Why is everyone depressed?

[GracieJane]

According to the CDC, almost 14% of the adult population in the US was on anti-depressants before Covid (maybe now it’s higher?). The highest use was found among women above the age of 60 (24%, so almost a quarter). 
 

Do you think this is new? Were this many people depressed 100 years ago?

[prairiewindmomma]

Based on the historical research I have done, I don’t think depression is new. Remember all of the women who “felt low” or “took to bed” for a time? The “women’s hysteria” that was resolved by manual stimulation by doctors. In the 1800s it was melancholy and mania. Hippocrates talked of the imbalance of humors. We hear about suicide among the Greeks also—Lucretia comes to mind.

What’s different now compared to then? Modern pharmaceuticals that actually help….

[Ausmumof3]

No I don’t think it’s new.  In Charlotte Bronte’s Shirley one of the characters goes through what would be modern day depression.  Tolstoy describes mental states that sound like depression to me. I do think our increasingly indoor lifestyle doesn’t help but this has been true for many demographics through time anyway.  

[popmom]

I’ve thought about this. I don’t think we can know. Some theories I have: Most people don’t have to do physical heavy work on a regular basis (current times). Regular exercise is a first line treatment for depression(or it should be). Another is that mental illness wasn’t viewed in the same light. So someone might be seen as having a melancholy personality rather than chronic depression. (I’m purely speculating here)

eta after reading above replies. I’ll add that Martin Luther was known to be chronically depressed. 

 

Edited November 27, 2021 by popmom

[Katy]

It's not new. Diagnosis and treatment are new.

[KSera]

3 minutes ago, Katy said:

It's not new. Diagnosis and treatment are new.

But suicide rates, particularly in youth, are up from what they used to be. So something is different there.

[Katy]

29 minutes ago, KSera said:

But suicide rates, particularly in youth, are up from what they used to be. So something is different there.

I doubt it. I'm sure these things fluctuate a bit depending on the state of the world, but it used to be something families hid instead of admit.  It meant they were going to hell and couldn't be buried in a church cemetery. I have no doubt that rates used to be artificially deflated.

[KSera]

9 minutes ago, Katy said:

I doubt it. I'm sure these things fluctuate a bit depending on the state of the world, but it used to be something families hid instead of admit.  It meant they were going to hell and couldn't be buried in a church cemetery. I have no doubt that rates used to be artificially deflated.

With young people over just the past 20 years, and especially the last ten? I would think the medical examiner would require a cause of death to be found when a young person dies unexpectedly. I haven't heard much suggestion that the increase in suicide rates isn't an actual thing, so I'm interested to look into it. I'll report back if I find anything interesting.

Actually, I did just find this, which shows that the rate was much higher before and during WWII and then decreased to a low in 2000 and has been rising ever since:

[vonfirmath]

1 hour ago, popmom said:

I’ve thought about this. I don’t think we can know. Some theories I have: Most people don’t have to do physical heavy work on a regular basis (current times). Regular exercise is a first line treatment for depression(or it should be). Another is that mental illness wasn’t viewed in the same light. So someone might be seen as having a melancholy personality rather than chronic depression. (I’m purely speculating here)

eta after reading above replies. I’ll add that Martin Luther was known to be chronically depressed. 

 

I was just reading a book about Elizabeth Friedman and it talks about how her husband suffered from chronic depression and mostly she worked to help keep it hidden from the world. The times he DID get desperate and go for care -- there did not seem to be much success.

[Tap]

Looking at it from my almost 80yo mom's point of view.

Over the past 20 years, she has birthed children and buried children.

She lost a spouse to cancer (after treating and beating it once)

She expected Social Security to be her retirement, but it leaves her destitute, and living hand to mouth. 

Her home is falling into disrepair, because she can longer care for it, or pay someone else to do it. She is at the mercy of her kids to do things for her. 

Friends have died and her one last living friend now has dementia. 

She watched as her friend's mental states were stolen by various mental illnesses/physical illnesses (Alzheimer's, dementia, Parkinson's etc)

She stopped calling many friends because all the talk was about cancer, death, illness, suicide, being poor etc. 

As the living matriarch, she has planned funerals for and buried 1 sister and 4 brothers. She is one of two living siblings left. All grandparents, parents (spouses parents too) and older family members are gone.

She can no longer travel due to back pain, so she lays in a bed all day. She refuses surgery, so she suffers instead. (Heavy smoker and she would have to stop smoking during the hospital recovery. 

