Why do you think more people are depressed today?

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It seems that more people today struggle with mental health issues than before. In the past like 30 to 70 years ago, people seemed happy and were able to cope with life better. I'm not saying that people didn't struggle with mental health in the past, but I'm saying that it didn't seem as prevalent as it is today. The CDC has reported that suicides have increased by 35% in the United States over the last 20 years. With this pandemic, they are saying that it is making mental health problems worse. Depression, anxiety, and suicide were problems before this pandemic began. Over the last few years, I have heard of countless teenagers and young adults in my area take their own life. There was even an article written talking about the many suicides happening amongst young people in my area. Mental health is an issue that is plaguing the United States and the developed world. I don't think we talk enough about it. Millions of people are prescribed some antidepressant and some antidepressants make it worse. What do you think is the cause of the increase in mental health problems in recent years? Is it social media, lack of religion, or something else?

Americans being strongly divided by an orange dictator wannabe in the White House during one of the worse economic, civic unrest, and health crisis in our nation's history?

COVID-19

Lack of community.

People are very individualistic. They spend time with their families and can't be bothered with or don't have time to deal with anyone else.

How many of your neighbors do you know for example.

People need other people.

Between Orange Dic[tator], COVID-19, and ridiculous economic disparity... it's not all that surprising to me. We're going through a period that honestly sounds worse than anything I've seen or read about the Great Depression. Sure there are jobs, mostly temporary or non-career positions which won't afford a living wage in any city in the nation. The stock market hits an all time high, yet wages have been stagnant for forty-something years in almost every industry. Young people are simply losing hope because wherever they look, nobody seems to have control of anything, particularly the ones at the top of this pyramid scheme we call a society.

The need and expectation of multitasking. It is too much for most to achieve making people feel like a failure. No time to recharge or even sleep.

With the advent of the information age, people have a hard time finding something that could be called a purpose or meaning in their lives. If ignorance truly is bliss, we have become very knowledgable in a very short time.

For autistic people, I think it's cos we stopped focusing as a society on intellect and started focusing as a society on socialising instead.

In retrospect, I was 'weird' when I was about 7 if not before.

It was obvious I was dyspraxic at 2 but that's a physical thing. To do with my jaw muscles, so it was hard for me to speak so people understood me. And it took me longer to eat, too.

I only really stood out when I moved to a school where being 'cool' was more important than doing well in class. In my first primary and my secondary school, being a quirky intellectual type was encouraged.

I only knew I was autistic at 16, despite being diagnosed at 5. Mum kept it from me cos she thought I didn't need the label. I think she was right tbh, a lot of autistic traits I just chalk up to my personality.

I see a lot of people who are overworked get paid a 40 hour salary and have to work 60 to 80 hours a week to keep up with work load they get burned out and depressed.

Probably the internet is one of the things to blame, sorry to say. Years ago people didn't rely on the internet so they had to do things manually, which occupied them, got them out more, and the technology they did have was more simple. Nowadays most things can (or must) be done online, and it's killing the sense of community we once had in our towns. Most people, particularly my generation and younger people, think that the internet is the most wonderful thing ever to have been invented because you can do almost anything just by sitting in front of a screen and clicking buttons. But there is only so much one can do on the internet, and yes it's handy sometimes but I'd still prefer to get out and physically socialise or go into stores and other things.
Everyone becoming screen slaves is just depressing.
This is where the conspiracy comes into the COVID pandemic; some reckon that this disease was let out on purpose to kill off the older generation (but the government is still keeping them safe just to cover it up), so that everyone can be screen slaves by doing everything online.

Hmmm... Why more people are getting depressed...?

Base on my personal circumstances, I'm not sure.
Observation tells me, it's a matter of stress VS catharsis?? With the latter losing it's effectiveness, with former swelling??

Why or how, I can think of countless reasons I just cannot put it to words.

Long story:

Show Spoiler

It simply started with people with measurements in mind. Many happened to value certain measures above else.
So they want to reach those sorts of measures. In time, those measurements changes and with people trying to stand out or trying to start a trend in a form of paradigm or certain game changers.
Thus moving through the time, these measurements are maintained, bended, changed -- no one dares to destroy it. People value these measurements so much, they'd break themselves.
It drives people to invent things in order to reach those sorts of measurements, and call it progress or innovation. With time they get the consequences, get to pay the price.
But the measurements do not allow to let others know you're paying any price or in some cases, shortcuts -- that just makes you weak or shameful or so do whatever measurements say.
In time people complain about these measurements, at first reluctant for fear of shame or being weak. Then came with more complaints to follow.. And then more... And then being at least aware of the price or shortcuts taken.
Instead of destroying it or modifying it to safer levels, they'd just invent another way to prevent the price paid for the same outcomes according to those measurements. The modifications can be in a guise of going back in old times to reinventing things over and over... There's no fundamental changes there, the cycle will still go on.

And this cycle goes on and on and on...
Until humanity might as well destroy themselves. Be it in the next decade or next millennia, it mattered not.

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Personally I'm depressed because my Mom could be dying and I'm terrified about what will become of me and my younger brother if I lose my Mom, and I feel like nobody really gives a s**t.