By Jed Diamond, The Good Men Project, July 30, 2022
In parts 1, 2, 3, and 4, I described the problem of depression, the extent of the problem, why our current approach is misguided and ultimately ineffective, why focusing on men can help women and children, and the foundations of a new approach for healing. Here I want to describe the program that I use and why this approach can not only heal individuals, families, and communities, but also heal our troubled relationship with the planet that is our only home.
The old approach looks at depression as a disease or mental illness and the treatments of choice are usually some kind of “anti-depressant” and sometimes psychotherapy. I have taken a different approach with my own healing as well as with the people who come to me for help. Rather than viewing depression as a disease, I see it as a symptom of trauma and a dysfunctional social system. In order for us to heal, we have to heal the effects of early trauma as well as social system. Trying to heal depression without fixing the dysfunctional social system and addressing the underlying trauma is like trying to fill a bathtub without putting in the plug.
That being said, I believe that medications and psychotherapy can help people who are troubled by depression. They certainly helped me. But they are a short-term solution and we need long-term change. There are five primary problems with relying on medications and psychotherapy.
Comments (1)