[englishteacher]

What if mental illnesses are evolutionary? There is a link between intelligence and mental illness. Is it possible that we are actually evolving to a higher plane of existence and the rest of the world just hasn't caught up with us yet?

It certainly seems like there is a lot more mental illness being diagnosed and treated than there was 20 years ago. Is this because doctors know more/accept more about mental illness than they did 20 years ago? Or are there more of us who are mentally ill than 20 years ago? If there are more of us, what does that mean? What does it say about the society we live in.

Hubby and I were talking last night about how those in third world countries don't seem to have the mental health issues or the physical issues that are stress related - like heart attacks and strokes - that we do. Is it possible that our standard of living and expectations are slowly destroying us? (yes, I realize that they still die of disease, starvation, war, etc.)

After all, if you've always lived in a mud hut, then a mud hut is expected. But, if you grew up in a middle class family in America and then can't achieve that same standard of living as an adult, it can really lead to depression and feelings of inadequacy and guilt. And let's face facts, the opportunities to achieve that standard of living are getting fewer and farther between. I followed the rules that were taught me as a child, go to college, get a degree and the world is yours....yeah, right.

I've been telling hubby for the past year that we should run away from society - go live in a tent and feed ourselves from the land. No electricity, no phones, no running water - just taking care of ourselves and concentrating on survival. Makes an odd kind of sense...of course, I'm mostly kidding. I don't have those kind of survival skills, although I suppose I could learn them if I had to.

I really don't think mental illness can be an evolutionary advantage in the long run. It seems to me that in pretty well all the 'developed' nations of the world, most of what ails us at so many levels is isolation. Families are isolated from each other, generations are isolated from each other, and so so many individuals never really form healthy nurturing relationships with anyone. And how we are supposed to feel good about ourselves mostly has nothing to do with our 'selves' any more, it is all about how we look, how much we earn, what we own, maybe who we know, etc
You are also right about the expectations thing. Another way to look at that is from the perspective of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. People who are fighting for food and shelter don't have time or energy or anything else to spend on trying to satisfy emotional or self-actualization needs. Ironically, those of us who are fortunate enough to have the time to pursue that level of things live in a society that does not validate those needs or provide any support for their fulfilment. (Yes, I am generalizing ere, there are pockets of sanity here and there!) Even the professions that originated in wanting to help people on those levels are being co-opted more and more by the quick fixers. In a capitalist world, people need to be functional, not happy or whole.
I guess it is true that a certain amount of what I would call alienation can be attributed to seeing the world from a large enough perspective that most of what goes on makes no sense and one seems to have no place in it. If that spurs one to take action to improve even small things, then that could be an advantage. But as someone who has struggled with mental illness for 35 years, I must say I really have a hard time with anyone wanting to put a positive spin on it.

Ok time to stop..geez who got me started on this

[englishteacher]

oh sorry....I truly didn't mean to cause problems....

[1flagwriter]

englishteacher,

I just don't think people reported mental illness like they do today. Twenty years ago, mental illness wasn't justified in the medical community yet, therefore giving it the reputation as a personal weakness. We still struggle with that taboo to this day...don't you think?

[1flagwriter]

Great post, Ripley. I love Maslow too.

Originally Posted by englishteacher

oh sorry....I truly didn't mean to cause problems....

I think maybe it is me who needs to apologize englishteacher. I was attributing the idea of mental illness being evolutionary to something you had read and were commenting on. I thought you were just tossing out an idea you had read to see what others thought. I think I may have been mistaken in assuming that. I was responding from that place, sort of in debate mode. I did not mean to come down on you for anything you were thinking.
So my comment about people putting a positive spin on things was directed at an anonymous other. If I had thought it was your idea, I would never have written that. I would have found a friendly way to disagree, or I would have left that part of what I wrote out entirely. it is too late for me to unwrite that sentence, but please believe me, the attitude it reflects is not and never was directed at you.
I was not careful in my assumptions, and I did not stop to check my reactivity either...Sorry sorry sorry

[englishteacher]

ripley,

no apology necessary...really. I appreciated the Maslow comment as well. It was tickling around in the back of my brain, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

[englishteacher]

Flag - yes, I do agree that there has always been a taboo and that the stigma has kept many mentally ill people from talking about their problems or getting medical attention. I also agree that the medical community has learned a lot in the past few decades and brought more attention to the seriousness of mental illness.

