I fully agree with you about ‘just be positive’ is not an answer. And I hope I didn’t seem to suggest that through what I posted previously.
To clarify, I don’t discount the fact that there are conditions that could justifiably be classified as a disorder, but given the stigma around the word mental, I guess my personal preference would be to term it a ‘brain disorder’ or something similar, since mental implies deliberate and conscious thought (in my mind anyway). So if a physical defect (I see chemicals as physical as well) exists, then it’s a brain disorder and not a mood/mental disorder. But I suspect my use of such terms interchangeably is probably enough to irk any student of neuroscience, so I’ll stop there.
I appreciate the exchange. I really do. It forces me to rationalise my views, which is always a good thing. 🙂