"The "real world" is a construct, and some peculiarities of scientific thought become more intelligible when this fact is recognized ... Einstein himself in 1926 told Heisenberg it was nonsense to found a theory on observable facts alone, saying "In reality the very opposite happens. It is theory which decides what we can observe." "

D. O. Hebb

Is depression a problem of meaning or of medicine?

June 1, 2008

I'm impressed by this description of personal experience with depression on Julian Sheather's blog. Julian is deputy head of ethics at the British Medical Association. The blog entry raises thoughtful issues about autonomy, antidepressants and the oversimplified argument whether depression is best seen as a biochemical imbalance in the brain or as some kind of issue about life management. The true situation is more subtle and interlocking than any kind of easy "either-or" debate suggests.
antidepressants depression meaning autonomy control