Depression is 'over-diagnosed'

A leading psychologist has said this week in a medical journal, that:

Too many people are being diagnosed with depression when all they are is unhappy, a leading psychiatrist says.

Professor Gordon Parker claims the threshold for clinical depression is too low and risks treating normal emotional states as illness.

Writing in the British Medical Journal, he calls depression a "catch-all" diagnosis driven by clever marketing.

But another psychiatrist writing in the journal contradicts his views, praising the increased diagnosis of depression.

source

other recent studies have stated that prescription rates for anti-depressants have soared here

More worryingly, prescriptions for children have also soared, news.bbc.co.uk... although this is quite an old article, I think it's relevant.

So is Professor Gordon Parker right? Or, are his critics right in saying that doctors are now just better at detecting depression?

One thing I have said again and again is this:

You should be diagnosed and treated by a MD who specialized in depression etc. All too often people get thier prozac etc from a family care MD who really had exposure to psychiatric medicine 10+ years ago while a resident and only then for s semester.

The same with getting ADHD diagnosis. You want to see a specialist.

Depression and ADHD are real and the medication for treating them if prescribed and used properly can mean all the difference to people afflicted with them. However, I do agree that both diseases are way overdiagnosed and the medications for them are indescriminetly prescribed.

It's the over prescription to children that I find really concerning, given the links between suicide and anti depressant use in younger people. Remember the seroxat link?
And we already know about ritalin......

I suffer from clinical depression, so I for one would say it 'really' exists. That said, I would definetly agree it is over-diagnosed. Same could be said for most psychiatric conditions I feel.

I would like to expand on Fred T's comment and say I believe you should see an MD who specializes in depression, but only secondary; you should first see a clinical psychologist. The two are quite different, one isn't as qualified as the other in diagnosing. MDs can prescribe the drugs, the psychologists cant.... unfortunately. Most MDs simply listen for key words and consult their list of common symptoms after one or two sessions. If you have the money you should visit a clinical psychologist to ensure you really have depression and you are not simply unhappy. Anti-depressents are no joke people, they can help alot but they can also make you feel worse. Drugs are hit and miss, trial and error.

[edit on 20-8-2007 by Cloak and Dagger]

More often than not people with situitional depression are diagnosed with chemical or bipolar depression and given drugs when all they really have to do is simply deal with the issues that are causing it in the first place.

We used "better living through chemistry" as a slogan back in the 60's unfortunately the big pharmaceuticals took us at our word and problems like this are the result.

Originally posted by grover
More often than not people with situitional depression are diagnosed with chemical or bipolar depression and given drugs when all they really have to do is simply deal with the issues that are causing it in the first place.

We used "better living through chemistry" as a slogan back in the 60's unfortunately the big pharmaceuticals took us at our word and problems like this are the result.

I agree - situational depression is often misdiagnosed and chemical treatments are used which may not be appropriate. This is why I advocate seeing a mental healthcare professional before taking medication.

Too many of these drugs are handed out like sweets, and can sometimes cause more harm than good.

Yes, they are very often pushed on people who don't need them, as it's a big money. I was one three different drugs at the same time, which contributed to many more health peroblems than I had with spiratic bouts of dression. It just wasn't worth it, my mind sedated; body falling apart. Though, I'm sure they do help some people who are in great need due to severe problems, other people can help themselves without drugs. Often the best way to treat depression, is to try many approaches, not just drugs and find a good health care professional. That with possibly more than one opinion by Drs.

I am feeling depressed. How am i to know if it is a feeling of unhappiness or depression? What is the difference? If it's unhappiness then well i feel unhappy alot of the time. If it's depressed then well i feel depressed alot of the time (isn't depressed the samea s feeling unhappy? Or is unhappiness more shortlived that depression?)

Please someone reply to my post as I am going to the doctor tomorrow and going to say to him that i feel depressed and i am a very anxious person. I feel anxious alot of the time and i feel depressed alot of the time too...

Hell im even thinking of going to a psychiatrist. My sister thinks i should go to one too (though i dont know if she's joking or not (probably not))
[edit on 26-8-2007 by DaRAGE]

I hate the thought that i'd need to go to a psychiatrist. I hate the thought because i dont think there's anything i couldn't work out alone and NEED a psychiatrist for. The only reason i can think of is for morale support, suggesting new ideas to tackle a problem?

I'd hate to think that depression and mentioning this psychiatric suggestion would degredate my suggestions and thoughts on these forums. Wouldn't that just be the ultimate tip of the iceberg. A conspiracy theorist needs psychiatric help. lol. How cliche'. Though I'm sure conspiracy theorists need psychiatric help all the time too. I guess im only human,m just like everyone else, including conspiracy theorists... ;-P

[edit on 26-8-2007 by DaRAGE]

[edit on 26-8-2007 by DaRAGE]

[edit on 26-8-2007 by DaRAGE]

But then again If i do get a script for depression and one for anxiety i might take the anxiety one first before i take the depression one.

