Mindful Science!

OccultHawk · 10-11-2020, 08:57 AM

https://medium.com/@harisivaji23/dep...ct-76767b880ac

Depression: a social construct?

Quote:

I believe that many pharmaceutical companies are largely benefiting from depression as a global issue by releasing more medication to try and resolve the situation. This can be seen as money making into a whole new level and in fact does not help a person supposedly suffering from depression from being treated and being back to normal. If we speak of feeling down, a friend or colleague is likely to say: “Have you seen a doctor?” This change in how we think about depression has in many ways been driven by medicalisation and marketing: all fuelled by commercial interests rather than public healthcare concerns.
In a more serious point, some people also use the stigma of depression as a way of promoting themselves or gaining a sense of affection.

Mindfulness · 10-11-2020, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OccultHawk

https://medium.com/@harisivaji23/dep...ct-76767b880ac

Depression: a social construct?

**Frownland** · 10-11-2020, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OccultHawk

https://medium.com/@harisivaji23/dep...ct-76767b880ac

Depression: a social construct?

Raises good points about the magic pill approach to mental health but the beneficiaries=architects mindset is too conspiratorial for me. I guess that's why you posted it here.

OccultHawk · 10-11-2020, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frownland

Raises good points about the magic pill approach to mental health but the beneficiaries=architects mindset is too conspiratorial for me. I guess that's why you posted it here.

It’s not hard science. But the malignant growths of capitalism need not be conspiratorial to be true. It’s an incremental process. A group of people didn’t get together and say hey we’ll convince everyone who’s sad to take a pill. Instead it’s like a few people take a pill for it, the pharmaceutical industry thinks hey maybe there’s a market here. They invest in advertising and sales repping relatively small scale. It works. They push more money into it and it snowballs.

Just the fact that prescription medicine is advertised on television to the consumer instead of the health care provider is indicative of something that could strictly be defined as a conspiracy. They’re definitely conspiring to sell the medication. Where that leads us is hard to say. Maybe millions of clinically depressed people are receiving help because of it. Perhaps I’m more inclined to think these drugs are wildly over-prescribed because I wear very strong anti-capitalist goggles.

I’m not sure what I believe but I’m kind of leaning into the idea that depression (not bipolar or borderline personality disorder which I’m classifying separately from “major depressive disorder” of which I’ve been diagnosed) and ADHD are largely social constructs and deeply over diagnosed and unnecessarily medicated for.

And... I’m not even sure.

PS If it’s relevant I was diagnosed ADHD as a kid but refused to take the pills.

**Marie Monday** · 10-11-2020, 12:13 PM

They are definitely overdiagnosed. Like rich parents exerting pressure to get their kids diagnosed with ADHD if they don't do well in school, so they can get medicine and their grades go up.

By the way, advertising of prescription medicines is a specific Americam thing, I think. That's really disturbing.

**Frownland** · 10-11-2020, 12:19 PM

Ja, I feel that. They're definitely leaning into it and addressing the problem in a self-serving way that won't solve it. I definitely see ////////them\\\\\\\\ trying to keep the question of which medication on people's minds as opposed to whether or not one needs medication at all. That said, I think that what they're leaning into is genuine.

There's a paradox in medicinal marketing where the least effective treatments get the most promotion. When there's reliable science behind a drug, that research speaks for itself and doctors prescribe it when necessary without as much prompting. Obviously the route of promotion via scientific credibility can be p-hacked into which is why peer review is important and all that bidness.

The Batlord · 10-11-2020, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marie Monday

They are definitely overdiagnosed. Like rich parents exerting pressure to get their kids diagnosed with ADHD if they don't do well in school, so they can get medicine and their grades go up.

By the way, advertising of prescription medicines is a specific Americam thing, I think. That's really disturbing.

And only since the 90s or early 00s. It wasn't always as stupid.

OccultHawk · 10-11-2020, 12:42 PM

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When there's reliable science behind a drug, that research speaks for itself and doctors prescribe it when necessary without as much prompting

That’s a pretty generous take. Maybe they’re thinking about the patient or maybe they’re thinking about a new beach house. I’ll theorize that with ailments on the periphery the beach house starts to loom larger.

**Frownland** · 10-11-2020, 12:46 PM

If they're seeing the patient then they're already getting helped out with the beach house. Direct marketing to doctors muddies the waters a lot though.

OccultHawk · 10-11-2020, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frownland

If they're seeing the patient then they're already getting helped out with the beach house.

If they’re seeing the patient every three months for five minute consultations and one minute to write new scripts they’re probably more interested in hurricane paths than their more ethical peers.

10-11-2020, 12:19 PM	#726 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,548	Ja, I feel that. They're definitely leaning into it and addressing the problem in a self-serving way that won't solve it. I definitely see ////////them\\\\\\\\ trying to keep the question of which medication on people's minds as opposed to whether or not one needs medication at all. That said, I think that what they're leaning into is genuine. There's a paradox in medicinal marketing where the least effective treatments get the most promotion. When there's reliable science behind a drug, that research speaks for itself and doctors prescribe it when necessary without as much prompting. Obviously the route of promotion via scientific credibility can be p-hacked into which is why peer review is important and all that bidness. __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x

10-11-2020, 12:46 PM	#729 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,548	If they're seeing the patient then they're already getting helped out with the beach house. Direct marketing to doctors muddies the waters a lot though. __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x