Idle hands...

[Esperahol]

Doesn't it seem like more and more people (women especially) are coming out as having mental issues, generally related to say- depression, anxiety, and obsessive complusions? Might it because in past times there was too much to be done to leave time to worry about this or that nevermind focusing on any one thing? Or perhaps in a world where not doing something every second of everyday is nearly a crime, downtime has become a period where in the mind simply turns on it's self for want of something else to do. I don't know - any ideas?

 

[dissn_it]

I think it is more that modern women have way too much to do, not enough time to do it in and get very little help. There is also a persona of perfection that women try to achive in every aspect of their lives. Perfect house, perfect marriage, perfect children, perfect job, etc, etc. It is too much!

 

[rayne]

I agree with dissn_it. Women are now the foundation of the family. Too many of them are single moms trying to work, raise children and be both mom and dad. It all goes back to the breakdown of the traditional family. Mom, dad, kids, home, togetherness are just not there anymore. It's a wonder that more women don't go off the deep end just trying to hold it together.

 

[shaunche]

Mental problems do not come from the sky, they are a product of society. We live in a stressful society, most of us endure an immense amount of stress and insecurity and this is reflected in our mental health. It's no coincidence that mental health charities have noticed a dramatic rise in cases since the recession.

 

[Lyra]

I think there are many reasons behind the dramatic increase in depression. We expect so much more then in times past. We have very busy lives, with high stress. But I think a big part of it is the constant sleep deprivation most of us experience regularly. Chronic sleep deprivation can cause huge issues over time.

 

[Sugarhill]

I think there is a lot of self-diagnosis with many of the people that have been afflicted with these maladies. One person hears about someone that legitimately has an issue, they find enough "similarities" in their own life and the next thing you know, they have it.

One thing that hasn't changed throughout the years is the need for people to look for excuses and attention, latching onto the new illness can do both.

 

[Suzie]

I think it also manifested from the generation before us. We grew up in unloving environments, therefore we have insecurities and qualms with ourselves. I also think there is too much labeling happening and not everything "wrong" needs one.

 

[Esperahol]

I think there is a lot of self-diagnosis with many of the people that have been afflicted with these maladies. One person hears about someone that legitimately has an issue, they find enough "similarities" in their own life and the next thing you know, they have it.

One thing that hasn't changed throughout the years is the need for people to look for excuses and attention, latching onto the new illness can do both.

I don't know if it's all excuses and attention seeking, but self-diagnosis is rampant and with the internet in full swing it can only get worse. Do you know they have an app now for the DMV?

 

[Sugarhill]

There is a reason why your doctor always looks like when you say that you looked something up on the internet. Now, I'm not against self-diagnosis when it's a pain and you're trying to figure something out, so you can ask your doctor or figure out whether you need to see a doctor or go to the ER. But, when it comes to major medical diagnoses, if your assessment isn't backed up by at least two doctors, then I'm not buying it.

Doctors are beginning to also have a tendency to do umbrella diagnosing and over medicating too. I think some people are a little too willing to be afflicted with something.

 

[classicnyer]

There is a reason why your doctor always looks like when you say that you looked something up on the internet. Now, I'm not against self-diagnosis when it's a pain and you're trying to figure something out, so you can ask your doctor or figure out whether you need to see a doctor or go to the ER. But, when it comes to major medical diagnoses, if your assessment isn't backed up by at least two doctors, then I'm not buying it.

Doctors are beginning to also have a tendency to do umbrella diagnosing and over medicating too. I think some people are a little too willing to be afflicted with something.

While this is true (case in point: I did a medical study for money not too long ago in which I had to fill out a questionnaire, and the doctors looked at the answers to my questionnaire and decided that I had a personality disorder. Wait, what?) it's also true that women especially are stretched way too thin in modern society, where we are expected to do a full day's work just like a man (but not get paid like a man) and then come home and take care of domestic affairs as well, instead of the more equitable arrangement of one partner taking care of home and the other going out to work.

 

[Lyra]

I agree with you, classicnyer. There are more pressures and expectations on women then ever, with less support. Think how, in most generations past, it was common to stay in the same area for all your life. That meant you had a built-in support system. Now women have to leave their children with strangers when they go to work, they have just as much work as ever at home, but also full-time jobs away from home, along with a lot of other sources of stress.

