The name depression implies personal weakness. And people would rather be sick in secret than be perceived as weak in public.

Cure "Depression" by Changing its Name

I have an idea. A theory.I think that one reason Depression (and resulting suicide) is a rampant problem in society is because we are calling it by the wrong name. And I propose that we will never successfully eradicate  this disease UNTIL we identify and address it by its accurate name.My thesis for today’s podcast is three-fold.First: That using the word “Depression” to name a disease is a misnomer. Second: That calling “Depression” by the wrong name leads to incorrect or insufficient treatment to cure the disease. Third: I propose that the simple solution of changing the NAME of the diagnosis from “depression” to a term that more accurately fits the physical causes of the disease will result in a decrease of resulting suicide, length of time suffered, and an increase of pro-active treatment.

Why "Depression" is the Wrong NAME for the Disease

Depression is an inaccurate name because:* Depression is the name of an emotion, not the name of an illness. And not everyone who feels the emotion of depression has the disease the word is attached to. * Depression is only one of many possible symptoms of the illness.* Not everyone who has this disease will have the one symptom it is named for.* Depression can be a Symptom of Many Different IllnessesDepression is an Emotion, Not a DiseaseHave you ever been depressed? Yes! Depression is a human emotion. Feeling depression doesn’t mean you have the disease that society currently calls “Depression.” Why do we have an illness named for an emotion? The name “Depression” Depression is a Possible Symptom, Not the CauseThe term depression doesn’t go far enough. It stops at a symptom and doesn’t continue to address the root of the issue. Depression is an emotion, not a disease. Depression is a possible SYMPTOM of the illness, but it is not the illness. It’s like saying “Jody has low energy” and stopping there. When, if fact, Jody has anemia. Low energy is a symptom, not the cause. Low iron levels in the blood in the cause.  The name “Depression” puts all the focus on a symptom rather than focussing on treating the cause. I have had doctors explain to me the physical causes for “depression” such as low levels of brain neurotransmitters or malfunction in chemical absorption by the neuron synapses. So there is a physical cause. There is a malfunction in the body, in the brain specifically, yet we continue to call the disease after an emotion rather than for the physical cause. Diabetes is caused by the body not making enough insulin, but we don’t call the disease Shakiness or Exhaustion, we call is Diabetes.  The fact that depression is only one of many possible symptoms of this disea...