And if i do get a depression one i will ask for one that is lighter and not so much of the anti-depressive drug (as i have heard of someone who got prescribed to an anti-depressant drug and pretty much went into work and lost the plot, left work, quit work, started talking to his workmates like a crazy person, with huge pupils and the such. Please reply ;-P

IMHO -

- We are better at diagnosing and understanding it. IMHO

- We are living in a more demanding and depressing society so there will be more of it. IMHO

- We are living in a dysfunctional world so there will be more of it. IMHO

- We are living in a world with a spiritual void. 'why' we are here is no longer understood as the traditional 'so we can be rewarded for a life of toil and go to heaven'. Without ultimate purpose people will get depressed. IMHO

- The pollution problems of the world have had negative influences on our body chemistry ... probably causing more chemical (clinical) depression. IMHO. (I can't prove that.)

- We live in a spoiled society and when ever anyone feels sad, they want a little pill to fix it instantly. IMHO

- Some shrinks like to make a quick diagnosis, push some meds, get the case off their plates and the insurance check into their bank accounts.

- The big drug companies LOVE to push their drugs and therefore they push the diagnosis and possibly even reward (somehow) shrinks who claim their patient is depressed and in need of meds. IMHO

So to answer the OPs question ... I think the reasons for more cases are very diverse.

Originally posted by DaRAGE
How am i to know if it is a feeling of unhappiness or depression?

That's for a medical doctor and a shrink to tell you. No one can tell you long distance what you have or don't have going on in your body. Medical tests will need to be done as well as a 'talk' with a trained professional.

Don't be afraid of going to a psychologist.
Don't be afraid of talking about this with your doctor.
1/5 of all Americans have some form of mental distress in their lives.

Yes .. 1/5. There is no shame in it.

Good luck!!

Originally posted by FlyersFan
1/5 of all Americans have some form of mental distress in their lives.
Yes .. 1/5. There is no shame in it.

Good luck!!

Thanks d00d. Psst, Just wondering... how did you find out 1/5 americans have it? Could that information ahve been brought to your attention and research funded by a drug company who has invested interests? ;-P (thats the conspiracy theorist in me ;-) )

reply to post by DaRAGE


Well, our brains are wired to seek chemical rewards through our endorphins. Once we have a taste of the sweetness of a state of mind that has been flooded by chemicals inducing extreme states of euphoria I could see how the run of the mill chemistry could make you feel a bit down. Like the runner's high, they have excerted themselves to a point that the body releases chemistry to alleviate the energy drain and it is perceived as a reward so they will run again to duplicate the experience.

Unfortunately if we are chemically altered due to an endorphin like oxytocin that releases from human interaction, cuddling, sex, etc then you can get in a state of mind where you think the person you are involved with is the source of your contentment and if they are no longer around you inducing the production of the chemical through the behavior then you can become unhappy and depressed because you think the person is the source of the good feelings, not realizing your own brain conducts the symphony based on it's perceptions and desires. You have to find another way to produce the chemicals that make you feel good and if you use them up all at once you may have down time while you wait for the body to recharge.

Seratonin and dopamine have great effects on the way you feel and to use drugs to control how the brain uses the chemicals could upset the natural ebb and flow, I would think.

Sometimes feelings are being felt to alert you to something going on or a lesson to be experienced. We are often taught that feelings and emotions are so powerful that we have no choice than to kill them rather than seek to bring them into harmony if inharmonious.

When you go to the phsyciatrist look to see what brand of meds his clock is and that is probably what you will get. If you want the xanax for anxiety then you will come down and be depressed, but then you can take the pupil enlarging prozac and be Happy in a strained kind of way.

I think most of us are bipolar by nature to some degree, learning to manage your chemistry is an artform which yields long term benifits, while medication is a quick artificial fix. To be aware of your own mind, body, and spirit gives you the potential you need to manage yourself properly and if you feel something is wrong then maybe it is and you can change it yourself and don't need pills.

I also understand that it doesn't work that easily for some people and when you feel oppressed, depressed, repressed, then something is blocking your flow and you can try to remove it or hide it behind artificial stimulation.

For people who cannot produce the required chemicals to function then they may have to resort to meds, but I personally would try other things if at all possible.

Depression is only one of the many illnesses caused by our bodies being bombarded with synthetic chemicals. There are chemicals in most all of the food we eat, in the water we drink, and in the products we use. Each person will have different reactions based on the combinations of chemicals they are ingesting.

There is a book called "The Hundred Year Lie" that describes the increase in illness and disease that directly correllates to the increase in synthetic chemicals introduced into our food, water and products that started over a hundred years ago. Here is a small paragraph from the website:

Did you know that there are over 100,000 chemicals in use today? Most of them have not been tested for toxicity in humans, either alone or in combination with other chemicals.

What's even more disturbing is that in order to test all existing chemicals for synergistic effects on human health, it would take nearly 200 million different experiments which, with current technology, would take up to 1,000 years to complete. Safety is a myth...one of many myths exposed in The Hundred-Year Lie.

The website is at www.hundredyearlie.com.... It's very fascinating information.


