...cause we are living in a medicated world and I am an unmedicated girl....so far!

Depression is a  multi-dimesnional, multi symptom disease that has affected and  taken many past and present American lives. Coming from a  genetic background of deprsession and battling it myslef as well as watching close friends and family battle it as well, I felt compelled to share some of my thoughts on depression and the treatment of this plague that is sweeping through America.

Modern medicial technolgoy is a wonderful thing. There are now so many cures for diseases that would otherwise be fatal to us and our loved ones.  Many doctors are amazing individulas who have a true heart for helping others and who dedicate their lives to learning about the human body and its ailments, as well as be there for us when we need a diagnosis and treatment or a cure. I think it safe to say, that while many of us are wary, the majority of us are too trusing of that man or woman in a white coat and stethaschope hanging around his or her neck.

 We cannot forget that doctors are still  as human as we are, and that while I am sure most start their practices with noble resolution to give proper care to their patients, I think if really pressed for the truth, even the noblest of physicians could not claim immunity against the inevitable pressure to run a lucrative practice in this day and age and economy and eventually suucomb to the "chop shop" approach  resulting in minimal doctor patient time and, for lack of a better or more politically correct term, "drug pushing"  

Before I go on, I cannot emphasize enough that I do believe that depression is real and calls for careful and serious treatment, I am also aware that depression varies greatly in degrees of severity. However,  I  also believe that we have gone from one exteme of not recognizing depression and having proper treatment, to labeling just about anyone who is feeling sluggish and unhappy with his or her life as a "clinically depressed individual" I really do think, that we as doctors AND patients been giving depression far more credit than is due the credit in our offices and lives. As patients, we need to search oursleves and make sure we are not too willing to take the back seat when it comes to any of our health care needs, especially when confronted with the prospect of taking mind altering drugs. I can think of a myriad of things that would trigger symptoms of depression: Countinual stress, exhaustion, lack of nutrition, lack of excercise, traumatic experiences, family drama, marriage challenges/ failures, or deaths. It just seems to me that doctors need to be doing a lot more reffering out to specialist that can offer help for these symptoms rather than be so quick tp mask them with a pill.  I really think we need to listen to our symptoms NOT cover them up. Our bodies are incredibly intelligent creations and either we don't trust them enough or we are too busy running around like chickens with our heads cutt off to stop and listen. I heard a doctor talk about this kind of thing, and  I remember him saying something that stayed with me....he started out in the early part of his career being a "syptom treater", trying vigilantly to get his patients to get to the bottom of what they were feeling....but so many of his patients didn't want to put in the work. they really just wanted him to write that prescription, and after a while he stopped trying....let's not be guilty of contributing to that kind of laxidazical attitude when it comes to the only body we will ever have. I know that it is hard, we live in  a time where instant results and instant gratification rule our lives. We don't want to wait for anything!  

As I stated above, I come from a genetic background of clinical depression and continue to fight it myself.  I have considered going to the doctor to discuss treatment but I haven't reached the point where I feel ready to do that. 

I originally intended for this all to be one blog, but I have decided to break it up into seperate blogs, each expanding on a method that has been helpful for me to avoid seeking medication for my level of depression which are the following:

Get out of my world and look at the world around me

I analyze my level of nutrition and excercise habits

I analyze my spritual well being

I find someone to help

Again, I cannot emphasize enough that clinical depression is serious and I am not a doctor nor do I have any medical proof that the methods I am sharing will be effective for anyone else but myslef.