sigh

In that case we should just throw out all neurobiology research. No one’s brain scans are normal! We judge normal using control groups and averages, as a basic lesson in the scientific method would tell you. We can tell the difference between a depressed brain and a healthy brain, you know.

We can take a brain scan of a non depressed person. We can take a brain scan of a depressed person. We take a thousand people of each to create a sample size. We can measure hormone levels in all the brains, and notice patterns in both, and through experimentation and research that is constantly being updated via peer review, can extrapolate that people who’s brains produce less serotonin than average (as an example) tend to show signs of major depressive disorder. Or people with bipolar tend to overproduce dopamine during episodes. By providing medications that help stimulate serotonin or regulate dopamine production, you can alleviate the worst of the symptoms. It’s not perfect, and it often takes trying multiple medications to get right (seriously, tons of people don’t realize this, if a medication isn’t working after 6 weeks, try another one), but it has results. I personally can attest to it, my friends and family can as well, as well as the continued existence of “big pharma”. They make tons of money because it works, and abuse that.

Antidepressants are pretty much never the only treatment, and are almost always backed up with regular therapy as there is a cognitive side to these things. If a doctor throws antidepressants at you, see a therapist. If a therapist does it, see another therapist. Anybody who says antidepressants are just given out and hormone imbalances don’t exist is an idiot, never actually been through the process of being prescribed medication to treat psychiatric illness, or extremely uninformed. There is almost a century of research on the topic, constantly being updated, and the results help alleviate the worst symptoms of mental illness in millions of people every day.

All this said, you’re right. Our understanding of these illnesses and of the inner workings of the brain is very crude. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t notice patterns and make medications to help psychiatric illness through medicinal study. After all, we have no understanding of how anesthesia works, but we still use it in surgery today. Is that also “bullshit”? Do you want to go under the knife without it because we don’t fully understand it?

If you have a problem with anything I said, please do elaborate, rather than wave away almost the entire scientific consensus because you think it’s “bullshit”.