However, I also wonder if the evolution we see, leaps in technology, etc. makes more of us sick. It's that Maslow's hierarchy playing in...if we were more concerned with pure survival, maybe we would be too busy finding food to worry so much.

How about both/and? Even in very basic societies, there are people affected by mental illness. But I think the types and frequency may be developing right along with our technologies. Also, unlike with physical health, the history of really investigating mental health scientifically is pretty brief, so there is indeed more understood about them now.
Even in my own case, I know I am understood and treated in therapy based on concepts that were in their infancy when I was first sent off to therapy. (attachment theory, object relations theory, to name two examples)
Then there is the 'western' world's love of pathology. Is it possible that in other cultures different ways of being are not seen as illness so readily and thus are not as problematic? That people just relate differently to individuals and don't try to hold everyone to a norm?
I can't remember if I was lead to it by something here on PC, but I read a fascinating article about the fact that eating disorders as we know them did not exist in Japan until the western experience and way of thinking about them was 'imported' and popularized. The doctors there did see the occasional anorexic, but they were male, and very different in the underlying dynamics. But in the past X number of years, there has been an explosion of 'our' eating disorders, predominantly in the young female population. I find that somehow horrifying...and quite tragic.

[lynn P.]

I agree and understand the point you're trying to make. I'll first state that I'm not talking about serious forms of mental illness. I believe our bodies work best if we do what we were intended to do - meaning 100's of years ago we had to forage for food and were busy most of the days, just trying to survive. I think too much technology makes our lives more complicated and we're more sedentary than ever before. Some believe we're more likely to feel happier if our lives are simple and close to how we were meant to eat - unprocessed food. I think if we bored this brings more stress. I agree if we had to be in survival mode we wouldn't have time to worry. Again I'm not talking about serious MI. I do think think people would be happier if they have a more simplistic life and move the way our bodies were intended

[KathyM]

Originally Posted by englishteacher

It certainly seems like there is a lot more mental illness being diagnosed and treated than there was 20 years ago. Is this because doctors know more/accept more about mental illness than they did 20 years ago? Or are there more of us who are mentally ill than 20 years ago? If there are more of us, what does that mean? What does it say about the society we live in.

Hi englishteacher

I don't think it has anything to do with intelligence or a higher level of existence than others. It has to do with the pursuit of money and instant gratification. Mental illness has become a thriving business on many levels. More people get diagnosed, more people get treated, but I've yet to see a solid cure for mental illness - where the person lives "happily ever after."

It's the same with cancer. There is no solid cure or preventative measure - just a lot of treatment to pursue and products to purchase.

I suffer from a very rare form of systemic amyloidosis. There isn't any treatment or cure - none whatsoever - because there aren't enough of us throughout the world. I've been told point blank there will never be any treatment or cure because it's a waste of money for scientists and pharmaceutical companies. My extremely rare form is hereditary, so it's not lucrative enough for them. The only "treatment" I've received was to be told not to have any more children and donate my body to Finland in case they are still interested in researching my illness. They are no longer interested, but that's okay because I've decided against donating my body. With my luck, my body would get lost on it's way to Finland - I'd probably spend eternity on the baggage carousel in Norway.

[englishteacher]

Kathy,

How awful that there is no one interested in treating or curing your illness. Your point is well made. I just don't understand how we, as human beings, got so far away from a sense of community good or of caring for each other as human beings and not just $$$ signs.

