Why are there more & more of us Americans with mental illnesses nowadays than ever before?

Question

I'm an American with a mental illness, & about 1/2 the people I know are diagnosed with @ least SOMETHING. Whether it be depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, bipolar, etc. Why?

Besides genetics, is it because of our lifestyle & diet too?

Answer 1

I think it has something to do with increased awareness and acceptance of mental illness.  I'm not so much sure the numbers have changed with who have mental illness--it's just diagnosed more now, so we have actual numbers.  

Lack of sleep, increased stress (economy, job, family/kids), bills (even too much money), poor diet, genetics, working odd schedules (for me working nights contributed to depression)--you name it, we are all at risk for it!

Answer 2

There are not more than there ever were, there is just more awareness and more people seeking treatment than every before.  Many things contribute to mental illness and the cause for each person is very much individualized.

Answer 3

Hmm.  There are a lot fewer people shut in their homes, keeping secrets, in institutions because there is no treatment.  There are more people seeking treatment than denial since the stigma isn't quite so strong and treatment is readily available.  There is more awareness.  Since you have a mental illness, more people probably are willing to disclose to you and you may socialize with a disproportionate number of people who have one(?).

I also think that there are a number of people with short-term, milder situational depression who may run to the doc for antidepressants prematurely.  Similarly, I do believe that lifestyle can play into anxiety levels and that some prefer meds over taking time out of their days for exercise and relaxation activities.  Then again, I wouldn't confuse these folks with those who have serious depression or anxiety, or for that matter, consider them mentally ill.  

Statistically, the percentage of the populatin with mental illnesses has remained fairly constant for the last 100 years.  The perception, however, has changed.

Answer 4

Because there are more people than there ever have been in the past.

Because the problems are being diagnosed and treated and brought out into the public eye.

In the past people with mental illness were shunned and no one told anyone that they knew someone like that.

Because there is a thing called equal rights and people with mental illness are trying to gain them.

And Everyone has some kind of illness being it mental or physical.  That's why it is so important to be accepting of everyone.  Some people's illnesses or disabilities are not noticeable, but everyone has them and some choose to hide them because of what some people still think.  There are still those who are not able to accept other's differences and I think it will always be like that.

Answer 5

As previously stated it is more a case of more awareness not an increase although the drug culture cannot be helping.  

Answer 6

There can be many contributing factors... fast paced lifestyle and stress; irregular sleep routine; the over-processes foods (lacking proper brain nutrients); food tainted with chemicals, hormones, artificial colorings, flavorings, preservatives; environmental pollutions, pesticides; dirty air, contaminated water and soil; electronic signal chaos; toxic substances in vaccinations, lack of parenting, moral decay... just to name a few off the top of my head.

Another problem is that companies continue to market harmful products, because they are making money on them. Long term effects are not known, people are being used as guinea pigs. Even paying off occasional lawsuits and fines, manufacturers are still getting rich at others' expense... human decency is often set aside in favor of the almighty profit.

Our children will have their work cut out for them...

Best of luck!

PS: I don't know where others get their statistics, the truth is that mental illness rates skyrocketed since a few decades ago. More awareness is responsible for only a small percentage of the increase.

Today 1 in every 150 children are autistic (published by the CDC) and this rate is growing by 10-17% annually (25 years ago the rate was 1 in 10,000).