[FirstTomato]

Drugs are not a panacea for depressed people, including the clinically depressed. The DSM, the Bible of the Psychologists, is the biggest bunch of voo-doo ever invented. The same person could be interviewed by 10 psychologists and get 10 different diagnoses.

Even amongst similiar cultures, such as Great Britain and the USA, there are great variances of diagnosis rates for severe disorders such as schizophrenia. And less clearly defined and ambiguous disorders such as depression have wide differences in diagnosis rates across the spectrum of severity, that increases with deeper cultural differences. Often a psychologist does not take into account the cultural background of his patient, and a trait that is culturally normal is made into an abnormality by the time it gets on a chart. (school psychologists can be especially rigid in their assessments, locked into narrow definitions of behavior to the detriment of immigrant children).

Its my opinion that drugs ultimately do more harm than good in depression and except for accute intervention there are always better solutions. I just don't believe in those kind of drugs. Some people do, and swear by them. So we'll agree to disagree about this because I doubt we'll convince each other.

[sinkspur]

Yes we will have to disagree. Drugs are, indeed, a panacea for the clinically depressed on the verge of suicide. I've seen it in my own family.

You will never convince me that anti-depressants are anything but good.