Thought provoking to say the least...

My thoughts are all over the place so I'm not going to post an intelligent reply...not my first time anyway.

Actually I'm working through a wee bit of anger.
India also has a caste system that keeps intelligent people stuck in jobs that are beneath others to do--it's their "lot" in life, they accept it, and few think they can do anything else.

Comparing our cultures should be based on commonalities. Else how do we get a more honest evaluation/comparison?
American and Japanese cultures are bombarded with do it better, do it right, buy it first, etc. ad nauseam...
Japanese children have been known to commit suicide when they did not get accepted into the right school.
American women have eating disorders based partly on the perfection that is shown in the media--never mind the unknown techniques used to beautify the person.

Our culture is an easy target, for sure. It's changing, though. I believe that many are taking their heads out of the sand and realizing what kicked their butts...

Jmo/Jme
For the most part, I do not believe anyone is being self indulgent when they are doing their best to win the battle of mental illness. I do not like using illness...mentally interesting takes some of the sting away.
In time I believe research will confirm it is a multi-faceted disorder and treatment protocol will be determined by many individual factors...
Genes. What affect does the chemicals we consume daily have on our mental health? Violence. Children playing games with the winner having the most kills...they have no concept of the finality of death.
My point is there is so much we don't know about why one person is happier than another.

I'm rambling, but I'm also thinking of the patients I worked with...many were from "good homes." Others had no one that cared about them. They were equal in their desire to find a measure of peace.

Cap