These chemicals are slowly being increased over the years, which causes more illnesses such as ADHD, RLS, PMDD, etc. Notice the increase in TV commercials pushing drugs for these new disorders as the food industry increases the amount of chemicals in our food and other products.

I cured my own depression simply by changing my diet from processed food to organic food. I'm also in the process of replacing all of my personal products and household products with organic ones.

The only way to be healthy and disease-free is to consume live organic foods (not dead food and not chemically-laced food) and stay away from chemical-based products.

Originally posted by DaRAGE
how did you find out 1/5 americans have it?

1/5 Americans will have some form of mental distress in their lives at some point. That's directly out of my psychology text books. That isn't JUST depression ... that's counting phobias and dysfunctional thought processes as well.

In the famous words of Patrick Henry... "Give me librium or give me meth."

Well i can definately try and eat healthier, eating organic foods and the like. Might give that a go.

I can say that these anxiety feelings and depression are most likely induced from my bad habits i had a couple years ago with nightclubbing and seratonin inducing pills.

Since then anxiety levels have sky rocketed which really makes me uncomfortable around people. And that in turn makes me feel really depressed as I dont like going out with people and doing things with them really anymore due to this high anxiety.

Originally posted by grover
In the famous words of Patrick Henry... "Give me librium or give me meth."

Seriously, though, here's some info from WHO:

# Mental, neurological and behavioural disorders are common to all countries and cause immense suffering. People with these disorders are often subjected to social isolation, poor quality of life and increased mortality. These disorders are the cause of staggering economic and social costs.
# Hundreds of millions of people worldwide are affected by mental, behavioural, neurological and substance use disorders. For example, estimates made by WHO in 2002 showed that 154 million people globally suffer from depression and 25 million people from schizophrenia; 91 million people are affected by alcohol use disorders and 15 million by drug use disorders. A recently published WHO report shows that 50 million people suffer from epilepsy and 24 million from Alzheimer and other dementias.
# In addition to the above figures, many other disorders affect the nervous system or produce neurological sequelae. Projections based on a WHO study show that worldwide in 2005, 326 million people suffer from migraine; 61 million from cerebrovascular diseases; 18 million from neuroinfections or neurological sequelae of infections. Number of people with neurological sequelae of nutritional disorders and neuropathies (352 million) and neurological sequelae secondary to injuries (170 million) also add substantially to the above burden.
# About 877,000 people die by suicide every year.
# One in four patients visiting a health service has at least one mental, neurological or behavioural disorder but most of these disorders are neither diagnosed nor treated. here

Depression may be only one form of mental illness, but it's probably the most common.

Depression is a common mental disorder, characterized by sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy and poor concentration. These problems can become chronic or recurrent, substantially impairing an individual’s ability to cope with daily life. At its most severe, depression can lead to suicide. Most cases of depression can be treated with medication or psychotherapy.
here

and some more:

Facts

* Depression is common, affecting about 121 million people worldwide.
* Depression is among the leading causes of disability worldwide.
* Depression can be reliably diagnosed and treated in primary care.
* Fewer than 25 % of those affected have access to effective treatments.

Depression can be reliably diagnosed in primary care. Antidepressant medications and brief, structured forms of psychotherapy are effective for 60-80 % of those affected and can be delivered in primary care. However, fewer than 25 % of those affected (in some countries fewer than 10 %) receive such treatments. Barriers to effective care include the lack of resources, lack of trained providers, and the social stigma associated with mental disorders including depression.

Primary care based quality improvement programs for depression have been shown to improve the

* quality of care,
* satisfaction with care
* health outcomes,
* functioning,
* economic productivity,
* and household wealth at a reasonable cost
here

It seems there's a lot more to depression than just a disappointed person and a handful of pills.

It's estimated that between 1/4 and 1/3 of the population will suffer from a mental illness at some point in their lives.

That's a lot.

So I'd say that detection is better than it used to be - although it's always worth getting a 2nd opinion......

"mad? what d'you mean I'm mad? who are you to tell me I'm mad, it's not like I don't know"

"Oh, thanks doc - I'm not mad after all"


So I don't have to take these pills...

Originally posted by FlyersFan

Don't be afraid of going to a psychologist.
Don't be afraid of talking about this with your doctor.
1/5 of all Americans have some form of mental distress in their lives.

Yes .. 1/5. There is no shame in it.

Good luck!!

nice one FF - these are the greatest barriers to being well.
The stigma that some attach to MH are untrue - if you get physically ill, you see the doc - why should it be different for your brain?

the 'Depression' diagnosis is rampant because the doctors 'client'
(as opposed to patient) will 'doctor shop' until they get the sedatives
they've self diagnosed themselves to need/require.

another case of the tail wagging the dog.


the Ads on TV instruct us to consume pharmaceuticals at the drop of a hat



and by-the-way, i go along with the adage "if it doesn't kill you, it'll make you stronger' that line addresses the widespread 'depression' malady too.
IMHO


Hope it gets better DaRAGE