out of it. Anyways like I was saying….”
http://www.socialanxietysupport.com/forum/
posting.php?mode=edit&f=59&p=793032

Firstly, why is that so? Since my original idea seems so intuitive (although I’m obviously biased), what is it about an explanation of depression causation that removes any attribution of responsibility from the sufferer that results in the person to want to increase their social distance from the depressed person? Is this stigma or merely discomfort and impotence in dealing with and existential problem for which they have no solution/s?

Secondly, what does this mean for the way depression is framed in society? Is the shift of depression causation in the common rhetoric toward biologic explanations actually increasing stigma? Should we be agitating away from such explanations in order to reduce the discrimination exprerienced by the ill?

I have no interest in being right or wrong in what I’ve written. My only intention in writing my thoughts was to encourage self-reflection in readers and debate. So, from that perspective, thank you muchly for your comments.

When faced with an individual person who is depressed, it really isn’t anyone’s business why in my opinion unless that person has invited them to inquire, I agree with that premise. My own depression currently is actually most likely caused by my raised parathyroid hormone due to my kidney failure, a true organic cause. But it doesn’t make me feel one bit better to know that…

Of course you don’t want to identify causes iamthebrain, it might lead to “gasp” families! And family therapy would be very difficult to impose through force…