Her car is having major issues, but again....no money to fix it. It is probably 20_+ years old, so not worth fixing. Her credit is shot due to bailing out family members, so she can't finance a new one. 

Holidays are no longer a crazy household of 20-30 people all having a grand time. Now it is reheated left overs that someone brought to her, because she can't/won't leave the house due to pain. Her house is so full of stuff, family can't go there (hoarder).

I could go on and on. 

When I talk to her, there is no joy. Maybe a meal out here or there, or one of her kids coming by for a few hours to visit. But even the visits, aren't warm and cuddly, with us kids being 50-65. Now health issues have started to haunt us as well. Her daughter is permanently angry and paralyzed on half her body from a stroke. Another had brain surgery, that left her deaf in one ear and didn't fix the problem. Another has had RA since childhood and doesn't take care of it, so she is always suffering and her heart is damaged, A brother is plagued with severe GI issues.  etc.

 

So, completely serious,  this my mom's life. I am sure none of this is unique to the aging population.  There is so much to be depressed about, I would be surprised if she wasn't depressed!

 

 

[MercyA]

Just a quick note: I take an anti-depressant and I have rarely ever been depressed in my life. I take it for OCD. My mom takes one for agoraphobia, anxiety disorder, and panic attacks. She doesn't suffer from depression, either. 

I don't think depression or mental disorders are anything new. I thank God for treatments that actually work.

That said, I don't think all the chemicals in food help, that's for sure. I've seen first-hand the terrible effects of artificial food dyes and other chemical ingredients, and those effects have been shown by research as well. And I'm sure people in the past did get more exercise and sunshine. But there is no way exercise, sunshine, and a clean diet alone could have changed my life the way meds have.

Edited November 27, 2021 by MercyA

[Scarlett]

I guess I will be the dissenter and say I think the widespread depression is new.  I have honestly never seen anything like it.  

[J-rap]

I don't think it's new.  Maybe it's talked about more now so we hear about it more?  The Bible certainly has lots of pain and suffering in it.  Many books from bygone eras talk about suffering and severe melancholy.  And by the time people are 60, most have already realized that life can be really, really hard.  Suffering is part of our existence.  Depression seems like a very natural outcome given all of that.

 

[Terabith]

I don't think rates of depression are really higher than they were.  I do think ANXIETY disorders have increased dramatically.  I think social isolation is more pronounced than in the past, and that has a big effect on suicide rates, a la Durkheim.  

[Melissa Louise]

My totally uneducated view is that it probably is a disease of modernity, but that doesn't mean it's new. We've been modern for quite some time!

 

[thewellerman]

Sometimes I think depression might be more evident because methods of self medicating are becoming more and more taboo, like smoking. 

[Shoeless]

1 hour ago, MercyA said:

Just a quick note: I take an anti-depressant and I have rarely ever been depressed in my life. I take it for OCD. My mom takes one for agoraphobia, anxiety disorder, and panic attacks. She doesn't suffer from depression, either. 

I don't think depression or mental disorders are anything new. I thank God for treatments that actually work.

That said, I don't think all the chemicals in food help, that's for sure. I've seen first-hand the terrible effects of artificial food dyes and other chemical ingredients, and those effects have been shown by research as well. And I'm sure people in the past did get more exercise and sunshine. But there is no way exercise, sunshine, and a clean diet alone could have changed my life the way meds have.

I agree with you! Processed food is really terrible for the body, for so many reasons. There is some research that indicates our gut bacteria can influence our moods. Processed foods alter our gut bacteria, and not in favorable ways. I think there's a connection there. 

[Shoeless]

Depression isn't new, but I think we live in a very unhealthy society that is increasing depression, especially among kids. Social media makes people unhappy.  Processed food is terrible for our health.  Schools are high stress for many, many kids.  All this unhealthy stuff is normalized. 

"Bullying is part of growing up."

"That's just how life is."

"Life is hectic."

"Get used to it. "

😕 

[klmama]

Antidepressants are sometimes prescribed for chronic pain, too.  

[Jean in Newcastle]

32 minutes ago, klmama said:

Antidepressants are sometimes prescribed for chronic pain, too.  

Yes, the study is based on the prescribing of anti-depressants which are often used "off label" for things that are not depression.  To try to deduce from that what the specific levels of depression are, is problematic. 

