Your article is better than the one on the top, which is a bit undecided about questioning the status quo. It advocates for some changes, but tries to remain inside the same world view.
From outside US, it is quiiite noticeable that a lot of age-old philosophical and societal problems have been converted into personal problems that are supposedly solved by “pills” or “therapy” (that is as uniform and easily applicable as taking pills). Despite the pace of scientific and technological progress, people don't change so fast and evolve so quickly to have those “solved”. It is also doubtful that the rates of popular “mental health issues” have grown in recent decades the way the headlines routinely tell us. If some observer told you he had been seeing more and more people with four hands and two heads, you'd suppose that he had actually been getting more and more drunk. It is possible that the system that categorizes those issues is not up to the task.
Partially, it's because everything is a nail if you have a hammer. Drugs exist, patients know that and want them, doctors know that and prescribe them, the wheels are rolling, and it's sure hard to swim up the current. Whether they do work is not that important, people have always had talismans, and strong feelings about them (just look at the global mask wearing hassle).
Partially, it's because modern education is still based on positivism, scientism, and mechanicism of XIX century, but it is very rarely stated clearly. Even “critical” disciplines take a lot of things for granted. On this very page, people write about DNA this and DNA that, neurotransmitters this and neurotransmitters that, and it's implied that they'd tend to explain the world that way. Despite the origins of these terms, it is easy to see that they are used in the same way celestial signs were used to describe the initial state of a person, and imbalance of humors was used to reason about the immediate state of a person. The physical effects of, say, a bullet flying into someone's body can be studied and understood, and surgeons do treat these wounds, but it would be stupid to only describe the problem at that level without asking how and why bullets are actually shot.
Partially, it's because the image of the world presented to a person — not just by media, but also by familiar, decent, like-minded people — is skewed, and many have to over-correct into the opposite direction to balance it. Some ever-important matters are suppressed and rarely discussed in societies that consider themselves free and well organized, and the assumed path to “success” in life won't admit everyone even in theory. Not so long ago, only nobles had an option to care about having the biggest rubies in their jewelry, but now, thanks to progress, everyone can be a small noble and worry about countless new trifles. The generated noise hinders the uncovering of what lies beneath.
All in all, the “depression” might not be the term that needs a more precise or extensive definition. It might be a swept heap of everything that is not defined.
From outside US, it is quiiite noticeable that a lot of age-old philosophical and societal problems have been converted into personal problems that are supposedly solved by “pills” or “therapy” (that is as uniform and easily applicable as taking pills). Despite the pace of scientific and technological progress, people don't change so fast and evolve so quickly to have those “solved”. It is also doubtful that the rates of popular “mental health issues” have grown in recent decades the way the headlines routinely tell us. If some observer told you he had been seeing more and more people with four hands and two heads, you'd suppose that he had actually been getting more and more drunk. It is possible that the system that categorizes those issues is not up to the task.
Partially, it's because everything is a nail if you have a hammer. Drugs exist, patients know that and want them, doctors know that and prescribe them, the wheels are rolling, and it's sure hard to swim up the current. Whether they do work is not that important, people have always had talismans, and strong feelings about them (just look at the global mask wearing hassle).
Partially, it's because modern education is still based on positivism, scientism, and mechanicism of XIX century, but it is very rarely stated clearly. Even “critical” disciplines take a lot of things for granted. On this very page, people write about DNA this and DNA that, neurotransmitters this and neurotransmitters that, and it's implied that they'd tend to explain the world that way. Despite the origins of these terms, it is easy to see that they are used in the same way celestial signs were used to describe the initial state of a person, and imbalance of humors was used to reason about the immediate state of a person. The physical effects of, say, a bullet flying into someone's body can be studied and understood, and surgeons do treat these wounds, but it would be stupid to only describe the problem at that level without asking how and why bullets are actually shot.
Partially, it's because the image of the world presented to a person — not just by media, but also by familiar, decent, like-minded people — is skewed, and many have to over-correct into the opposite direction to balance it. Some ever-important matters are suppressed and rarely discussed in societies that consider themselves free and well organized, and the assumed path to “success” in life won't admit everyone even in theory. Not so long ago, only nobles had an option to care about having the biggest rubies in their jewelry, but now, thanks to progress, everyone can be a small noble and worry about countless new trifles. The generated noise hinders the uncovering of what lies beneath.
All in all, the “depression” might not be the term that needs a more precise or extensive definition. It might be a swept heap of everything that is not defined.