Fast Food and Mental Health

Probably not what you are thinking from the title, but last night I went to Burger King and picked up "A QuickGuideTM to Depression" sponsored by http://www.myquickguides.com/. I was headed to an appointment, and was going to be unrealistically early, so I decided to stop for some food, but settled on Burger King instead (ZING!). The young fellow working the counter was very friendly. I was pleased with his customer service. As I was waiting for my food bag (just trying to make this report as classy as possible) I noticed a small display with about a dozen little pamphlets about various health issues. Some were about cancer, heart disease, quitting smoking; however, the one that caught my attention was the one about depression. As a student of psychology I find it interesting to see how mental health is treated in our society. From the drug commercials on television to the way that mental illness is portrayed in shows and movies, they don't always get it right.

I didn't have high expectations for the information provided by the Burger King counter pamphlet, but it was simple, provided a disclaimer and cited a valid reference for it's information. I thought it was good that the recommendation is to talk to a doctor, unfortunately, some doctors are quick to prescribe medicine without an accurate diagnosis. But, being that depression is real, going to see any legitimate doctor is a good idea. Psychologists are best, however, because they have the specific training and are better schooled in the current research, at least in comparison to psychiatrists and certainly more than a family physician, generally speaking.