[HomeAgain]

Short story:
I was tired and lethargic all the time.  I was also very underweight.  In order to go see a nutritionist, I had to have a general consult with a doctor.  That visit went like this.
"Oh, you have a kid?"
"Yes.."
"I'm going to prescribe you this.  Come back in about a month or two and we'll talk then."

The prescription was Zoloft.  One of the side effects of Zoloft is......weight loss.  I did give it a go, found myself to be a zombie, and promptly stopped. And I never did get to see the nutritionist. 3 years later my real issue, chronic anemia, was diagnosed and I began to feel much better, even getting to a healthy weight range with a few tweaks to my diet.  However, when I looked around my community, I found that nearly every mom was on an antidepressant.  It was eye opening.

I'm not saying antidepressants are wrong.  I'm saying that in some areas, with some doctors, they are majorly overprescribed as a catch-all instead of figuring out how to treat people.

[catz]

If you think depression and mental illness in general is a new phenomenon and much more widespread, I highly recommend checking out this book

https://www.amazon.com/Wisconsin-Death-Trip-Michael-Lesy/dp/0826321933

This is just photos and newspaper clippings from one area of Wisconsin from 1890 to 1910.  It is dark and not young kid appropriate.  It documents suicides, murders, blatant mental illness, etc as every day occurrences that families were just more likely to try and hide.  Mental illness has certainly existed throughout history.  That chart someone posted above was good.  During times of wars or pandemics, etc it will certainly escalate.  I just don't have a lot of patience for the good old days mindset.  It was hidden, it wasn't treated, women were labeled meloncholic or hysterical, etc.  People would just get "sick" and disappear for a while.  

I don't disagree some doctors are not diagnosing people well.  But I think that goes both ways.  When I'm dealing with anxiety or depression (and I am on no RX's and have not been for years), it tends to manifest as very physical symptoms for me.  I have a lot of autoimmune issues in my family and I can see a lot of flares during stressful times.  That doesn't mean AT ALL I don't think people have autoimmune stuff, I fully expect to be diagnosed with something one of these days.  I've probably been on the edge of that for a while.   I do think many people could benefit from treatment of their physical issues and work on their mental health simultaneously and would probably feel better for it.  Diet, exercise, stress management, etc make a huge difference for me.  People have been denied good diets, sunshine, good shelter, health, etc throughout history as well.   I have been anemic and I am an emotional mess when I am, I just had minor anemia this spring from peri-menopause stuff.  

 

[ktgrok]

12 hours ago, popmom said:

I’ve thought about this. I don’t think we can know. Some theories I have: Most people don’t have to do physical heavy work on a regular basis (current times). Regular exercise is a first line treatment for depression(or it should be). Another is that mental illness wasn’t viewed in the same light. So someone might be seen as having a melancholy personality rather than chronic depression. (I’m purely speculating here)

eta after reading above replies. I’ll add that Martin Luther was known to be chronically depressed. 

 

Yup. Also, not enough sleep, too little natural light, high levels of omega 6 which is pro inflammatory in our diet (depression is linked to inflammation), sedentary jobs, like of true community, etc etc all are risk factors that for some will be a perfect storm leading to depression. 

[Faith-manor]

3 hours ago, FuzzyCatz said:

If you think depression and mental illness in general is a new phenomenon and much more widespread, I highly recommend checking out this book

https://www.amazon.com/Wisconsin-Death-Trip-Michael-Lesy/dp/0826321933

This is just photos and newspaper clippings from one area of Wisconsin from 1890 to 1910.  It is dark and not young kid appropriate.  It documents suicides, murders, blatant mental illness, etc as every day occurrences that families were just more likely to try and hide.  Mental illness has certainly existed throughout history.  That chart someone posted above was good.  During times of wars or pandemics, etc it will certainly escalate.  I just don't have a lot of patience for the good old days mindset.  It was hidden, it wasn't treated, women were labeled meloncholic or hysterical, etc.  People would just get "sick" and disappear for a while.  

