I thought Mr. B might enjoy this question that is casually posed in my psychology text:

Should we treat depression as a disorder of the brain of a disorder of thought--or both?

The question, which he himself has eloquently explained, is actually, "Should depression be treated as a disorder at all?"

I do wonder sometimes. Mostly, my thought is no, it shouldn't; depression is a naturally occurring thing that is probably good for us, in that while it does SUCK, we can learn from it as a person and as a people. But I do have a friend who was diagnosed as clinically depressed, and he does take drugs for it. I don't want to insult him by suggesting he may not actually need them, but that's really my first reaction to the idea of taking antidepressants. I have a general dislike of the conception that pills can act as a panacea, a quick and easy fix-it for your ailment. See, there I go, calling depression an ailment. But I mean, seriously what? Is he just going to take pills for the rest of his life to keep from falling into depression again? Call me old-fashioned, but the idea just seems abhorrent. What's to stop people from using pills as a way of not dealing with things?

For example. My mom recently learned that she has high cholesterol. She and I are seeing the same doctor, of whom I have a high opinion. This doctor seems to truly understand what it means to help a person be well. In our first appointment, she'd say, "I am going to give you this advice as though you were my own daughter."

So, she told my mom to lose weight. My mom really does need some excercise. My mom lost it and gained it back again; she's not too disciplined on that. She comes from a culture that revolves around rich food, and old habits die hard. But she knows she ought to exercise.

Lately, though, she's been saying that she's thinking of finding a new doctor, that she's not sure about this one. I'm like, why? There's nothing about her that seemed unreliable or uncaring. Then my mom mentions that, you know, some of her officemates have told her that there are these pills for high cholesterol that keep it down, and that because our doctor hasn't prescribed them to her, she's starting to wonder.

Me: Well, have you asked her about the pills?

Mom: ..yyyeah, she told me to lose weight first and then we'll see.

Me: Well what's wrong with that? You SHOULD lose weight first! Maybe you don't even need the pills! They're probably more for people with a biological disorder. She's waiting to see if you even need them before she gives you pills. Maybe all you need to do is just lose some weight. That sounds like a good doctor to me.

Mom: No, I want pills! (Here, she starts acting playfully childish as a way of evading discussion, so that's the end of that.)

Actually, later that night I got upset thinking about it. Your health is not something to toy around with, especially when you start getting older, and if she's supposed to lose weight, she better damn well start losing weight! I don't want her taking pills if she doesn't have to! Money issues aside, taking pills when you don't actually need them messes you up. It results in other problems later that you again have to deal with. Studies have even shown (and how can you deny The Studies?) that people who take lots of prescription pills are much more susceptible to Alzheimer's disease. My parents speak of Alzheimer's disease in fearful tones, but it's not just some bogeyman. It starts with this!

And when am I allowed to be stern with my mom, when am I allowed to start getting mad? When she's already dependent on pills that are already causing her problems? It frustrates me, because I don't know if she listened to me at all, and this is important. Pfffft.

8:25 p.m. 2004-08-27