First of all...

your writing is outstanding.

This post is wonderful. And your insight is spot on, imo.

Secondly, my heart goes out to you, completely. Not calling you old, but 45 years is a long time - it's a long time to suffer.

I agree, the science of "mental illness" is long overdue for a reboot, restructuring, looking at from a completely new perspective; a better one, a more useful one. Surely a less stigmatizing one.

And this is true: 'Trauma added its own little extra flavours here and there, but it mostly runs in the genes.'

...it mostly runs in the genes.

That seems to be the case. And with that said, this is a timely read for me in particular.

An acquaintance of mine recently went for genetic testing regarding their depression and the issue of their medication being ineffective. And what they found out was very interesting. The doctor said the test revealed that their body doesn't absorb folate properly; something that's needed in ample amount for their SSRI to be effective, and so they prescribed a L-Methylfolate supplement to help make the medicine actually work properly for them. Apparently, low/improper folate absorption is a genetic defect, and it affects serotonin related functioning in the brain.

This was a case of someone who I've known for some time and have seen go through so many numerous drugs for depression, bipolarism, and some other developmental/genetic issues. Having to be the person who watches that process; seeing it day and night, year in and year out, wishing they could help and not being able to in any truly solution finding way - it's hard. It's so very hard. It's hard for them who suffer, and it's hard for the ones watching who wish that person could be well, who wish that person could find a solution that worked. And not a morbid solution, a helpless and hopeless solution, but a life-affirming one, a hopeful one.

I wish for anyone who deals with these sort of issues or who is close to anyone with these issues, that that could happen. And that the science would advance, and the culture would as well accordingly, and not only to stop stigmatizing it, but also to start regarding it as seriously as it deserves to be; treated the same as any other biological or genetic disease of the human body.

This is such an important issue of our times, and for so many reasons. People's lives hang literally in the balance over how seriously we take it, and what we do, or do not do, to advance research on it. I'm sure it's one of the reasons you're here on this site, and probably the same for many, many more people here as well. People need help, and they're simply not getting it where they've been told to look for it.