I don't disagree some doctors are not diagnosing people well.  But I think that goes both ways.  When I'm dealing with anxiety or depression (and I am on no RX's and have not been for years), it tends to manifest as very physical symptoms for me.  I have a lot of autoimmune issues in my family and I can see a lot of flares during stressful times.  That doesn't mean AT ALL I don't think people have autoimmune stuff, I fully expect to be diagnosed with something one of these days.  I've probably been on the edge of that for a while.   I do think many people could benefit from treatment of their physical issues and work on their mental health simultaneously and would probably feel better for it.  Diet, exercise, stress management, etc make a huge difference for me.  People have been denied good diets, sunshine, good shelter, health, etc throughout history as well.   I have been anemic and I am an emotional mess when I am, I just had minor anemia this spring from peri-menopause stuff.  

 

And anemia was so common in "the good ole days". I have an issue with being unable to absorb iron and potassium well. It isn't fun, and during those times depression is a thing. I have to work so much harder to get rest while still exercising to help the depression and trying to get those levels up without a blood transfusion. 

It had always been with us.

In my family lineage there were five suicides during a 30 year span 1890-1920, and a great grandmother with post partum depression so severe that she never recovered, and was unable to even take care of her own basic needs for the rest of her life. 

Women " never being right" after giving birth, PPD, was well noted even back to Ancient Greece and Egypt.

All kinds of depression. But life was a matter of survival so people sucked it up, dug deep, and those who simply could not function were kept hidden as much as possible from society.

It is not something new, nor at epic proportions compared to the days of old.

[Faith-manor]

I was also just thinking about the cabin fever bouts that settlers suffered when they went west and lived isolated. Super common. That would have been clinical depression from poor diet, isolation, lack of light, dire situations, and often loss of spouse/baby due to lack of assistance in childbirth. Not fun times!

[ktgrok]

28 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

 

All kinds of depression. But life was a matter of survival so people sucked it up, dug deep, and those who simply could not function were kept hidden as much as possible from society.

It is not something new, nor at epic proportions compared to the days of old.

Yup. I think of the grandparents who were bedridding in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and then in less amusing examples, the first wife in Jane Eyre. 

[Laura Corin]

42 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

 

It had always been with us.

In my family lineage there were five suicides during a 30 year span 1890-1920, and a great grandmother with post partum depression so severe that she never recovered, and was unable to even take care of her own basic needs for the rest of her life.

My maternal grandmother committed suicide in the early 70s and my father's sister-in-law in the late 70s. Only my aunt was being treated for depression,  so 50 percent wouldn't have shown up in the depression figures.

My mother should have been in the figures back then too, but her generation didn't seek treatment unless completely unable to function, so she would only show up in recent records.

Edited November 27, 2021 by Laura Corin

[Scarlett]

 

I think this is an amazing TED talk.  

 

[SKL]

I think there's more of it, but it isn't new.

About women age 60+, part of the increase is probably just the increase in longevity, partly due to modern treatments, some of whose side effects include harmful brain chemistry changes.

Other factors include less outside time, less exercise, more pharmaceutical use, more technology use which changes the brain, more immediate and constant information about bad things (and hardly any about good things) around the world, less sleep, more chemicals in food, social self-harm trends, addiction, the entertainment industry's messages that encourage anger, depression, guilt, and self-destructive behaviors, ....

[DreamerGirl]

16 hours ago, GracieJane said:

Do you think this is new? Were this many people depressed 100 years ago?

I grew up in a different country and I think yes.

I do not have to go 100 years back to look at the life of my grandparents. They grew up during WWII, colonization, losing family members to TB, raising family members. They were also of the generation of the stiff upper lip where you did not talk about things. You just got on with it. But so many coping mechanisms stayed with them all their lives from bizarre cleaning practices I found so funny, but now I know better as trauma.

I have been thinking about my grandmother a lot during the pandemic as I sanitize my groceries yet again and feel the fear rising inside me. I tried to be brave, do all the things until delta and what was happening pushed me over the edge. I am beyond grateful that I had help. Concrete help and was able to reach out and get it. Not scramble to find resources or put myself last or told to suck it up and deal with it. 

People have always had trauma. I would argue more trauma a 100 years ago. They never had resources, they powered through at enormous cost to them or collapsed. The men who lost wives in my family due to TB just existed, they never recovered, drank and died. If their children were not raised by others, their lives would have been different too.

Just because labels did not exist does not mean trauma did not. Reaching for  help now and getting it does not mean more issues exist now.

It means mental health is getting a response, is thought of as a disease that needs medical help just like physical health.

My grandmother was a woman who believed in the power of vaccines and science even if she was not educated much because she did not have the option. I am her granddaughter with educational options and now have the option of reaching out for help when problems manifest.

