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yeah they traded one oversimplified definition for another. however, mechanism of autism is up in the air as opposed to 'mental health conditions' because there is actually reason to believe in some kind of developmental sluggishness because it happens from a very young age. its still important to remember that correlation doesnt mean causation though, even in 'genetics', because the way autism comes about could easily be very, very complex

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I understand that it isn't definite yet.  But they most definitely did not trade an oversimplified version for another.  It used to be blamed on "refridgerator mothers" and now it is accredited to a large number of factors, many of which you mentioned.  If anything, it has just gotten much more vague.

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no its just that those are typically 'scientific definitions' whereas what youre talking about is a colloqual definition and really just means 'problem', which should be used instead especially  in some abused field like psychiatry which tries to act like real medicine

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Have I mentioned how much I dislike the repetitive debate over pure semantics?

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there is no real evidence otherwise except for indirect correlations that relate to arbitrary labels (which isnt really valid 'evidence'). given that people usually assume that someone has reasons for feeling the way they do as long as its within their comprehension zone and can see some of those reasons, it seems more to point to the fact that people are stupid and lack empathy than that people who are depressed have biological flaws

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This is the real question at hand.

As I've said before, I do disagree with the premature labeling of every single person who walks in seeking mental health attention.  I think that simply labeling someone as "depressed" when you have not investigated what exactly about their behavior is debilitating and problematic is dangerous.
Once people start believing in that label, they convince themself that they ARE "diseased" (or whatever synonym you prefer)  and it impedes their recovery.

imo, focus should be placed on addressing the actual problems first (confronting stressors, looking at repetitive negative thinking, etc), and then if need be, a formal diagnosis can be applied.

In terms of biology, I still maintain that we have no definitive evidence either way, and thus the possibility that chemical imbalance does in fact cause depression/whatever can not be ruled out.

As you said, correlation does not prove causation, however the lack of definitive proof also does not disprove causation.

extremely complex emotional systems happen because of the world we live in and likely will get more complex as times go on as the world becomes more complex

were not evolved for nearly as much as we become to be, but we have a high malleability compared to other creatures

and about autism i meant the people who just say "oh its genetic" without thinking, thats equally shitty to 'refrigerator mothers'

Post edited at 5:16 pm on Nov. 28, 2008 by iconoclast

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