I’d like to see an actual survey that asks young people with anxiety and depression what is bothering them rather than making, presumably, assumptive generalizations.
“Mental illness” (as it’s used in pop culture today) is a made-up term designed to gaslight people into believing that their natural, healthy reaction to the 21st century is somehow wrong and a pathology.
To be depressed in [current year] is no more normal than itching yourself when you’re wearing a wool sweater. Nobody would call that an “illness,” would they?
mental injury might be a better term.
Careful now, that much salt in your diet will lead to all sorts of problems…
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Amazingly, youthful angst and depression have been steadily increasing for several decades, with no puzzlingly large blip in recent years. You can jump to a conclusion that the problem is the one thing that personally bothers you the most, but maybe it’s a spectrum - for example, a lot of psychologists have been blaming teenage depression on too much screen time and not enough in-person social contact.
While on one hand I completely agree. On the other hand most generations in human history saw difficult times. One thing we have now is easy access to extra layers of constant despair by always being able to see any bad thing that is happening every minute of every day, on the news, on social media, from our politicians, etc. Then it even creeps into discussions with friends. The general dispare has crept into the discussion and taken over. But at the end of the day, most people have food, shelter, water, family, friends, and some level of healthcare (all be it problematic in the US).
For those of us lucky enough to not be destitute, or a current or future target of a repressive regime, it is important to remember to take some time to actually enjoy life instead of always feeling helpless about a profoundly imperfect world. Depression caused by the status of the world can also be avoided by taking action. Those that help, rarely let the status of the world get them down. Because, they know they did their part to move it in the right direction.
ITT: superfund positivity.
Not to throw shade but where is this magical time in history with no worries or existential threats?
14,000,000,000 BCE