Health Anybody NOT struggling with mental health problems?

[mouncey2franklin]

I'm early 30s. Been through some ups and downs. Part of life, isn't it?

Lately I have been reading a lot of social media, including this forum, and it appears that mental health problems are commonplace now.

Diagnoses, prescriptions, suicide attempts. It seems like almost everybody who is open enough to share their real selves, is sharing a real self who is battling with inner demons.

Now I am wondering, is it still normal to be mentally healthy? Or is that a thing of the past?

For what it's worth, at my lowest, I was in a pretty dark place, although I didn't realise it at the time. Never went to a professional, never 'sought help', just battled through it by myself. But I can see now that a professional might have been able to help me speed up the process, not do so much damage to myself when I was tormented by my own inner demons. Then again, perhaps I am better for having pulled myself out of that rut. I guess we'll never know.

How many people are getting through life without serious problems these days? What percentage of people aged, say, 30, have never been diagnosed or medicated? What is going on in society that depression and suicide are apparently so common now?

 

[SHAKESPEARE]

I am doing ok.

I should be a mess, but somehow I love life.

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

Always remember how lucky you are

 

[craigos]

I'm early 30s. Been through some ups and downs. Part of life, isn't it?

Lately I have been reading a lot of social media, including this forum, and it appears that mental health problems are commonplace now.

Diagnoses, prescriptions, suicide attempts. It seems like almost everybody who is open enough to share their real selves, is sharing a real self who is battling with inner demons.

Now I am wondering, is it still normal to be mentally healthy? Or is that a thing of the past?

For what it's worth, at my lowest, I was in a pretty dark place, although I didn't realise it at the time. Never went to a professional, never 'sought help', just battled through it by myself. But I can see now that a professional might have been able to help me speed up the process, not do so much damage to myself when I was tormented by my own inner demons. Then again, perhaps I am better for having pulled myself out of that rut. I guess we'll never know.

How many people are getting through life without serious problems these days? What percentage of people aged, say, 30, have never been diagnosed or medicated? What is going on in society that depression and suicide are apparently so common now?

You're reading about people with mental health problems in discussions about mental health. Would be like being surprised at how many people are into wanking at Sexpo.

I could write paragraphs on the subject but it's almost entirely impossible to describe a mental illness to someone who doesn't have one or hasn't had any exposure to it through a relative, close friend or other experiences.

 

[Run n Spread]

Thing with Mental Health is there are degrees. So everyone must have struggled. Who hasn't had the flu or common cold? Suffered a fall? Got injured?

Now if you look at Mental Health there is a degree of struggle as part of the human condition. Stress, grief, break ups etc. And cases where it gets terminal. Someone has a quantifiable illness, is in poor shape or has substance issues.

Don't know if it is any more or less prevalent than days past thou.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

This is anecdotal as I can't be assed googling the evidence but a 30-year-old Australian today would be much less likely to have or have had secure, full-time employment than a 30-year-old in say 1998. And those with full-time work today probably work shitter hours. And the changes to the internet in those 20 years has reduced the barrier between work life and normal life.

Clearly many people have mental health issues to begin with, and increasing casualisation of the work force and businesses trying to do anything but employ people full-time only enhances these problems.

inb4 some grey-haired campaigner eyeing off retirement says the youth of today are weak turds.

 

[BotsMaster]

Would be like being surprised at how many people are into wanking at Sexpo.

That actually happens?

 

[Scotland]

This is anecdotal as I can't be assed googling the evidence but a 30-year-old Australian today would be much less likely to have or have had secure, full-time employment than a 30-year-old in say 1998. And those with full-time work today probably work shitter hours. And the changes to the internet in those 20 years has reduced the barrier between work life and normal life.

Clearly many people have mental health issues to begin with, and increasing casualisation of the work force and businesses trying to do anything but employ people full-time only enhances these problems.

inb4 some grey-haired campaigner eyeing off retirement says the youth of today are weak turds.

The unemployment rate was over 10% in the 80s and 90s.

Underemployment and casualisation of the workforce are problems, but it's not like there haven't been difficult periods in recent history. Not the reason behind the spike in mental health IMO.

 

[Sparkle]

Must say I don't belong here (I explained why ages ago here) but I think in today's society people are more open to discussing what's on their mind, which leads to more people being diagnosed and medicated for conditions. Not at all a bad thing, imagine how many of our war veterans may have lived on longer if they weren't so afraid to discuss the PTSD they were suffering

 

[Bunk Moreland]

I'm early 30s. Been through some ups and downs. Part of life, isn't it?

Lately I have been reading a lot of social media, including this forum, and it appears that mental health problems are commonplace now.

Diagnoses, prescriptions, suicide attempts. It seems like almost everybody who is open enough to share their real selves, is sharing a real self who is battling with inner demons.

Now I am wondering, is it still normal to be mentally healthy? Or is that a thing of the past?

