day15 half way

My thoughts today turn to an odd topic: depression. I say odd, because I don't really have any experience or knowledge of it- so I don't feel very qualified to speak on the subject. I do know that I have been blessed to not battle that particular illness- and I seem to know a large number of people who have done so and are doing so. I know that there is a large market out there and the pharmaceuticals seem to have convinced at least a decent potion of the doctors that medications are a great solution. I know there are also alternative treatments- most notably exercise and diet. I guess that as someone who hasn't ever really dealt with it (my emotional state is usually pretty constant and mediocre. No big highs or lows- boring in one sense, but it helps me keep my head in an emergency) I would like to understand depression and associated issues like anxiety and bi-polar a little better. I also try not to assume that just because I can get out of my funks with a little extra chocolate and some alone time that everyone has that ability- or that they should. It would be easy and wrong of me to just say "get over it" to someone dealing with depression.
But sometimes I think that the doctors feel like if you come and see them and just aren't feeling great then they need some sort of answer for you. If you want to pay $125 for an office visit you should probably get more than "sometimes we all feel bad." So I do think it is like ADD- a bit over diagnosed. Not that people don't struggle with attention deficit or with persistent depression, but I'm not sure that everyone who is being diagnosed and taking medications for these have actually crossed the line to where that is the answer for what's going on. It's just easier to slap a label on it and give some medications than really get into some hard work involving real lifestyle change. I realize its probably better to err on the side of over diagnosis than under- but I wish our system were better able to do wholistic care that could spend more time looking at all the issues and not just slap a prescription on it.
The other thing I struggle with is the phenomenon wherby the person actually is appropriately diagnosed and gets better while taking the meds, but then because they feel so much better, they feel like they don't need those meds and then stop taking them and have a crash. I have seen it enough to recognize it in people I care about and know pretty well. I sometimes want to look my friends in the face and say, "go take your meds." But again, as someone who has no real experience or knowledge, I feel out of my depth and lacking in credibility to say something of that sort, especially that bluntly. So there you have it- just some random thoughts on that subject that have been on my mind lately. It's really still not something that I know enough about- but I am encouraged that it is much more accepted and talked about in general stigma-free terms. And I am blessed to not deal with it in a personal way.