Musing on the Mental Health Crisis

Reader, is it just me or have you also been wondering why the last few decades have seen a spike in mental health issues? What is in our collective water that is making us all unwell?

In all seriousness, this is a question I have been puzzling over for some time now. In this blog, I will lay out some of my ideas (in no particular order of importance) as to why it appears mental health related adversity is on the rise.

Cultural Conceptions of Mental Health

Diagnostic categories have progressively been expanding in the DSM, the guidebook for diagnosing mental disorders. This means that for the most part, the criteria for diagnosing disorders has been loosening with each new release of the DSM, in addition to new disorders being added. Examples of new disorders that have been added to the DSM-5 include: Restless Leg Syndrome, Caffeine Withdrawal, and Hypersexual Disorder.

The expansion of diagnostic categories, coupled with a culture that is increasingly embracing the importance of mental health, may have led to a reality wherein mental health diagnoses are increasing.

The de-stigmatization of therapy, in my opinion, exhibits a significant societal maturation. After all, the word for health comes from the world whole, and emotional health is an indispensable piece of overall health.

And yet, and yet, and yet …. We must beware lest we pathologize people rather than understand them. What we view as “mental health symptoms” may very well be human responses to difficult circumstances. As Philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti is quoted, “It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” Common symptoms such as dissociation, people-pleasing, and attachment issues may stem from coping mechanisms developed in childhood that no longer serve in adulthood.

And it is important to remember that hurt, disappointment, restlessness, heartache, worry, and a host of additional painful emotions are all part of the human experience. If we label these feelings within ourselves and within others as “bad” and part of a disorder, then we attach profound shame to them. Instead, let us peer past the wall of shame and isolation by connecting on this bottom line: we are all on this human boat together. Centering on our common humanity eases some of the burden because it reminds us that we are not alone...not alone in our joy, nor in our pain. Perhaps it also reminds us that we are whole, even when we come in and out of states of emotional pain.

What do you think, dear reader?

Uncertainty

More and more, uncertainty is a prevailing characteristic of our world – from worldwide pandemics to natural disasters to political upheavals to shifting economies and beyond. Not to mention that technology is revolutionizing our world at a faster pace than we can keep up with (can you believe that internet use only became widespread in the 1990s?!).

Understandably, the subconscious minds can register uncertainty as a threat. The unknown is unfamiliar and can feel scary, while feeling like one’s feet are solidly planted on the ground can be incredibly settling to a nervous system. In today’s Western societies characterized by freedom and individualism, many people can feel thrust into an environment where we are flailing around mercilessly like leaves swept by a strong wind.

While having more freedom than our grandparents did to choose where to live, what to believe, and who to marry is empowering and liberating – it can also be paralyzing. In an effort to cope, we are turning to our phones to quell our anxiety and guide us through the nebulous maze.

As put by renowned psychologist Ester Perel, “Can you blame us for falling deeper into the siren song of our increasingly predictive technologies? Endless suggestions of what to buy, who to date, what to write, where to turn, and what to listen to next flow right into our palms— fooling us into thinking we have control over this unknowable, messy world.”

Over-reliance on technology is also impacting our ability to pay attention for prolonged periods and delay gratification. Everything is so instantaneous with the internet, and we have become less patient and present.

Erosion in relationships

With technology, we can keep up with loved ones near and far. And the irony is, interconnected as we all are, many of us could not be lonelier. In fact, research conducted in 2021 based on interviews with over 2,000 adults across all 50 states revealed that nearly half of Americans – 49%  – report having fewer than three close friends.

In this way, many of us are lacking a fundamental nutrient to well-being: community.

Another possible contributor to the loneliness of our time is the collapse of extended family systems into detached nuclear families. While this arrangement may confer people more freedom, it may also come with the cost of less of a sense of kinship and belonging.

We are social creatures, and perhaps we thrive when surrounded by a “tribe.”  

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Humanistic Psychologist Abraham Maslow introduced “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs” as a theory explaining motivation. The theory maintains that we humans are motivated by both physiological and psychological needs that progress from basic to complex, with needs such as eating and breathing trumping psychological needs such as connectedness and prestige. See the image below for a visual.

Sourced from ThoughtCo

Maslow believed that as people meet the needs at the lower end of the pyramid, they begin to seek increasingly complex needs, culminating in self-actualization.

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. For example, you may think of prisoners in a jail who go on a hunger strike, superseding their physiological need for food and instead are driven to live in alignment with their values.

And yet, in general, Maslow’s Hierarchy can help clue us in to some of the social conditions we are facing today. Even though the chasm between the rich and the poor is increasing, in general more and more individual have their basic physiological and safety needs met. This, in turn, might make way for individuals to focus on higher level needs, such as self-esteem and belonging.

AND – people who struggle to meet their physiological and safety needs (think: people who are impoverished, homeless, or in a war-torn country) are far more likely to experience mental health related adversity. Instead of pathologizing these individuals, it’s important to note how note having basic needs met can be harrowing for the mind, body, and soul.

The above moves me to think of my ancestors who lived through the Holocaust. They were so consumed with merely surviving, that worries about mental health related issues, such as PTSD, likely did not cross their minds. Many of their scars (as well as their strength and resilience) have been inherited by my Dad, and I can now see how intergenerational trauma can ripple from one generation into the next. As I look at my own emotional landscape, sometimes I wonder with a small smile, how much of this belongs to me? In this way, as we do some gentle internal gardening and peek at some of the weeds, may we each behold ourselves with more compassion and curiosity. We each have roots that precede us.

The Water We Swim In

Some years back, a friend of mine from Spain observed that people in the U.S. are “go-go-go.” What he was commenting on was the tendency for many of us, myself included, to be perpetually busy and time-famished.

In this way, I believe that we live in a culture that promotes doing over being. And part of living in a capitalist society that runs on the fuel of consumption means that we are constantly being fed a message that we are incomplete and in need of an external object to fill our void.  

Attempts of escapism are pervasive, from overworking to addictive behaviors spanning from shopping to drinking to scrolling and beyond. All the above can keep us distracted and disconnected from ourselves.

Culturally, we would be better off learning to feel our so called “negative” emotions, as they are part and parcel to our humanity.

Last Musings

Reader, have I been too focused on doom and gloom? The truth is….there is always more than one truth! Notwithstanding all the contributors to mental health challenges, it would be incomplete to end there.

Our culture is embracing that when it comes to overall health, emotional health is an important piece of the puzzle. More and more people are recognizing the importance of looking within, addressing uncomfortable emotions, and talking about what was once taboo. In this way, perhaps we are metamorphosing from a caterpillar to a chrysalis, and we will eventually take off into a beautiful societal butterfly? We shall see. 

What do you think, my friend?