For what it's worth, at my lowest, I was in a pretty dark place, although I didn't realise it at the time. Never went to a professional, never 'sought help', just battled through it by myself. But I can see now that a professional might have been able to help me speed up the process, not do so much damage to myself when I was tormented by my own inner demons. Then again, perhaps I am better for having pulled myself out of that rut. I guess we'll never know.

How many people are getting through life without serious problems these days? What percentage of people aged, say, 30, have never been diagnosed or medicated? What is going on in society that depression and suicide are apparently so common now?

Social media effect.

How many people do you know - know personally - that you know to have mental health problems?

Not online or what you read about. I mean family, friends, colleagues

 

[William Wonka]

Does drug use count?
If not then- In.

 

[ioppolo]

It's an easy cop out excuse. Not saying those here who suffer are using cop outs, but every person and their dog seems to suffer anxiety these days

 

[Dav]

I've put this in another thread but social media's impact on my generation and the generation before mine shouldn't be understated. It is a huge part of everyone's social life around my age, and this isn't something you can easily avoid. It quantifies your popularity and platforms like Instagram in particular are full of people putting only their best face forward. It's very easy to feel disillusioned with your own situation when we're all a lot less intimate with our social group and only see the good parts.

Not to mention the stigma around mental health is a lot less than 30 years ago so what was once 'feeling down' for a significant number of time could now be diagnosed as depression.

I do acknowledge the existence of an inflated victim mentality in younger people today but I think it has something to do with being privy to far more information and knowledge than the generations before us thanks to the internet. Less blissful ignorance and more complaining.

 

[tandino]

We are not evolved to deal with the constant stream of information provided to us by our smartphones.

News was a flick through the Herald Sun and 22 minutes of Brian Naylor a night. Now it's constant and continous and targeted to elicit specific emotions. For some people it has weaved its way into every spare moment. It competes with driving. It competes with traditional family time. It competes with sleep.

It just fills your head with all this shit.

 

[Scotland]

People's expectations shift over time. The more you have the more you want and the more you feel entitled to. I've been to places where people live in mud huts and have **** all and their suicide rate is lower than it is here.

We have raised a pretty soft generation (of which I am a part) by telling everyone they are unique and special, they can be anything, it's important to 'find yourself' etc. which didn't happen a generation ago. People have a greater expectation that being happy is part and parcel of being healthy, whereas my grandparents grew up hoping not to get polio. It's definitely a factor IMO.

Something that doesn't get a lot of press is the rate of suicide in regional areas, particularly farming. It's horrendous.

 

[Roobs321]

Things just come at you in life by your 30s which can test your mental health. After my brother died, in the following years, my other brother had anxiety/panic attacks, and my father had depression/medication. I'm a tough cookie, but even I'm a shadow of who I was before that familial bomb went off. Compound that with a few other circumstantial/trauma things (different in each person's case), and it's no surprise that people develop (or deepen) struggles, show some wear and tear.

I've personally never sought assistance from mental health professionals, except a decade ago as a gatekeeper necessity when in the process of transitioning. I had to drive to another city every few weeks for a year or so to see a specialist, and found that in practice largely an expensive waste of my time, a means to an end, so (rightly or wrongly) probably turned me off the idea. I'm also not someone who is typically inclined towards taking medication. My low dosage hormones is all I ever have, even at times when I got things like panadol or painkillers as part of a prescription I never used them (maybe I'm lucky with pain). Have never even taken recreational drugs. But I have seen how other family members have benefited from mental health medication in times of difficulty.

I'm the type who is constantly preoccupied with things, or works diligently, so I have many hobbies and distractions in my life which keep me steady through darker times. Growing up as a closet trans person (spent the first few years of my life in employment where that would have equated to instant dismissal) I was inclined to compartmentalise and disconnect my personal troubles, and sort of leave my off-work mindset at the workplace door where possible. Grief was ultimately even more of a challenge, that really crawls into you and eats you alive, passage of time and checking in with each other really the best remedy there.

I personally seldom use social media (unless you include forums such as this) and largely avoid the news (I just find these things a waste of my time), but fully get how this ever-present stream can complicate such matters.

 

[utility]

It just fills your head with all this shit.

That's why I don't have a television and don't use a mobile phone (only while o/s for logistics). I rarely use social media and looking to ween off it further in the new year.

It helps not to fill your head with shit but life is still hard at times and more so when you have dependents. There's an element of avoidance but also a matter of resilience.

 

[Gough]

I've put this in another thread but social media's impact on my generation and the generation before mine shouldn't be understated. It is a huge part of everyone's social life around my age, and this isn't something you can easily avoid. It quantifies your popularity and platforms like Instagram in particular are full of people putting only their best face forward. It's very easy to feel disillusioned with your own situation when we're all a lot less intimate with our social group and only see the good parts.

