Counselling Articles

With depression never straying far from the media eye, whether in a popular television series, a national celebrity or on the daily news, it is easy to believe the misconceptions surrounding depression and mental illness. This brief article outlines some of the myths: it explains where they come from, the truth behind them and how thinking about depression in a different way can provide a more effective basis for depression treatment.

Myth 1: Depression is just a medical disease.

This is simply not true. Although modern science furthers our understanding of many types of illness, depression is very different from a medical condition and so requires different treatment to say, asthma or diabetes. It is helpful to understand depression as a combination of factors including those that are social, biological and psychological. Treatments that rely solely on medication alone often fail; much more support is needed.

Myth 2: Depression is not real medical illness.

Despite what we have stated above, depression should be regarded in medical terms, since it can effect the body as well as thoughts and mood. Like a medical illness, depression can have both biological and genetic causes. The key to the treatment of depression is to treat it with flexibility and understanding, and thus to view depression as a medical illness, but not wholly so. (more…)