re: Depression is soaring in all but one US state and rates are climbing fastest among teens

Scruffy you nailed it. Joe Rogan’s first episode with Sebastian Junger delves into this pretty deeply. I think people generally have a baseline level of worry. If it’s wartime London and you’re living in fear of the blitzkrieg, that’s what you worry about. If you’re living in 2018 London and you have no real immediate threats, you’ll still hit that baseline, but the things you’ll worry about will be pointless and sometimes imaginary.

Honestly, I'm a firm believer in diet and mental health. I sincerely believe a depression tag is widely mistaken for just being tired, low energy and simply unhealthy. And unhealthy doesn't mean in weight by any stretch. Diet, no matter someone's weight, matters.

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Poor Mississippi is too dumb to be depressed.

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Funny enough I believe that it has been noted less intelligent people suffer at lower rates.

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Lots of data out there that suggests depression and anxiety are linked with the rise of social media.

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it is obvious. All facebook is is "look how good my life is"... Which usually is a lie to cover up thinks that are lacking in their life.


Oh and but but but Guns kill people.

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I don't know how much this plays a factor, but I have to think that some of it is related to how unrealistic people are with their children.

Parents don't want to expose their kids to this and that.. And want them to be proud of everything they do, even if it sucks. Then they get out into the real world and life is a lot different than from the way they were raised.

And it seems like more parents are friends with their kids instead of actually being a parent so when they have to be in a world where their parents can't be there for them all the time, they think life is "hard".

Also, I think social media plays a factor as well. Kids are communicating with their peers beyond school. If something happens to a kid at school and he/she is getting teased, etc.. It doesn't stop when they go home. It's a different world

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I don't think this is completely off base and I think the reason "why" is multifaceted. Part of it is probably that more people are willing to admit they are "depressed" than people in the past. 20-30 years ago there was a stigma associated with admitting depression which caused many people to hid that fact. Now, admitting you are depressed is almost seen as some heroic act. Thus, the there are just as many depressed people today as there were decades ago. Only now, more people are willing to admit they are, thus making it seem like depression is "on the rise". It's kind of like how many people think crime is up and the US is a much more dangerous place that it was 20-30 years ago because crime is more widely reported now than ever before. However, the reality is that crime is way down compare to the 90's and before, and the US has arguably never been safer. It's perception, not reality.

Also, I think a lot of people today, for whatever reason, like being "victims" so they consider themselves depressed if maybe they are just going through a rough patch in life vs. some who is truly clinically depressed with chemical imbalances and the like. Being temporarily upset because a boyfriend dumped you, or you made some mistakes at work isn't the same as waking up every single morning with the feeling that you are meaningless and don't want to be a part of this world. Yet, I'd imagine many people kind of group both types of feelings into one large category.

Finally, social media has definitely added to it with the way people feel this compelling need to publically document every aspect of their lives. Most people just document the good things in their lives. So you scroll through FB and think everyone you know is having a great life...except for you. The reality is that they are having their ups and downs just like all of us, but they don't document the "downs". If you allow yourself to judge the quality of your life by comparing it the social media persona of your peers, then you can't help but feel depressed, unfulfilled, etc. But social media is not true reality. EVERYONE goes through some bad times even though they aren't discussing/publishing them on Facebook.

Certainly I'm not discounting the fact that depression is real and a serious matter. However, I think a large chunk of this "rise" has to do more with people's today PERCEPTION of the world around them vs. reality. And we've never be able to perceive the world more broadly than we can today. If you perceive that everything is horrible and everyone is having a great life except you, then you can't help but be depressed.

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Social media is a cancer.

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TD is social media

you are still real to me, Scruffy!

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TD is social media

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Yeah I can be honest and admit that TD is my social media drug of choice. I would still say social media is terrible for society.

They are no longer allowed to act like normal kids. Every move is dissected as someone in need of therapy. Kids can't have fun and just be kids.