Is depression increasing, and what is the best way to treat it?

It seems as though NICE is in the process of making itself about as popular with the pharmaceutical industry as a fart in a spacesuit (again):

Is depression increasing, and what is the best way to treat it?

This business of drugs really only being suited to severe depression, and counselling being the best option, otherwise, is something that NICE has said, before, but it's reiterated it, just now. Incidentally, Alan Johnson, when he was Health Secretary (also in charge of the success of the pharmaceutical industry), promised that, through investment and training, more CBT counsellors would be available on the NHS (the current waitlist, I believe is 3 months for a 6-week course).

Mr Johnson now has another ministry, and I don't recall hearing word of improvements in this area. What's the betting that, were I to ask my useless cunt of a MP, he'd ignore me? I don't know why they bother even pretending to give a shit - lies are just a way of life to these people... "Yes, yes, just fob them off with some announcement, with a delivery date years down the line, and if they haven't forgotten about it by then, somebody else will be in charge, and it won't be my problem." What a bunch of wankers.

Matt

Addendum:
I have just shared an email exchange with Kate Goodridge, Customer Service Centre, Department of Health... She had this to say, amongst other things:

"...the Department of Health is not responsible for the ‘success’ of the pharmaceutical -or any other- industry..."

So that's that settled. She was responding to a couple of emails I wrote to Andrew Burnham, Secretary of State for Health, mostly concerning Eli (Lilly). Kate didn't mention Eli, in her reply. Eli is, of course, a drug pedlar, according to CIA docs.

Do you know what? I don't know what the fuck to make of this.

The "this" in the caption refers to, erm, this:

By popular demand

which features a spat between Philip Dawdy and some guy called John MacManaman. I could have a go at deconstructing this, but frankly I don't really care, anymore. I could mediate the dispute, the only problem being that neither party is very likely to acknowledge my authority as mediator, irrespective of my skills in that area.

I understand, now, better than ever before, why it is that I have no real interest in trying to talk to anybody... everybody's just defending their own, tiny corner of reality, a reality that they're infinitely familiar with. And a corner, it should be said, that works for them. Moreover, conflict is so natural, so normal that, it seems to me, people will manufacture it, because they feel uneasy without it - the world looks abnormal without conflict, if you understand me - and so they create conflict, in order to feel as though they understand what's going on.

As a person who grew up in an environment of constant conflict, I find this attitude utterly detestable. Be warned people: I'm a neutral party - attack me in any way (ie, actively or passively), and I'll fuck you up. And don't test me: you'll take my words at face value, if you've any sense left.

Bluebird by Edward Shearmur

I love K-PAX, which this is taken from. I challenge you to find anything other than peace in this. Anyway, this is especially for Anna, who found her own bluebird, just recently.