I agree whole heartedly and can't re-itterate enough how important it is for people to understand this.
Depression specifically, and psychology in general, are such unknowns still. We've come a long way, but still have many barriers to cross and many problems to solve.
I think it's easiest to put things into perspective by looking back at history. For example, we used to smash holes into people's heads to try and release the "demons". We used to burn people who claimed to NOT be witches because if they were telling the truth, we'd know by their death.
We've survived many terrors throughout the small stint humans have roamed the earth, but I doubt we've even begun to see all of them. Stereotypes and stigmas will continue to cast their shadows on all our unknowns. We can only hope to be strong enough to persevere through it.
I'd like to end this with a small, relevant excerpt from
HelpDepression.com's columnist this month, who wrote:
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Antidepressants are all different, just as we are all individuals, and it may take time to find the right one for you. I believe it's OK to take pills for a mental problem, just as it's OK to take pills for a physical problem. No one would dream of telling an insulin-dependant diabetic to "pull yourself together"!
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Sorry for the rant.
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Chad Colbert
[email protected] http://www.helpdepression.com/