"Any unexplained phenomenon passes through three stages before the reality of it is accepted. During the first stage it is considered laughable. During the second stage, it is adamantly opposed. Finally, during the third stage, it is accepted as self-evident. "

Arthur Schopenhauer

Is depression a problem of meaning or of medicine?

June 1, 2008

I'm impressed by this description of personal experience with depression on Julian Sheather's blog. Julian is deputy head of ethics at the British Medical Association. The blog entry raises thoughtful issues about autonomy, antidepressants and the oversimplified argument whether depression is best seen as a biochemical imbalance in the brain or as some kind of issue about life management. The true situation is more subtle and interlocking than any kind of easy "either-or" debate suggests.
antidepressants depression meaning autonomy control