Depression is a symptom, not a single illness; it does not tell you the cause or the treatment

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Thursday, January 01, 2009 7:00 pm Email this article
Depression is more common in people who are overweight.

On the PBS television show Magnificent Mind at Any Age, psychiatrist Daniel Amen, M.D. notes that...

"Another important lesson that I learned from our brain imaging work is that most psychiatric illnesses are not single or simple disorders.

"They all have multiple types.

"Giving someone the diagnosis of depression is exactly like giving them the diagnosis of chest pain.

"Why don't doctors give people the diagnosis of chest pain?

"Because chest pain is a symptom with many different causes."

"What can cause chest pain? Heart attacks, ulcers, gas, muscle pain, and grief.

"Doctors don't typically give people the diagnosis of chest pain because it doesn't tell them what causes it or what to do for it.

"The same thing is true for depression.

"It is a symptom with many different causes.

"And one treatment does not fit everyone."

Articles on the same subject can be found here:

• Anxiety

• Daniel Amen, MD

• Depression

• Natural Treatments

• YouTube videos