This person DEMANDED proof that depression is a medical condition from the poor journalist who told her there was ample proof--indeed volumes of proof. Then the caller DEMANDED that the journalist cite one, just ONE article that proved depression is indeed a medical condition. Since journalists aren't familiar with any particular articles, I wasn't all that surprised when the journalist was unable to supply the caller with the name of a scholarly article. However, the caller saw this as evidence that there was some kind of conspiracy to convince the reading public of psychiatry's lie. She saw the journalist's inability to supply her with the name of an article as further proof that there was no such thing as "depression". I saw her expectation that journalists know the literature that well frankly absurd. I don't blame the journalist for hanging up on the caller. It should be up to the caller to make some effort to educate herself before demanding it from others and dismissing medical practice based upon extensive research.
The problem is that this is an extremely complex issue--it is not like a broken bone that anyone can "show" you on an x-ray. That folks don't understand this fact is quite understandable--it takes people years and years and much study to understand it, and this is clearly beyond the domain of any journalist.
There is just so much wrong with the thinking on that post that I scarcely know where to begin. The first step would be that the person who posted it (and those who might think along such lines) go to school for four to twelve years beyond high school to learn all the terms that you will need to understand the literature. If this cannot be done, then spend extensive time on the Internet or at the library learning all the words you will need because the scholarly journals use highly specialized words. Then, you will need to go to an academic library and spend copious quantities of time reading any of the thousands and thousands of articles about the genetics of depression, twin studies on depression, medication response in depression, and learning just "how" depression is diagnosed. Then you could contact a university and their Institutional Review Board about their research on this subject. Below is one--just one article to get you started--but it is only a start--remember there is volumes written about this condition.
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