“The Disappearing Link Between Depression and Chemical Imbalance” - Maxwell Anderson, The Weekend Reader
It’s common knowledge that depression is caused by chemical imbalances in the brain, but is it true? Here’s what a major new research
study found, “Our comprehensive review of the major strands of research on serotonin shows there is no convincing evidence that depression is associated with, or caused by, lower serotonin concentrations or activity.”
What makes this such an important thread to follow is that over the last 40 years, depression
and medication for depression have skyrocketed. Since 2007, teenagers using antidepressants have increased 41%. Particularly, since Covid, anxiety and depression levels have risen to unprecedented levels in every age group. The solution is not to take this one article and stop using antidepressants but to step back and say, there has to be more going on than serotonin. The use of medicine hasn’t stemmed the “mental health crisis.” We need to be thinking more holistically. Overmedicating is not going to solve the problem, especially is the medications do not address the root problems.
Earlier this month, Casey Schwartz
summarized the problem in the New York Times, “
For many psychologists and psychiatrists, these numbers aren’t exactly surprising. Clinicians across the country describe the same patterns: their practices filled to capacity; patients who are in significantly worse shape than before; patients who had been stable for years, now in need of hospitalization or intensive outpatient treatment; patients who had been in psychotherapy for years, suddenly needing medication for the first time, or higher doses of the meds they were already on.”
The most important takeaway might be to resist the urge to overreact in any direction. Overmedicating is a problem, so is resistance to any medication. Like every complex problem, this one will require wisdom and nuance. Christians, particularly, should be looking at this problem through multiple lenses; spiritual, emotional, chemical, relational, and teleological. When we see problems on this scale, we must immediately conclude that our society is out of step with God’s design. The difficult part is discovering where and what to do about it.
“Alito Decries 'Hostility to Religion' in First Public Remarks Since Abortion Decision” - Greg Stohr, Bloomberg
Justice Alito spoke for the first time about the
Dobss decision and the backlash during an address at Notre Dame earlier this month. The most enlightening part of Alito’s remarks captures the international sentiment against religious belief in the West: “‘The problem that looms is not just indifference to religion, it’s not just ignorance about religion,’ he said. ‘There’s also growing hostility to religion, or at least the traditional religious beliefs that are contrary to the new moral code that is ascendant in some sectors.’”
I’ve seen many people argue that sending abortion rights back to the states is an “imposition of religious beliefs.” This statement is almost too nonsensical to take seriously, but it is a popular catchphrase. First, since the decision did not ban abortion, it’s not accurate to say that
Dobbs imposed anything. Second, even if it had, every law that deals with social issues relies on an underlying moral framework, which may or may not line up with a specific religious group’s beliefs. Some moral framework will determine our laws; the question is not whether but which.
“Diversity, Conservative Style” - Theodore Dalrymple, Law & Liberty
Diversity has become the byword in Western politics. Slates of elected officials must represent underrepresented minorities and formerly oppressed people groups. In the U.S. it’s gone as far as the Biden administration saying it would nominate a black woman as vice president and to the Supreme Court rather than simply saying they would pick the most qualified candidate and choosing a black woman for the role.
In Britain, the Conservative Party is a model of real diversity. As Dalrymple points out, the PM contenders offer a wide array of backgrounds, ethnicities, socio-economic stati, and viewpoints within the conservative tradition. With one exception, there have not been race-based endorsements or opposition. The value of true “diversity” would be what’s on display in this election, substantive differences evaluated on the basis of merit, achievement, fit, and past success.
“Pelosi Must Go (To Taiwan)” - Matthew Continetti, The Washington Free Beacon
When the Speaker of the House announced she would visit Taiwan, one person tied to the CCP said China would blow the plane out of the sky. That left the Speaker in a difficult position. Does China get to veto the travel plans of U.S. officials?
There’s a difference between wise restraint and being bullied. Because of the way China has escalated over Taiwan, there is now a downside to not going. As Continetti writes, “China’s aim isn’t just to stop Pelosi. It wants gradually to isolate Taiwan by coercing the United States into abandoning a longtime ally. It wants to replace the United States as the preeminent power in the Indo-Pacific. Giving China what it wants now helps it achieve its goals. If Pelosi can’t visit Taiwan, then surely other U.S. officials will think twice before traveling there. And if Beijing calls the shots for Washington, D.C., why should other regional governments take us seriously?”
This morning, the Wall Street Journal
reports that Pelosi plans to go to Taiwan this week, despite China’s threats.
Niall Ferguson also wrote on the Taiwan conundrum in his Bloomberg column over the weekend. Taking a historical perspective, he compares this confrontation with others and issues a warning to the Biden administration; “Surely it is obvious to someone in Washington that such a severe economic crisis increases rather than reduces the incentive for conflict with the US. How ignorant of history do you have to be not to see Xi’s urgent need for a new source of legitimacy for the CCP, now that economic growth can no longer provide it?” Ferguson worries about a near-term escalation from Beijing and counts the cost of doing so.
Quick Links:
“Personal Bookplates of 18 Famous Writers” - Emily Temple, The Hub
“First Grain Ship Leaves under Russia Deal” - James Waterhouse and Matt Murphy, BBC News
“The Historian Who Inspires Liz Truss” - Nick Cohen, The Spectator
“Putin’s Land War - Cautionary Lessons from Ancient Greece” - John Raine, Engelsberg Ideas