My heart hurts for my grandmother in more ways than one especially during this time because I only now get a real life understanding a tiny bit of what she must have gone through. I am beyond grateful I have options for help when she did not. It is even true in my country of origin.

[fraidycat]

31 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

 

I think this is an amazing TED talk.  

 

Thank you for sharing this. Yes, It is amazing! He dropped a lot of truth bombs.

[Scarlett]

25 minutes ago, fraidycat said:

Thank you for sharing this. Yes, It is amazing! He dropped a lot of truth bombs.

Yes he does.  I watched it again just before I shared it to be sure I remembered it correctly.  He is so compassionate and kind and fully acknowledges that some depressed people have the chemical imbalance issue going on but likely many many more can be helped in other ways.  Those other ways were much more common several generations back and indeed now in some cultures.  
 

I think he wrote a book which I  keep meaning to read.   In this TED talk he only discussed a couple of the causes because he said would need 10 hours to cover them all.  
 

In my own life I can tell you I have had periods of something like depression.   Currently I am going on year 3 and I am pretty sure I have a solution but I have others to think of…..and so my solution will not be possible for many years.  It does help me to acknowledge to my self (and my Dh and a few trusted friends) that it is a real issue for me and not let others tell me I should just get over it.

Some of his advise goes hand in hand with a few things my mom taught me that have served me well.  One is when you feel bad getup and do something for someone else.  Also, I learned myself that cleaning is good medicine for me.

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

Looking over my family history, there are a lot of known suicides in one particular branch and a lot more “died unexpectedly at home” over the 250 years that are documented.  I don’t think depression is so much increased as people are more willing to talk about and label it.

Anxiety is increasing, at least IMHO.  Some of it I think might be labeling—younger people are calling a cluster of symptoms anxiety when before it would just be nothing or called something else.  I also think there’s a generational divide when it comes to anxiety. Case in point: the ambulance company I work for is extremely generous with time off. It’s around five or six weeks PTO, but you can basically take unlimited unpaid time off.  So people call in fairly frequently. The other day, though, one of our newer employees, age 20, called in.  Instead of saying she was sick, though, she said she was “mentally unable to come to work.”  She’s a brand new EMT and we’ve all had a lot of bad patients lately, so this immediately raised some flags.  I mean, the management, all over age 40 and most over 50, were immediately concerned that she was suicidal, depressed, all of that.  One of our paramedics is also a minister and mental health counselor and he was dispatched to check on her.  
Turns out she was feeling a little anxious about something unrelated to work(a fight with her mom or something similar) and decided that she needed to mentally take care of herself by eating ice cream and watching TV on her couch all day. I’m not saying that calling in was not okay(it was fine per our policies), but the verbiage she used meant something very very different to us as Generation X/young boomers than it did to her.  When I was 20 I would never have considered calling off because I was upset over an argument; work was work.  But I think there’s a generational difference. I’m not saying it’s good or bad, but only that we aren’t always talking about the same thing.

[TravelingChris]

17 hours ago, Katy said:

I doubt it. I'm sure these things fluctuate a bit depending on the state of the world, but it used to be something families hid instead of admit.  It meant they were going to hell and couldn't be buried in a church cemetery. I have no doubt that rates used to be artificially deflated.

Yes.  And even today in many circles, depression is not recognized.  I remember that a few years ago, the Sunday School leader of our group told us to pray for the family of a young man who committed suicide because their church family was not being good Christians to them. We are in a mainstream denomination.  Also, at the last women's retreat I attended, (2018, cause we were on a minivacation in 2019 and then be COVID), after I was open about mental health issues and how recent info was on how bipolar seems to be actually an  autoimmune condition along w genetic tendency, at least 5  people approached me asking questions about medical causes of mental illness and how their family suffers from mental illness and they were happy If was open w them, etc

It seems to be a fairly common do family or cultural attitude to get depression isn't true.

I see the denial in new stories.

 

 

 

 

 

[SKL]

The denial is for every mental illness.  It's almost like if your kid has one, you wished it on them kuz you're looking for attention or something.

[TravelingChris]

12 hours ago, klmama said:

Antidepressants are sometimes prescribed for chronic pain, too.  

Yes am on one now for my nerve pain and another as a sleeping pill

[elegantlion]

If you read Margery Kempe, late 14th & early 15th century, she most likely had post-partum depression. 

I think we just talk about it more. 