 

[artistry]

I think the person who stated that it boils down to the stress levels that women are subjected to. Women have to deal
with hormonal issues, which men don't. Resting the mind, as women age is essential, based on our biology.

 

[Anna T]

As women, we're expected to keep clean houses, make money, take care of children (some of us), more or less help hold the family together, and look good doing it! So, it's no wonder a lot of us begin to have problems because of the juggling act.

 

[Esperahol]

I think the person who stated that it boils down to the stress levels that women are subjected to. Women have to deal
with hormonal issues, which men don't. Resting the mind, as women age is essential, based on our biology.

Men have their own hormonal issues - they're hormones cycle every twenty minutes or so versus women who do so over the period of a month. Men also have to deal with the fact their particular hormone gears them toward sex and violence in a society where they must be a man as well as be a caring, concerned individual who listens while still getting a ton of ass. Men have to acknowledge themselves as dogs, approve of the dog-like behavior of each other and at the same time disapprove of it because society looks down on that (somewhat). In other words men have their own problems many of which coincide with those of women, but women are more likely to identify themselves as having mental issues versus men. Why?

 

[Laurasav]

I don't know about other women and why there's more mental illness now amongst female society than ever before. I only know about myself and family. I grew up in a very abusive home. I've had a severe depression problem my whole life, as early back into my childhood as I can remember. My little sister is a paranoid schizophrenic. My oldest brother is a violent, abusive sociopath. My other brother seems to be the only "normal" one amongst us. He was/is my father's favorite and my mother pretty much had no real relationship with him (my oldest brother & I were closest to her & she really messed us up, really horrific stuff). So he lucked out on both parents there!

As for having too much time on our hands - in my case that may be true. It's better if I keep myself occupied rather than spend too much time thinking - but as I stated I've always had a depression problem. But in my siblings cases, the oldest brother is a very successful businessman & keeps pretty busy, but still he is very sick in the head. The sister was a very, very busy person until the past year when she got so "off her rocker" that she lost her great job, her car to the repo man & is about to lose her house now. I guess she has plenty of time to sit & think now, but when she had a full & busy life she still struggled with those "head demons".

 

[SoftRain]

I wonder if the number of people with mental illness is really any higher than it used to be; I think it just used to be swept under the rug more, especially before there were effective medications to treat them.

 

[Sugarhill]

I wonder if the number of people with mental illness is really any higher than it used to be; I think it just used to be swept under the rug more, especially before there were effective medications to treat them.

I'll go with that before I go with "all the things that women have to do nowadays." For the average, women aren't doing anything more today than they were 20 to 30 years ago. If anything, women are having less children, make more money, have more opportunities for success and less pressure to marry than they did 20 to 30 years ago.

 

[Jenene]

Depression has been around since the beginning of time. I can just imagine Eve dealing with depression knowing that she was the first women to have disobeyed God. The more we ignore God and His calling for our country, the more depressed we become. Jesus is our only real hope and healer of depression. Medicines may help with the physical problems, but God deals with the heart.

 

[Esperahol]

I wonder if the number of people with mental illness is really any higher than it used to be; I think it just used to be swept under the rug more, especially before there were effective medications to treat them.

This might actually be part of the problem. Perhaps more people with real issues are coming out to talk about their experiences, and then other's who aren't suffering are seeing them and thinking they have the same thing. So it's kind of like people's need for gluten-free products. There are people who really need to have these products and others who just need to be part of the crowd?

 

[classicnyer]

I'll go with that before I go with "all the things that women have to do nowadays." For the average, women aren't doing anything more today than they were 20 to 30 years ago. If anything, women are having less children, make more money, have more opportunities for success and less pressure to marry than they did 20 to 30 years ago.

Women have fewer children, but are still expected to take care of them and also go out to work. Women make more money, but still not as much as our male counterparts. Women have more opportunities for success, but fewer opportunities to take time out for ourselves. Women have less pressure to marry, but more of us are taking care of both finances and children without the aid of a second partner to share the work.