RE: Depression Is In Your Head.
Thank you so much for your thoughts! I completely agree that another person shouldn't have the power to label you. I also believe it has a lot to do with one of the Four Agreements. If you've never read into it I think you'd be fascinated by it! The one I think this connects with is basically about making Word into your Truth. If something you think is confirmed by even one other person this becomes your truth and you build your opinions and ultimately your life around that truth.
For example, say you're young and you sing for your parents, one tells you you're great and the other tells you that you aren't. If you decide to follow the opinion that you're great it will cause you to sing more, believe you can be famous one day, take the needed steps to improve because you believe you can be great. Or you can believe that you aren't great, this becomes your truth, and you never sing again and tell confirm that you are not. This is a rough analogy, but it's such a huge idea it's difficult to sum up in a comment, but I hope you see where I'm coming from with that!
I think a doctor confirming that you "have depression" justifies your emotions and gives you an excuse to continue on and hope someone else can make you "better."
I haven't read the Four Agreements yet, but I surely will in the coming days. Based on what I understood from the point you were trying to make, I remembered a short story that I read some time back.
So there is this 30 year old man, who is diagnosed with cancer. The doctor tells him, he is not going to live for more than 12 months. And eventually, the man dies in 12 months.
The same doctor now, in a similar case, predicts that a 5 month old girl, is not going to survive for more than 12 months. The girl lives for 5 years. And 5 years later, the girl dies, but not off cancer.
Now the difference between the two cases is that the 5 month old girl was too young to understand life, death and truth. Whereas the grown man, had accepted the doctor's truth as his truth and had made himself believe that he was not going to survive for more than 12 months.
And I agree, this is a huge idea. It could actually make or break your life.
YES!! I love that short story. That's exactly what I mean, it truly can make or break your life. Thank you for this!