Most western sources say that depression is “treatable” but not “curable” meaning its like cancer, it can go into remission but it can always come back just like cancer.
So far, AFIAK, only in PRC they says its “curable”, but I that’s like an outlier, and its probably due to the culture of denying mental health isssues.
Interesting. I’d never heard that before. I totally understand the point.
If it gives you or anyone else hope I was diagnosed and institutionalized over three and a half decades ago and I’d assumed I’d been “cured”. Honestly I don’t even give it much thought anymore. I haven’t needed therapy or been prescribed any medication for it in decades and I’ve been able to lead a full and happy life.
You may never be free of it, but once you find a treatment that works for you, it’s like the depression isn’t there. You can then potentially treat it forever and it won’t affect you.
It starts with whether you consider mental disorders, such as depression as an illness or not. In western literature we are moving away from the illness aspect, because of its linguistic implication.
Illnesses are often thought of as being curable and have a foundation in something that causes the illness, like a virus, bacteria or similar causes. Whereas depression causes are manifold, from the light levels during winter, over learned behaviour to the very system of society. Which is why we consider depression not to be an illness but a condition.
As an analogy, you would not classify bad eyesight as an illness but a condition, there is no cure but there’s treatment, glasses. In some cases the treatment can be lasers and surgery which fix the condition, but generally speaking the same goes for depression. You can treat it with different methods, some can remove the cause and others require constant treatment.
I’m curious who says depression isn’t curable. I hadn’t heard that before.
Most western sources say that depression is “treatable” but not “curable” meaning its like cancer, it can go into remission but it can always come back just like cancer.
So far, AFIAK, only in PRC they says its “curable”, but I that’s like an outlier, and its probably due to the culture of denying mental health isssues.
Interesting. I’d never heard that before. I totally understand the point.
If it gives you or anyone else hope I was diagnosed and institutionalized over three and a half decades ago and I’d assumed I’d been “cured”. Honestly I don’t even give it much thought anymore. I haven’t needed therapy or been prescribed any medication for it in decades and I’ve been able to lead a full and happy life.
Hope you get what you need ❤️
You may never be free of it, but once you find a treatment that works for you, it’s like the depression isn’t there. You can then potentially treat it forever and it won’t affect you.
Chronic depression sufferer here. My perspective on it is you don’t cure it so much as you learn how to live with it.
It starts with whether you consider mental disorders, such as depression as an illness or not. In western literature we are moving away from the illness aspect, because of its linguistic implication.
Illnesses are often thought of as being curable and have a foundation in something that causes the illness, like a virus, bacteria or similar causes. Whereas depression causes are manifold, from the light levels during winter, over learned behaviour to the very system of society. Which is why we consider depression not to be an illness but a condition.
As an analogy, you would not classify bad eyesight as an illness but a condition, there is no cure but there’s treatment, glasses. In some cases the treatment can be lasers and surgery which fix the condition, but generally speaking the same goes for depression. You can treat it with different methods, some can remove the cause and others require constant treatment.