Is mental illness more prevalent now?

[DismayedAnnoyed]

I read a poster on another thread saying: Mental illness is so prevalent now that there aren’t the resources around to treat people

I am wondering, do people think this is true? Or just people are more aware?

Dismayed - I was at school over 40 years ago and two girls in my year had anorexia. Two in my year and bf's DH had committed suicide by age 25.

It can turn into that even if you do allow yourself to go through the stages, Lizzie. Grief itself isn’t a mental health issue it’s a natural process for most people. But for some people it does turn into a mh issue for whatever reason. I’m not sure it’s clear why that is but there’s not any reason why it should be different from any other mental health condition in that respect.

I think there’s a difference between poor mental health and mental illness in the same way you can be in poor physical health but not have diabetes or cancer. Mental illness often has biological as well as psychological causes and will often be life limiting without the right treatment. I don’t believe it’s more prevalent, just better understood but that’s a very recent thing. Although thankfully I’ve never suffered it’s been prevalent in generations of my family, many have taken their own lives, few have been successfully ‘treated’ because they didn't have the understanding then. Also severe mental illness can be masked by addiction. People attempt to treat the addiction without getting to the root cause. Both need treatment. I think the perceived increase is down to people sufferring ‘poor mental health’ ie. mild depression and anxiety. Whilst unpleasant it can in most cases be managed and is unlikely to be life limiting. I find the whole ‘let’s talk about mental health incessantly’ campaign slightly irritating because I don’t actually think it changes the ‘stigma’ of severe mental illness and usually it’s the people that are open to taking about it who are well aware of problems they may have. Basically I don’t think its getting through to the correct people. Suicide is still the biggest cause of death for young men, I find that truly shocking.

I'm glad counselling worked for you, @x2boys I think my MIL should have had some really. Because she blamed the police for not prosecuting the other driver and went over and over it with my DH, who was also grieving. She couldn't face the fact that my FIL had caused the accident by pulling out without checking that the road was clear, although the other driver had probably been going too fast for the conditions. It was a tragic accident. My MIL had been in the car with him.

It was 14 years ago now and she's doing ok, but she was a complete mess for such a long time. I remember her making a scene in a restaurant once, threatening to step out in front of a car. She only relied on my DH and my BIL, and she could really have done with some professional counselling, as it put such a lot of pressure on those around her. I was supporting my DSis going through a difficult divorce from her abusive ex at the time and DH and I hadn't been married long.

I agree that it can, @RafaIsTheKingOfClay what I was getting at was that grief in itself isn't a MH issue. It can become that of course, it did with my MIL looking back.

I have clinical depression, and have been on antidepressants (on and off, but mostly on) for over half my life. I've had talking therapies, some extensive, and they have definitely helped but the fact remains that there is some kind of imbalance in my brain that, unchecked, will lead to serious depressive episodes.

But I utterly reject the idea that mindfulness and talking alone could treat my depression - they haven't and they can't.

I don't believe what I have is any more common than it was 50 years ago, it's just better recognised - and that goodness for that.

Lizzie - interesting that you should bring up grief. I definitely found grieving for my mother to be a much more straightforward affair than dealing with a depressive episode, as I knew the cause. Also people are very very kind when you lose a loved one, checking in on you, sending cards etc. That simply doesn't happen when you're depressed 'for no reason'.

Grieving can trigger depressive episodes though, so needs to be monitored closely.

I know the conversation has moved on a bit now, but just to go back to this point:

Good of you to believe in adhd op, very understanding. Personally I believe that in this day and age nobody should feel the need to even voice that belief, anymore than they'd voice the opinion that they believe we have a solar system. Quite telling that you think it needs stating

Unfortunately there are still people who don't believe in ADHD. I have friends (my age, so late 30s, no kids) who said to me last year when talking about a child who had ADHD 'what, you mean naughty boy syndrome' and they're not alone and weren't kidding.