[Fox]

Actually one of the happiest times of my life was when we lived in a teepee for 2 months. We camped in the neighbor's yard while we renovated the house we were moving into. I was busy all the time. We still had conveniences of using the toilet and shower whenever we felt like it since the neighbor left the house open for us. You just don't have the same worries when you're living day to day and not worrying about how you're going to pay bills. We went those two months rent free and mom didn't use a credit card. Only bill we had was for food and there was a citrus grove on the property and the owner of the property raised beefalo and gave the neighbor a freezer full of meat each time they came around for butchering. There was so much meat they were more than happy to share. It was awesome! I wish it took longer to get the house livable.

Now my parents are buying our own house in a different state and the stress put on dad to provide is almost unbearable for everyone around him. So I can see anxiety and depression being caused by that for sure. Or at least added onto it.

[Junerain]

To me mental illness IS definately people on a higher plane...I continually see and percieve things that others do not, they simply do not comprehend the things I see in this world, usually emotions/emotional matters..

My friends with mental illness are all such BEAUTIFUL people, with so much to give, so much sensitivity, understanding, and most of all LOVE


The rest of the world has a bit to learn from the 'mentall ill-' actually the more advanced human form..

And why we have to conform so much to the norm is beyond me, I simply dont get it!!!!!

I feel like I've been dropped on this planet, one of insensitivities.......

[1flagwriter]

I just don't understand how we, as human beings, got so far away from a sense of community good or of caring for each other as human beings

Funny you should say that...I'm a huge follower and student of Pioneer Pyschologist, Dr. Alfred Adler. He once said this...

"Classical Adlerian Psychology is a values-based, fully-integrated, theory of personality, model of psychopathology, philosophy of living, strategy for preventative education, and technique of psychotherapy. Its mission is to encourage the development of psychologically healthy and cooperative individuals, couples, and ...families in order to effectively pursue the ideals of social equality and democratic living."

Maslow was a student of Adler!!!

[perpetuallysad]

I think that even 20 years ago MI wasn't as "acceptable" as it is today (its really not so acceptable today, but more so than in the past), which is why it seems to be more prevalent and more often diagnosed. MI has been prevalent throughout history and that fact is well documented, though MI was often considered other things, like demon possession, a "women's" disease (hysteria), etc. Also, plenty of third world countries have just as much mental illness as we do, but they treat the mentally ill differently than we do and obviously, have far less access to even self-help strategies than we do. A book (or maybe long article-gah, I cannot remember!) just came out, I cannot remember the name, about how mental illness across the globe is becoming "westernized", not more prevalent, but conformed to fit within westernized ideals of it.

That all being said, I would love to go move to the remote jungles of south america and live in a grass hut.

[LogicandJeans]

It is a fact that people are working longer and longer hours these days. A survey was done in Australia and a high percentage of people worked 40 hours or more a week. 20 years ago, I don't think people worked such long hours. The other thing is that mental illness is becoming more acceptable. There has been a lot of research and media attention for mental illness. The internet has also had a huge impact on the rate of diagnosis and acceptance of mental illness. Practically every home has a computer nowadays. 20 years ago not many people had computers or had ever used the internet.

I think the general views of society are changing in regards to mental illness. I know that there are differences in how the older generations still react to mental illness. When I was depressed, my step mother (a 58 year old) had the idea that I could just snap out of it if I just got up and did things. She had the idea that life was just hard for everyone and that's just how it is, grin and bear it. I believe that idea would have been much more common 20 years ago than it is now, which means that a lot of people would have done just that - made out everything was fine and lived unhappy lives. Nowadays there are education campaigns about depression to let people know that it is more serious than just being unhappy and that people can't just snap out of it. Gradually it is changing society's ideas on depression.

As for the third world countries - we don't really know what sorts of mental health issues they have, because they just don't have the facilities or support for them. Also, when it's a struggle to get basic human needs, emotional needs tend to get put aside as less important. I'm certain that western countries overall have a higher level of happiness than third world countries. Remember just because people don't speak about being unhappy doesn't really mean they are happy. There is a lot of oppression and suffering in third world countries. People don't have the right of freedom of speech like we do in western countries.