Gemma Spake

Like they've seen this increasing demand as a money-making thing.

Prior to the 1970s, I don't know if you guys know this, there was a greater distinction between medical depression that required medication and depression caused by circumstances which required more talk therapy or more life intervention or a mixture of both.

But as pharmaceutical companies began to market

anti-depressant drugs, which by the way, I'm on, I'm a big fan of, this is not some conspiracy, but as they began to market these drugs, the focus of treatment for many people became more homogenous and it became more medical for everyone.

And that obviously led

helped these companies make a lot of money because they were able to erase some of the distinctions that are required when it comes to mental health.

Private assessments, private assessment clinics, therapy platforms, self-help brands, wellness apps, supplement companies, productivity tools, coaching industries,

all benefit from a culture where more and more people are encouraged to see themselves as needing an explanation, a label, treatment, optimization, management, and less people have access to actual clinical services with people who are trained, with people who could

seriously help them.

I've seen articles about people being conned out of hundreds if not thousands of pounds and dollars trying to seek an ADHD diagnosis only for it to not be formally recognized by a regulated healthcare professional.

So they actually couldn't even get access to the support and medication that they need anyways.

There's all these as well examples of courses for people with anxiety, with ADHD, with OCD that aren't even made by licensed professionals because people are like getting into this gap in the market.

And these courses, I actually was looking at one the other day, are just so inaccurate and simplified and just dumb.

And this is so incredibly sad because it's like everybody wants to focus on how everybody has a problem these days and diagnoses are fake.

But

People are really desperate for help and are really desperate to be heard and supported.

And when we do not find a good way to meet that demand and to help these people, whether they have a diagnosis or not, there are money-making machines that will capitalize on that lack of support.

There is money in framing it this way and there is money in being able to sell people a solution to their problems through a label.

I just think that when there is money involved, we need to be really, really cautious.

Again, that does not mean everyone seeking help is being manipulated, is self-diagnosing inaccurately.