Not to mention the stigma around mental health is a lot less than 30 years ago so what was once 'feeling down' for a significant number of time could now be diagnosed as depression.

I do acknowledge the existence of an inflated victim mentality in younger people today but I think it has something to do with being privy to far more information and knowledge than the generations before us thanks to the internet. Less blissful ignorance and more complaining.

I think boys suffer body image problems in a way that they never did when I was a teenager. You copped it for being a bit spotty or fat or having a shit haircut but nobody except the footy players went to the gym and the pressure to "buff" or "ripped" almost non existent back then. It might be putting two and together and coming up with five but I can't help thinking that technology is in some way responsible for this.

 

[M Malice]

IMO the vast majority of people would have struggled with mental health problems eg. grief, sadness, anxiety etc. which is a whole other beast to clinical depression.

I do think the proliferation of social media and the never ending hunt for online likes/friends/affirmation is a negative in this area. A lot are comparing themselves to unrealistic, highlighted and highly edited lifestyles.

 

[perthblue]

blaming social media may sound a bit 'old man yells at cloud' but I think it is probably the biggest contributor. Showcasing our lives through these channels, viewing other people's lives through the same, it's hard to distinguish the performance from the reality. Our lives aren't meant to be on display in this manner, and FOMO/comparing ourselves to our peers is one of the biggest causes of depression/anxiety in young people.

 

[Silent Alarm]

This is anecdotal as I can't be assed googling the evidence but a 30-year-old Australian today would be much less likely to have or have had secure, full-time employment than a 30-year-old in say 1998. And those with full-time work today probably work shitter hours. And the changes to the internet in those 20 years has reduced the barrier between work life and normal life.

Clearly many people have mental health issues to begin with, and increasing casualisation of the work force and businesses trying to do anything but employ people full-time only enhances these problems.

inb4 some grey-haired campaigner eyeing off retirement says the youth of today are weak turds.

Yeah it's the world we live in. No money, no safety or security, jobs you hate, impossible to get ahead...

 

[Richard Pryor]

How many people are getting through life without serious problems these days? What percentage of people aged, say, 30, have never been diagnosed or medicated? What is going on in society that depression and suicide are apparently so common now?

Don't think there has been an increase, at least in regards to suicide, I think there's just more coverage (and of course the internet means it's easy to be connected enough to hear personal struggles from people you'd likely never even meet, let alone get to know well enough to hear their personal struggles, pre-internet).

Sources on suicide rate being fairly level:

There were 2320 suicides (equivalent to a crude rate of 11.8 per 100,000 population) registered in 2002, the latest year for which data are available.

http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/161EB35DB8BE9152CA256F6A00733990

New preliminary data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows that the national suicide rate increased over 12 months, from 11.8 deaths per 100,000 in 2016 to 12.7 deaths per 100,000 in 2017, exceeding the World Health Organisation’s global average suicide mortality rate of 10.5 deaths per 100,000.

https://www.suicidepreventionaust.org/news/australian-suicide-rates-increased-2017

For the total population, the suicide rate peaked in 1963, reaching 17.5 per 100 000 persons. However for male suicide deaths the highest rate occurred during the Great Depression of 1930 when the rate reached 28.1 deaths per 100 000, followed by 23.7 in 1963 and 23.6 in 1997. For females, the peak occurred in the 1960s when the rate rose above 10 deaths per 100 000. This increase among women in the 1960s has been attributed in part to the unrestricted availability of hypnotic and sedative drugs.[19]

https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parlia...rliamentary_Library/pubs/BN/2011-2012/Suicide

 

[SHAKESPEARE]

I've been to places where people live in mud huts and have **** all

You been to Adelaide as well?

 

[Lebbo73]

People's expectations shift over time. The more you have the more you want and the more you feel entitled to. I've been to places where people live in mud huts and have **** all and their suicide rate is lower than it is here.

We have raised a pretty soft generation (of which I am a part) by telling everyone they are unique and special, they can be anything, it's important to 'find yourself' etc. which didn't happen a generation ago. People have a greater expectation that being happy is part and parcel of being healthy, whereas my grandparents grew up hoping not to get polio. It's definitely a factor IMO.

Something that doesn't get a lot of press is the rate of suicide in regional areas, particularly farming. It's horrendous.

Warning bad language

 

[Andre]

I think boys suffer body image problems in a way that they never did when I was a teenager. You copped it for being a bit spotty or fat or having a shit haircut but nobody except the footy players went to the gym and the pressure to "buff" or "ripped" almost non existent back then. It might be putting two and together and coming up with five but I can't help thinking that technology is in some way responsible for this.

I think this is true, but unless you go the drugs route, getting ripped requires healthy eating, exercise and discipline, which is a shit load better then ‘sexy is starving yourself and being 10kg underweight as ‘normal’’. The other positive of this is women who work out are now considered attractive. Women my age (45), who hit the gym when I was a kid would have been considered some ‘lesso’ freak.