[BusyMom5]

Depression and other mental health issues have always been there.  I have no idea about rates, since there aren't reliable records, but I have noticed s difference in how my generation (40s, Gen X) handles it.  Meds seem to be a first line of defense any time life starts going sideways.   Getting a divorce?  Try meds.  Stressed over money issues?  Try meds!  Stressed over kids?  Try meds!!!  Other medical issues wearing on you?  Yours, a spouse, parent or child?  You need meds!   I don't think its always the right approach,  but it feels to me like anyone going through a rough time gets on meds.  I think its normal to feel strong feelings, but I don't want to deny someone help in the rough time if they need it.  I do think Drs tend to dismiss other things, and try antidepressants first, rather than looking for a more physical reason or a non-medical route.  

Getting enough sleep,  exercise,  sunshine,  time alone, and a balanced diet are all important to mental health,  and our modern lifestyle isn't always compatible.  

[Pawz4me]

4 minutes ago, BusyMom5 said:

Depression and other mental health issues have always been there.  I have no idea about rates, since there aren't reliable records, but I have noticed s difference in how my generation (40s, Gen X) handles it.  Meds seem to be a first line of defense any time life starts going sideways.   Getting a divorce?  Try meds.  Stressed over money issues?  Try meds!  Stressed over kids?  Try meds!!!  Other medical issues wearing on you?  Yours, a spouse, parent or child?  You need meds!   I don't think its always the right approach,  but it feels to me like anyone going through a rough time gets on meds.  I think its normal to feel strong feelings, but I don't want to deny someone help in the rough time if they need it.  I do think Drs tend to dismiss other things, and try antidepressants first, rather than looking for a more physical reason or a non-medical route. 

Getting enough sleep,  exercise,  sunshine,  time alone, and a balanced diet are all important to mental health,  and our modern lifestyle isn't always compatible. 

I wonder if fear of malpractice lawsuits is the main reason, or at least one big reason, that many doctors tend to recommend medication right off the bat? Lifestyle changes are okay and may help some--if they can actually make the changes--but I think most people find it a lot easier to pop a pill once a day than to make lasting changes. And all the lifestyle changes in the world won't help if the brain chemistry is really off. As someone who has suffered from anxiety in the past I cringe bigly every time there's a post on here and people recommend this change or that change instead of meds. I think it's at least as bad an idea to actively discourage medication as it is to encourage it w/o suggesting non-medical alternatives.

Anyway -- I suspect doctors want it in the patient's record that they offered/recommended a medication as a CYA thing.

[GoodGrief3]

18 hours ago, thewellerman said:

Sometimes I think depression might be more evident because methods of self medicating are becoming more and more taboo, like smoking. 

That's a theory of mine. Many, many people were self medicating depression and anxiety with smoking. We discouraged tobacco use (with good intentions) without providing adequate treatment for the underlying mental health condition.

[Scarlett]

1 hour ago, Pawz4me said:

I wonder if fear of malpractice lawsuits is the main reason, or at least one big reason, that many doctors tend to recommend medication right off the bat? Lifestyle changes are okay and may help some--if they can actually make the changes--but I think most people find it a lot easier to pop a pill once a day than to make lasting changes. And all the lifestyle changes in the world won't help if the brain chemistry is really off. As someone who has suffered from anxiety in the past I cringe bigly every time there's a post on here and people recommend this change or that change instead of meds. I think it's at least as bad an idea to actively discourage medication as it is to encourage it w/o suggesting non-medical alternatives.

Anyway -- I suspect doctors want it in the patient's record that they offered/recommended a medication as a CYA thing.

Well I probably make you cringe because I think the US is way over medicated with anti depressants.  I do think some have a chemical imbalance but my own observation over the last 25 years is that every symptom is medicated and real issues swept under the rug. 
 

Edited to add——but I never tell anyone to not take meds. Especially on this board.  Because I don’t know how they feel or what is going on in their life. 

Edited November 28, 2021 by Scarlett

[TechWife]

22 hours ago, KSera said:

But suicide rates, particularly in youth, are up from what they used to be. So something is different there.

 

Social media likely plays a role 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3477910/

 

[Farrar]

I think it's a huge host of factors. Of course depression has always been around. And I agree it's being talked about more.