I think people have brought up a lot of interesting points but I haven't seen a lot of minimising or victim blaming (i think it was expatinscotland who said that). The general consensus seems to be that it us more recognised and accepted than it was year ago, which is a good thing, but also that there does unfortunately seem to be a trend in self diagnoses in a small section if society, which seems to be related to avoidance and this is a shame as it is detrimental to those who are genuinely suffering. It's not one or the other, both situations can exist.

But it's a really interesting debate and I thought the poster who brought up how our society has changed which has affected our stress responses made a very interesting point and one I hadn't considered before.

I don't think there's more necessarily but people would once cover it up as a shameful secret where they might admit to having time on a ward now

Maybe also we're not so scared to admit symptoms as we're unlikely to become institutionalised for life if we do

I personally found my symptoms of depression got worse after every time I was on medication... like medication has made me less able to cope once I come off it and sensetised me more to stress so I don't take them now but I still don't really function

I have OCD too but I had it for years with no idea I had it as I thought it was just "me" until it got so bad my family couldn't cope with it and it destroyed my friendships and relationships... I suspect years ago I would have just been shunned and nobody would have tried to help me

Ooh, I like this topic. I think there probably are a few more people now who have MH issues than, say, 40 years ago and social media has a lot to answer for in that respect (I'm thinking in particular of the pro-anorexia sites as a particular example).

As PPs have mentioned, there are a lot of self-diagnoses going on which, whilst I don't think are recorded in any tangible stats, are anecdotal and apparent to anyone on social media (like here) in a way that they would not have been before. I think that this goes hand in hand with the fact that people are also more willing to talk about their feelings now than ever before.

500 years ago there was no provision for MH issues and people were either locked up at home by their parents or turfed out on to the street if the family didn't have the means to support them. Later on, people were sent to institutions and forgotten about in more serious cases, but literature is littered with anecdotal instances of people who, whilst having nothing wrong physically, couldn't get out of bed or wouldn't leave the house. Agoraphobia? Depression? Dementia? Perhaps. We have lots of names for things now that didn't exist in the past, and we don't simply send people off to Bedlam anymore.

We also have a much larger, older population now. MH provision has not really improved and certainly hasn't kept pace with the times. I don't think comparing now with the past provides any meaningful, empirical evidence but it's easy to see why people think that MH issues are on the rise and they may well be right. There are so many facets to the issue, though. Is it that we're more aware? Is it that issues exist now that didn't before? Or do they now just have a name?

I think both #teaiseverything and #swingofthings speak a lot of sense. People are no longer sad, they're depressed; they're not worried about something, it's anxiety.

It's perfectly normal to worry about job interviews, annual reviews, problems at work or the like. Similarly it's normal to be sad if things go wrong in your life like job loss, divorce, living in an awful place etc. Grief when someone dies is something we get through. All normal and things we have to learn to live with because they won't go away.

Pills and counselling won't make you better at at job that's not right for you nor will it magically produce money to pay bills. But it could make a difference to someone who can't get out of bed because life doesn't feel worth living and who is genuinely depressed and has the chemical imbalances that go with it. It might help someone who like above can't get out of the house to go to her daughters wedding due to social anxiety, but not someone who feels awkward at parties.

Drives me nuts when my mum tells me how she gets depressed then hops into her car to go to a book club or art class. No, she's sad that arthritis means she can't do as much gardening as she'd like. Very different thing.

Sorry swing my mistake for misunderstanding your post when we are both agreeing with each other.

Whiteroseredrose - I disagree. I have anxiety and it is crippling. I wake up scared. Last week my new glasses don't seem to suit my eyes. This resulted in me cowering in the corridor of my GP with A full on panic attack. Convinced I was going blind.literally hysterical unable to speak breathe or even stand. That is not just normal worry or anxiety . I'm a perfectly intelligent woman I just have little or no control over anxietywhich spirals out of nowhere and is threatening my marriage. Please don't suggest this is "just sad" . I often get so overwhelmed by anxiety I can't dress myself ffs. I do manage how's er to hold down a responsible job when I'm ok. Just