Depression isn't caused by a "chemical imbalance."

Lifestyles and social factors certainly be influencers, and can worsen existing symptoms of depression. And there are particular cases where depression is caused more directly by situational events, rather than primarily being an issue of neurochemical imbalances. But there are also cases where it is mainly caused by chemical imbalances, and I think that leaving this out misses a big part of the picture. Mental illness is almost always a very complicated matter and often psychosocial and biological explanations for mental illness overlap. I think I understand what you're getting at though, that only focusing on medicating can frequently leave out underlying factors that cause or worsen depression. In my personal experience, I've found that medication was able to bring me to the point in which I was able to evaluate my lifestyle choices and decided that my outlook on life was one of the big causes for my depression. Medication did not cure me, but it helped address certain issues such as severe apathy and lethargy that would have otherwise prevented me from having the energy to change anything (in a way that therapy could not personally provide me). Most qualified mental health experts encourage this more holistic biopsychosocial health model, rather than only focusing on one realm or the other, in order to address mental illness.

/r/unpopularopinion Thread