Personal vs social and philosophical emotions

Unhumble · 05-12-2007, 06:27 PM

I'm asking this because I personally know people who show the same symptoms of depression or anxiety (or any other negative emotions), not for personal reasons, but for issues that are not related to them as individuals.
Philosophical ideologies, religious reasons, citizen responsibility, etc.
(I personally believe that all cynicism in the world is actually not related to oneself, but that's the point of my discussion.)

Does/Should[n't] a psychologist/counselor make a distinction between negative emotions that derive from personal mishaps (such as grief, or other serious things that affect one as an individual) and negative emotions that someone feels after reading and absorbing a negative-minded philosophy text?
What if one's religion drives one to be depressed automatically?
Or what if the actual cause of a "depression" is social/civil?

Are these cases usually regarded as mental disorders as well?

Can a psychologist/counselor actually solve such issues, or is another philosopher/religion/civil reason the best solution in these cases?

Batya33 · 05-12-2007, 07:12 PM

I believe there is often an overlap between what you refer to as personal depression and depression over something philosphical or religious because how you react to what's going on in the world often is a result of your personal outlook. I do think counselors differentiate between depression caused by a chemical imbalance and depression resulting from a tragedy like cancer or being the victim of a crime.

I know people who react to social ills by becoming depressed and others who react by taking positive action toward the goal of correcting those ills. The one who reacts in the former way might have a chemical imbalance that is triggered by social as well as personal issues.

05-12-2007, 06:27 PM	#1
Unhumble Offline Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 331	Personal vs social and philosophical emotions I'm asking this because I personally know people who show the same symptoms of depression or anxiety (or any other negative emotions), not for personal reasons, but for issues that are not related to them as individuals. Philosophical ideologies, religious reasons, citizen responsibility, etc. (I personally believe that all cynicism in the world is actually not related to oneself, but that's the point of my discussion.) Does/Should[n't] a psychologist/counselor make a distinction between negative emotions that derive from personal mishaps (such as grief, or other serious things that affect one as an individual) and negative emotions that someone feels after reading and absorbing a negative-minded philosophy text? What if one's religion drives one to be depressed automatically? Or what if the actual cause of a "depression" is social/civil? Are these cases usually regarded as mental disorders as well? Can a psychologist/counselor actually solve such issues, or is another philosopher/religion/civil reason the best solution in these cases?

05-12-2007, 07:12 PM	#2
Batya33 Offline Platinum Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 19,073	I believe there is often an overlap between what you refer to as personal depression and depression over something philosphical or religious because how you react to what's going on in the world often is a result of your personal outlook. I do think counselors differentiate between depression caused by a chemical imbalance and depression resulting from a tragedy like cancer or being the victim of a crime. I know people who react to social ills by becoming depressed and others who react by taking positive action toward the goal of correcting those ills. The one who reacts in the former way might have a chemical imbalance that is triggered by social as well as personal issues.