But also, I think that anxiety has risen. The ways we address depression have changed - many for the better, but some for the worse. I think there's a lot of social alienation that is exacerbating it in particular ways for some people. I think there's also been a rise in existential depression among a lot of people - young people I know feel that there's no point because climate change has doomed us all and the economy is so rigged that they don't think they'll ever get ahead. They don't plan to have families or kids. I think some of that is also exacerbating depression for some young folks.

[Acadie]

13 hours ago, FuzzyCatz said:

If you think depression and mental illness in general is a new phenomenon and much more widespread, I highly recommend checking out this book

https://www.amazon.com/Wisconsin-Death-Trip-Michael-Lesy/dp/0826321933

This is just photos and newspaper clippings from one area of Wisconsin from 1890 to 1910.  It is dark and not young kid appropriate.  It documents suicides, murders, blatant mental illness, etc as every day occurrences that families were just more likely to try and hide.  Mental illness has certainly existed throughout history.  That chart someone posted above was good.  During times of wars or pandemics, etc it will certainly escalate.  I just don't have a lot of patience for the good old days mindset.  It was hidden, it wasn't treated, women were labeled meloncholic or hysterical, etc.  People would just get "sick" and disappear for a while.  

A decade ago I took my girls to a living history museum near us with houses, farms, workshops and costumed re-enactors from the "frontier days" in our state. In one cabin I stayed behind to ask questions and the staff person said the most common cause of death for women on the frontier was suicide. 

It blew my mind at first, but the more I thought about what those women's lives were like, the less shocking it seemed. 

 

[BlsdMama]

Pain, disease, death… this is not new. Not do I think necessarily that sadness and disappointment is the same as clinical depression. The truth is, when we live long enough, we eventually become acutely aware that pain, disease, and death is the eventual state of everyone we love. Those who live, outlive. 
 

i think the discussion must separate from a chronic depressive state to a surprising realization and then… disappointment? At the realization that life will never be happily ever after.  And, Christian content - I must wonder that when hope only lies in what this life has to offer and nothing beyond, then that realization comes, is that not enough to break a spirit? 
 

i think chronic depression is different than this though. 

[Faith-manor]

30 minutes ago, BlsdMama said:

Christian content - I must wonder that when hope only lies in what this life has to offer and nothing beyond, then that realization comes, is that not enough to break a spirit? 

 

i think chronic depression is different than this though. 

No actually, I am in a much better state mentally since I left Christianity. My sister was able go off her antidepressants when she deconverted. My nephew and his wife both reported that deconverting was like having an anvil removed from their chests. I am glad that your faith elevates you! Really, I am.  Others of us were very badly damaged by Christian faith. 

We all have different experiences with it. But contrary to what Christians believe about non-christians, we don't need the carrot of intangible paradise in an alternate dimension to motivate us to make this world better or to live life with purpose and joy.

[fraidycat]

54 minutes ago, BlsdMama said:

 And, Christian content - I must wonder that when hope only lies in what this life has to offer and nothing beyond, then that realization comes, is that not enough to break a spirit? 

 

i think chronic depression is different than this though. 

On the contrary for myself, the realization that this is my one life to live so I should make the best of it actually helps me to be more grateful, content, and purposeful day to day. The realization that pain is part of life, the dark to contrast the light, the yin to the yang helps me keep perspective and find beauty and joy in the little moments.

 

[Tanaqui]

BlsdMama, the thought of having to spend eternity with a whole bunch of people I don't particularly like - now, THAT would be enough to break my spirit. Knowing life ends gives each day a real weight.

[Clarita]

I tend to reserve the word depression (for myself) during those times when I feel really down and bummed out and there is no reason for it. I have felt that twice in my life. Once was because I took Vicodine for a wisdom tooth extraction. The second was my third pregnancy, and the miscarriage is what made me feel better (this was not an undesired pregnancy). So not all depressed people can be fixed with happier thoughts and a growth mindset.

 

[kiwik]

On 11/27/2021 at 3:09 PM, Katy said:

I doubt it. I'm sure these things fluctuate a bit depending on the state of the world, but it used to be something families hid instead of admit.  It meant they were going to hell and couldn't be buried in a church cemetery. I have no doubt that rates used to be artificially deflated.

Yes there were some very unlikely deaths.  And a lot of accidents.  But really if you are working every minute of the day to just get by and you have been trained to not show your emotions or discuss feelings you probably don't even realise what you are feeling is depression.  Artificial light, high sugar diets and sedentary lifestyles don t help much I imagine.