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Sophie,

I definately agree with your thought:

"it depersonalizes the illness experience and may lead to an increased sense of alienation from one’s own mind (body), while also, potentially, overlooking elements that may contribute to perceptions, attitudes and behaviors of individuals. A systemic shortcoming of western biomedicine, in general, is a tendency to champion the organic genesis of disease as being the only valid measure of one’s health/wellness; the logical outgrowth of this tendency is to embrace diagnostic criteria that require increasingly technological interventions that do not take into account differences in individual experiences, ethnicity, education, etc. "

This, I feel, is an important factor in treatment for individuals. Though one may have a disruption in their neurotransmitters (biological) causes of depression, they are still an individual with experiences and histories of their own. This is where a balance must be found in the treatment of individuals with mental health issues. I do not see it as simply bio or experience caused/lifestyle health problems but a combination of the two in which we must find a balance in order to reach  positive mental health.

A quote on stigma (and do I feel alot of passion about this issue which I posted a few months ago in another forum on depression):

A thought on third world countries and mental health issues. PTSD.

See you on Monday,

Meredith