Are wide scale mental disorders a post Internet revolution phenomenon?

badabing106

"1 in 5 American Adults Takes Mental Health Drugs. More than 1 in 5 American adults now takes at least one type of medication to treat a psychological disorder, a 22% rise since 2001, according to new statistics released by Medco Health Solutions, which monitors drug trends in insurance claims"

sabat

Yes

mad muffin

They don’t call it big pharma for nothing. Every second ad on American tv is pushing medicine of one kind or the other.

Atlantic Dawn

Doctors are bankrolled by the pharma industry in this country so it's in their interests to dish them out like candy.

Danzy

I would say yes.

People have less strife to contend with now and that means a massive removal of purpose.

Add in the collapse of identity, religion, culture, at levels unprecedented in human history.

Most of the things that help us endure life are gone.Add in life being easier, for longer nothing like shouldering a few coffins to change a mental perspective away from depression, personally speaking.

I'd rate us as ****ed up, yet surprisingly not more so. I think it will get a lot worse before it gets better.

My father was born in a house with no toilet, no electricity, money was tight and hard manual work on the farm never ending.

My son might see the day mankind lives permanently on the moon or mars.

The change has been savage.

buried

It's a racket. Especially in America. America as a entity sells itself as a mode of competition, where only the strong (the ones making money) will survive, but a lot of the people who buy into that mode and mindset of working hard and making the money don't feel happy with it anyways, so they are told they have some sort of "psychological disorder", sure no bother, use the money you are slaving to make, the reason you are unhappy, use that money in order to buy the pills so you can forget about it all.
This sort of craic is starting here now. State sanctioned corporate drug dealing.

amcalester

It’s America; if you’re spending money then you’re happy.

thomasdylan

Conditions like ADHD are very readily diagnosed in the US and medications started. There's states where 15-20% of kids have had a diagnosis of ADHD.

lainey_d_123

thomasdylan wrote: »

Conditions like ADHD are very readily diagnosed in the US and medications started. There's states where 15-20% of kids have had a diagnosis of ADHD.

ADHD isn't a psychological disorder.

Qrt

The rise of the internet has occurred at the same time as the explosion of mental stress rates. Add in the precarious housing situations in basically every city, combined with the a university degree becoming a necessity, all makes people f****** stressed and depressed.

thomasdylan

lainey_d_123 wrote: »

ADHD isn't a psychological disorder.

It's classed as a mental disorder.

lainey_d_123

thomasdylan wrote: »

It's classed as a mental disorder.

Not really, no. There's been a lot of debate about it and most doctors don't consider it a mental disorder. It's certainly nothing to do with mental health. It's an executive function disorder.

ancapailldorcha

I think it's more complicated than that. We're getting better at spotting mental health disorders. That said, too much of a good thing is necessarily healthy. It's always good to switch yourself off from the web now and again and go out and smell the flowers. Or something similar.

The Rape of Lucretia

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

go out and smell the flowers. Or something similar.

Exactly. Bike sadles, or whatever.

grindle

Danzy wrote: »

nothing like shouldering a few coffins to change a mental perspective away from depression, personally speaking.

Agree with everything you've said, but this I don't understand. I've shouldered a few and it certainly hasn't distracted me from any depression.

The Rape of Lucretia

grindle wrote: »

Agree with everything you've said, but this I don't understand. I've shouldered a few and it certainly hasn't distracted me from any depression.

It does put what might otherwise be perceived as big problems in perspective though.

grindle

The Rape of Lucretia wrote: »

It does put what might otherwise be perceived as big problems in perspective though.

Ah. Fair enough, it probably serves as a clarity inducer to people worrying about the small things.
Not so good otherwise, just another reminder life's finality, loss and pointlessness... and othersuch depressing things

thomasdylan

lainey_d_123 wrote: »

Not really, no. There's been a lot of debate about it and most doctors don't consider it a mental disorder. It's certainly nothing to do with mental health. It's an executive function disorder.

It is classed as a mental disorder and as such is in the DSM-5. 'Mental disorders' is a broader category than you'd think and would include consuct disorders and things like that. ADHD is usually sub-categorised as a neurodevelopmental disorder.

s7ryf3925pivug

After WWII psychiatrists started to see a new kind of patient. Up to that time, people presented as suffering from issues related to feelings of excessive responsibility. The new patients had issues related to their sense of identity.

At the same time, the propaganda machines that had spun up for the war were redirected into civilian life. The concept of PR was born, which is civilian propaganda. Marketing people also figured out they could get people to treat long term products, such as clothes, as disposable products so they would keep buying them.

I think this was the start of the trend, and things have worsened. Self-esteem is frequently invested in superficial external things, such as materials, or other people's opinions. This is more fragile than internal things, such as ethics. People are encouraged to compete excessively which isolates them.

Social media like Instagram, 1000 mirrors and the impression that everyone else is doing great, these cant be good for a lot of people. Only one aspect though of a bigger societal change.

I agree with the view that there are over-diagnoses of some conditions, and over-medication of them too. I've seen the treatment of several people with significant psychiatric disorders. Some of them were policed not treated, and pushed to take greatly excessive medication. Others treated with a light hand and minimal meds. It so happens that the former were public patients and the latter private, so my experience would make me think it's very important to have good health insurance.

lainey_d_123

grindle wrote: »

Agree with everything you've said, but this I don't understand. I've shouldered a few and it certainly hasn't distracted me from any depression.

Disgraceful and damaging attitude. Absolutely can't stand this 'you're well off compared to others so you're not allowed to be depressed' sh1te. Depression is an illness. People don't choose to be depressed or even necessarily need a 'reason' to be. And if you are prone to depression, shouldering a few coffins certainly isn't going to help your state of mind.

lainey_d_123

Aarav Incalculable Bungalow wrote: »

After WWII psychiatrists started to see a new kind of patient. Up to that time, people presented as suffering from issues related to feelings of excessive responsibility. The new patients had issues related to their sense of identity.

At the same time, the propaganda machines that had spun up for the war were redirected into civilian life. The concept of PR was born, which is civilian propaganda. Marketing people also figured out they could get people to treat long term products, such as clothes, as disposable products so they would keep buying them.

I think this was the start of the trend, and things have worsened. Self-esteem is freqently invested in superficial external things, such as materials, or other people's opinions. This is more fragile than internal things, such as ethics. People are encouraged to compete excessively which isolates them.

Social media like Instagram, 1000 mirrors and the impression that everyone else is doing great, these cant be good for a lot of people. Only one aspect though of a bigger societal change.

I agree with the view that there are over-diagnoses of some conditions, and over-medication of them too. I've seen the treatment of several people with significant psychiatric disorders. Some of them were policed not treated, and pushed to take greatly excessive medication. Others treated with a light hand and minimal meds. It so happens that the former were public patients and the latter private, so my experience would make me think it's very important to have good health insurance.

I think awareness is also a big part of it. In the last few years, it's suddenly become acceptable to be open about mental health issues. Even around 2013, when I first had severe depression, it wasn't really the norm to talk about it. I felt ashamed. I remember the feeling of pure shame and embarrassment I used to have going in to the pharmacy to get my medication. And the way I was treated by some of the pharmacists. It's very different now.

hatrickpatrick

In my opinion, no. I think in the past, more people just suffered through whatever disorders they had, assuming they were just personality traits, without realising that they were actual problems with brain function and that it was possible to treat them.