By Chris Basten

  Depression is a double-edged sword. If you have been diagnosed with it as I have, you know what I mean. In reality, there really is no such thing as depression. It's a "medicalized" description for unexplained sadness and sometimes the wish that one was not around. In the ranks of the mental health establishment, the answer is usually to medicate, medicate, medicate because people just shouldn't be depressed in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

But most depressed people aren't stupid. In fact, we usually add a passionate sense of realism to life in the midst of our pain and sorrow. We do not mean to be malcontent zombies who cannot survive without our therapy and prescriptions for Zoloft and Paxil. But this is usually how we are presented in the media. All too often, we are pushed into a system of treatment that makes us appear as though we are dependent children confined to adult bodies. There is no doubting the fact that there are some people addicted to mental health treatment and are trapped in a cycle of perpetual victimhood but these individuals do not represent the whole.

The free market has produced several medications and theories that have helped society cope with anxiety and chronic depression. You can't go anywhere without seeing an anti-depressant advertisement. Self-help books sell like hotcakes. There is an abundance of therapists like never before. Nevertheless, the mainstreamers have become religious about the psychiatric and therapy phenomenon. Weekly therapy for some people can resemble a Sunday church service that almost requires a profound sense of faith. This greatly concerns me.

Mental health treatment is not a cure-all by any stretch of the imagination. It is full of unknowns and questionable modes of thinking. Indoctrinating practitioners are out there, to be sure. More naïve patients may get sucked into lifelong therapy.

Furthermore, few ever question the roots of depression anymore. They simply want to diagnose it, treat it, and vanquish it. Depression is an intriguing study if one seeks to reduce it to its smallest parts. Where does depression come from? Of course, no one really knows but the individuals who are willing to delve into their personal relationships.

Interestingly, depression is a relational issue, not a biological malady. The mind is constantly interpreting and making meanings out of everything especially when it is in the presence of others. Depression is a function of the language we surround ourselves with and give credence to. It is not a cancerous tumor that can be extracted or medicated. Not that anyone could tell with the zesty commercials for Celexa and the happy, smiley faces that accompany them.

This knowledge rarely changes things though. The anti-depressant market is a cash cow and is being milked for all its worth. Children have been especially vulnerable to the mental health movement. We're overmedicating ourselves with psychiatric cocktails that seem to do more harm than good in too many instances. But I digress; every individual is different and large numbers of people have led lives that they could not otherwise enjoy without the benefits of medication. Are we beginning to see the double-edged sword, here?

Recently, I gave up taking my anti-depressant medication for good. After years of ingesting thousands of encapsulated granules, my body couldn't take it anymore. I strongly believe that I was building up toxic levels in my system and had chronic pain and discomfort because of it. Though I am still plagued with chronic arthritis in my neck and back from unrelated injuries, my pain has alleviated greatly as a result of stopping my medication.

Emotionally, I'm more sensitive than I was when I was on the medication. I have taken a greater interest in forming intimacy with others again. I am more anxious than usual, but life is a stressful adventure. I don't regret the decision one bit. After all, it is my body and my life.

Because of my current life circumstances, I have chosen to go back into therapy to learn how to look at life in less limiting ways. Working in managed care for a mental health insurance company has made me leery to do this, however. If I am labeled again with depression and I continue with therapy for a certain number of sessions without psychiatric intervention, the police could come knocking. Managed care has the power to take away coverage for counseling if I refuse to "get better sooner" by seeing a psychiatrist. Of course, managed care would never admit this but it is what they may consider if it will trim corporate costs.

Seeing the big picture doesn't always help. I could just be nice, take my medication, and make my co-pays. But I refuse to alter my mind and potentially damage my internal organs with more foreign chemicals. Medication should be a last resort, not a pez-dispenser approach to treating people. I cannot be forced to take medication against my will but this decision will have consequences if I need to work on issues for a long duration of time in therapy. My benefit coverage could be declined.

The power of the mind is a wonderful thing if used rationally. As a high-functioning human being, I should be able to choose what kind of treatment I need to work on my relationships. I shouldn't have to be held down and tickled with a feather to consider going back on medication. Force doesn't work, even in a therapist's office.