to think that the concept of post natal depression is overused?

[moondog]

HOW COME WOMEN HAVE TO HAVE A LABEL (sorry) for so many things?

PMS
AND
PND
Menopausal
OCD
Passive/Aggressive

It seems that the concept of being low/cross/nasty/bitchy/tired/worn out is positively old fashined.

I thought that depression bought about by external forces was called reactive depression?

In that case someone could be experiencing a perfectly understandable reaction to a trauma (bereavement) but it is affecting their ability to function.

We do have a lot of labels for things but I think because they are misused and misunderstood they can be dismissed.

Probably for everyone who actually has OCD there are a hundred who really do not and have self diagnosed from a Daily Mail article.

There are also so many amatuer (sp) physcologists out there, there is always someone willing to diagnose ASD, ADHD, PND, etc etc.

Not really helpful for anyone.

My spelling really does go downhill the later it gets

Personally, I have never met anyone who claimed to have PND unless they really were ill. Otoh I have met plenty of people who struggled for a long time to hide mental health problems until they completely collapsed. And sometimes those collapses have had very nasty consequences.

Perhaps the OP is surrounded by whingers in a way that I am not. But I wonder where on earth she has met anyone who claims passive/agressive as a mental health condition: surely that is only ever used as a derogatory description of other people's behaviour?

and I don't think that that diminishes the difficulty that people with genuine depression go through. But I do think that it is a lot easier to be given a "diagnosis" of depression, when some of those seeking it might just be going through a bit of a hard time and would come out the other side naturally.

And surely handing out anti deprescents on such an ad-hoc basis is a bit of an insult to those who are genuinely suffering from depression.

A very interesting question, but you will get flamed for it.
I work in mental health and I find the rise in the diagnosis of depression quite alarming.These people often lead very difficult toxic lives.Frequently on a background of childhood adversity, poor social support and lots of other worries - financial,relationships etc.
The drug companies have a HUGE interest in getting these pople diagnosed and medicated. They push the "biochemical imbalance" theory at every opportunity in order to make GPs and unfortuantely, psychiatrists prescribe their meds.
Whilst medication is undoubtedly helpful for some people it is not the only answer, nor does it really respond to the core of people's distress.Counselling, CBT, psycho therapy, group therapy, social support, sure start, women's groups are all important in enabling pople to understand the cause of their distress and help them deal with it. Big Pharma is not interested in promoting this of course.

That said, OF COURSE, for some people their illness is severe and not in response to social circumstances. In those cases medication is vital and a necessity whilst therapy is helpful during recovery , it may well not have any benefit when the person is struggling with acute illness

well, I beg to differ. Any OP that states that these conditions are mostly just being low cross bitchy on the whole rather than valid conditions is chucking a massive perjorative judgement on those who do have those conditions....

To suggest they are overused is ridiculous. I would rather suggest that they are underused.

But thank god they are finally being used.

I sometimes wonder if the normal stresses of adapting to motherhood are sometimes labelled as PND by friends/family members and partners who would rather label the woman as having a medical problem that needs treatment than give empathetic support and practical help.

Exactly Wannabe.
It diminishes the care and attention that should be accorded to people who are really suffering.

"when some of those seeking it might just be going through a bit of a hard time and would come out the other side naturally. "

I think the key word there is "some" as not all will some need the help to get through no matter how "strong" they are - as stated external factors can cause "reactive" depression - which at the end of the day affects you in the exact same way as someone who has "normal" (have forgotten the proper word ) depression, and can cause the exact same changes in the brain and hence be treated in the same way.

Really interesting post Tiredlady.

MillyR - that's not the point anyone's trying to make. I know very well how real depression is - my DD suffers, my mother suffered. It's hideous, and awful, and relentless.

But I also know that sometimes people are quick to label "feeling justifiably low" as depression - which as WannaBe points out, does a disservice to those who really are suffering.

Again, wannabe, there is a massive difference between normal sadness and stress at life events such as death, job loss etc, and clinical depression.

And yes, pharmeceutical companies have no vested interest in therapies other than drugs.

But there is a middle path. ANd I would hope that is what GP's etc strive for.

But moondog thinks therapy in nonsense too, so that won't wash.

'therapy' as a term means nothing Defarge.

And as Toccata mentions, too much reactive depression can lead to clinical depression. better to nip it in the bud before it becomes a full-blown, physiological condition.

don't be silly, Dog.

Hoist by your own petard, methinks.

Er ... so could I say that the prefix 'osteo-' is overused, because it comes up in osteoporosis, osteoarthritis. etc?

Not sure the OP understands how medicine works

It is often negative life events that trigger depression - job loss, grief etc.

Can someone please explain what the point of this thread is? Is there any evidence that depression or other mental health issues are being over-diagnosed. I would have thought the opposite was true - surely many people with mental health issues are attempting to avoid detection by GPs etc?

I think GPs struggle to help people though MadameDefarge, through no fault of their own.

They often have only 7 minutes per consultation. How can they adequately get information about a person's life in that time. They feel under pressure to do something, so prescribing is often their default position.

It's all down to resources

Bless you LRD, hopelessly off the point!

but is the rise in the diagnosis of depression "alarming" or are people finally waking up to the fact that the "stiff upper lip" actually resulted in fucked up lives and really helped no-one?

Depression is a common illness, but it's still widely misunderstood, are we better to just pretend that most of these people are just "going through a hard time" (funny as at least 2 of the times I had depression I was going through a good time in my life, and when I went through the worst time of my life end of last year I actually managed to cope ok(ish) and should just "pull themselves together" (more commonly directed at men that one.......and of course lets not forget that suicide rates have decreased as diagnosis of depression has increased and of course men (who are more likely to deny a problem, or be told they're just having a tough time) have a substantially higher suicide rate than women,

Yanbu.

I think we live in a time when we no longer accept deep melancholy and really quite severe distress as being within the normal range of human experience.

Last week I was diagnosed with reactive depression, and was signed off work by occupational health for a month. Its not the same as being stressed/tired/sad/whatever at all. I've also previously had PND (eight years ago). People thinking depression is just another name for being a bit sad and overwhelmed haven't got a fucking clue.

I think the point is that women who claim to have some conditions such as PMS or PND are just moaning minnies and their GPs overofficious overprescribers and the World Would Be a Much Better Place if they just gritted their teeth and suffered in silence.

Or something like that.

Whose point is that then Madame?

bibbity, I have to disagree. I think you will see that I have said there is a vast difference between normal sadness and grief, and even temporary reactive depression and full-blown conditions cited by the OP.

Depression is within the normal range of human experience, Bibbity. That doesn't mean we shouldn't treat it and help people find ways of managing it in the best ways possible.