Tom's Crusade Against Psychiatry

Keep in mind that the "evidence" found in the academic literature that "proves" that depression is a medical condition is based upon both direct and indirect sources.

Some indirect evidence comes from the fact that we can collect a group of people that are depressed (for the standard definition of depression see the DSM-IV. It is the manual that is used to DEFINE all psychiatric conditions so you will find all the symptoms that depressed folks have listed there) and then we can give one half of them medicine for depression (there are a good many different CLASSES of medicines which are known to work) and the other half of them a placebo (sometimes called a "sugar" pill despite the fact that there is no sugar in it). The folks on the REAL medicine will get better. That is your indirect evidence and the research tool used when testing out new medicines for depression. This kind of a study is known as a "clinical trial". I know this first hand because this is what I do for a living.

It is fairly easy to find a clinical trial on the Internet if you are interested in participating in a clinical trial for just about any medical condition. Research studies can be a good way to get help. The advantages are that you may get a brand new medicine and that the standard of care in a clinical trial exceeds the care that you will typically get at most doctor's offices. The disadvantages will be detailed in the consent form in great detail--so read the fine print and ask a lot of questions. See: http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/trial...

More indirect evidence lies beyond clinical trials in the thousands and thousands of people seen for depression in the private practices of physicians across the country. These folks are your neighbors, your family and your colleagues. It is estimated that over a lifetime about 20% of all folks will suffer from "Major Depression" (the proper medical term for "depression")-- that's a LOT of people. Millions of these people will go on medication and get better; more "indirect" proof that this is just as much a medical condition as diabetes. The principle difference is that no one tells the diabetic to stop taking their medicine and "will" their way out of the disease.

Keep in mind that we are still in the dark when it comes to figuring out which

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