Tikkun Olam: Rethinking Depression

People still feel inclined to whisper when they talk about depression.  Depression has no "Race for the Cure"; this condition rarely spawns dance marathons, car washes, or golf tournaments.  Consequently, the lacerating pain of depression remains uncomfortably private.

Private, in terms of how we feel about it but very public in how it manifests and impacts societal functioning.

Which is why I (and many, many others with far more knowledge and expertise in mental health) think it's time we need to broader our horizons a bit and stop thinking about depression and mental health in general as an individual illness instead of what it is - a social issue.

When we look at mental health - let's focus on depression and anxiety for the moment, as those are the two conditions easiest to understand as developed conditions, like Diabetes Type II or carpal tunnel syndrome - as social issues, the solutions become less about one person and more about context.

You don't solve lead poisoning by focusing on the sick any more than you can stop starfish being washed up on the shore by throwing them back in one at a time.  

Mental health is a social illness with a shared solution.  Only when we get that into our heads can we aspire to peace of mind.