Randall Twede

What a wonderful world we live in. If you are depressed, all you have to do is go to a doctor, pay him some money, and he prescribes a magic pill. Suddenly life is wonderful, as long as you keep taking the pills. We have a quick fix for everything nowadays. If you go in debt over your head, you declare bankruptcy. If your life is a mess, you take a pill.

What's wrong with the idea of solving, or better yet, preventing the underlying problem instead of pretending that it doesn't exist? Wouldn't it be better to not get in debt in the first place? Wouldn't it be better to fix what is broken in your life? The problem is not that you have too many bills, it's that you can't control your spending. The problem is not that you have a chemical imbalance in your brain, it's that there is something wrong in your life. Indeed, claiming that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance implies that the underlying problem is imaginary, which I find both condescending and insulting. Labeling depression as a mental illness is very convenient for the drug companies that sell "the cure".

If you had a toothache would you just take painkillers for the rest of your life? No, you would visit a dentist. Physical pain is the body's way of alerting you that something is wrong. Emotional pain works the same way, so why would you take emotional "painkillers" for the rest of your life? Perhaps it is because only you can fix your broken life, there is no "dentist" that can do it for you.

I can't actually remember exactly when I first became depressed; depression is a progressive disease. Nor do I know, for certain, if I am "Clinically Depressed" or "Manic Depressive". The things that I do know, thanks to not taking the easy way out, are what the underlying problem is, and what can aggravate the condition. This knowledge empowers me to attempt to make my life better. If I had gotten a prescription for Prozac or some other drug when I first noticed I was depressed, I would not be in a position to actually try to solve the problem. Instead I would believe the problem no longer existed.

When you are depressed, you spend most of your time dwelling on your problems. This time is better spent challenging your beliefs and expectations. Are your beliefs based on false assumptions? Does everyone who has what you feel is lacking in your life feel that they are leading fulfilling lives? Perhaps you have not reflected deeply enough.

In the many years that I have battled with depression, I have discovered some things that help relieve the symptoms. Listening to Punk Rock, or any music for that matter, can help. And don't just listen; sing along. Treating yourself, in my case to a round of golf, sometimes helps. Find a creative, challenging project to work on. Take a class at your local community college. Or get angry, it's ok, it's more constructive than being depressed.

Depression can be a debilitating disease, and I acknowledge that some people are so incapacitated by it that they can't do anything. Depression can also end in suicide. Therefore, I accept that, in severe cases, medication might be necessary. However, merely relieving the symptoms is not enough: the underlying problem must be addressed. One must act on a problem, not just react to it.

I don't enjoy pain any more than the next person, but it is the pain that makes me aware that something is wrong. And armed with this knowledge, I can attempt to truly solve the underlying problem. So, as alluring as the siren song of a magic pill might seem, I don't think I want one, thanks anyway.