Does Calling Depression an Illness Worsen Stigma?

I plead guilty to expounding on the biochemical vulnerabilities and abnormalities in neural wiring of depression to make the case that it is a legitimate illness alongside lupus, breast cancer, or psoriatic arthritis. I thought I was doing a good thing by quoting experts like Peter Kramer, M.D, who believes that because depression can be associated with the loss of volume in parts of the brain, it is the “most devastating disease known to mankind.” My intention, like so many other mental health advocates I know, was to use science as a tool to lessen stigma. But is that really effective? Proof of the Madness I am relieved by clinical reports that explain why my efforts at cognitive-behavioral therapy aren’t enough to correct certain behaviors or thoughts — that brain imaging reveals the breakdown in normal patterns of processing that impedes the ability of depressed people to suppress negative emotional states and that high levels of activity in the amygdala part of the brain (the fear center) persist despite efforts to retrain thoughts. I would rather know that depression involves a problem in the wiring pattern of my brain than to know I simply wasn’t trying hard enough. I get excited about the progress of finding genomic biomarkers for different types of mood disorders and about twin studies that show if one twin developed depression, the other twin also suffered from depression in 46 percent of identical twins. I am delighted that experts have found a common...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Brain and Behavior Depression General Mental Health and Wellness Psychiatry Psychology Research Self-Help Treatment biogenetic theory Depressive Episode Mental Illness Mood Disorder Stereotypes Stigma Source Type: blogs