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Many report struggling with anxiety, but are we really coming undone?


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This recent National Post article is entitled "Nearly half of Canadians report struggling with anxiety, but are we really coming undone?"

 

https://nationalpost.com/health/its-not-just-you-nearly-half-of-canadians-struggling-with-anxiety-but-are-we-really-coming-undone

 

Is this an unusually anxiety-provoking time, or have we become intolerant of normal bouts of misery, of anything that isn't happy and positive?

 

 

With new surveys showing alarming rates of anxiety, it’s a wonder we haven’t all crawled under weighted blankets.

 

A recent poll of 1,500 Canadians found 41 per cent of those surveyed identified themselves as “someone who struggles with anxiety.” A third said they had been formally diagnosed with anxiety. A similar proportion had been prescribed antidepressants.

 

Last week, a study suggested the election of Donald Trump left so many young people so psychologically traumatized, one-quarter of American college students are at risk of PTSD. “Although U.S. presidential elections occur every four years,” the authors wrote in the Journal of American College Health, “the 2016 election was perhaps the most polarizing and emotionally evocative political event for young people in recent history.”

 

But have rates of distress and anxiety really changed dramatically in the past years? Is this an unusually anxiety-provoking time, or have we become intolerant of normal bouts of misery, of anything that isn’t happy and positive? And why, if we’re awash in antidepressants, aren’t we less neurotic?

 

“There’s no question in my mind anxiety levels are increasing,” said Dr. David H. Rosmarin, an assistant professor in the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and founder of the Center for Anxiety. Rosmarin believes several cultural factors are setting us up for “emotional decline, en mass” including the almost manic, cultural push for happiness. “Life is about facing challenges, it’s not only about being happy,” Rosmarin said.

 

“But people are very pain averse. People want to be comfortable and they want to be happy, but if you chase happiness by trying to push aside anything that’s unpleasant and upsetting in your life, the irony is that it actually comes back with a vengeance.”

 

In the recent survey, conducted by Abacus Data on behalf of Yahoo Canada, 34 per cent of adult men and 47 per cent of women strongly or somewhat agreed that “I consider myself someone who struggles with anxiety.” Among those aged 30 and under, 71 per cent of females reported being anxious, versus 53 per cent of men. Among 18 to 29-year-olds, 63 per cent reported having anxiety.

 

The survey didn’t ask respondents why they feel so wired. Anxiety disorders can include obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, social phobia and generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, where people worry excessively and uncontrollably, more days than not. Taken together, anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental disorders, experts say. They’re more common in women and peak during midlife. For some, symptoms wax and wane.  In severe cases, people can become seriously functionally impaired.

 

But it’s difficult to find reliable evidence for a change in prevalence rates for anxiety over the last 10, 50 or even 100 years, researchers reported in 2015 in Dialogues in Clinical Neurosciences. More people are seeking treatment, which may explain why anxiety seems more common. But 30 to 50 per cent of anxiety disorders are heritable, the authors wrote — “and heritable disorders would not change their clinical picture substantially over decades or centuries.”

 

In Canada, “there is a widely held belief — I personally don’t think it has a strong basis in evidence — that there has been a deterioration in mental health, that there’s more depression or more anxiety afflicting people than has occurred in the past,” said Dr. Scott Patten, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Calgary. “As an epidemiologist, we just haven’t been able to say that in Canada.”

 

Still, the perception that we’re coming seriously undone has sparked a burgeoning anxiety economy, with “calming” products from anxiety apps and magnetic bracelets and weighted blankets made of glass beads and poly pellets, to, now, recreational pot. Millions of Canadians are also swallowing tranquillizers and Prozac-like antidepressants for anxiety.

 

The drugs are effective for the severely sick, but not for people whose problems are closer to normal, doctors say. Benzodiazepines like Xanax also come with a high risk of addiction — once on a benzo, it’s very hard to stop — and wildly popular antidepressants known as SSRIs can cause a fierce withdrawal syndrome.

 

“They put out the fire right away. You take a Xanax you’re going to feel better in a couple of minutes, but you don’t learn to accept the anxiety and deal with it,” Rosmarin said. He’s not anti-medication, “but when you have so many people taking medications what that indicates to me is a mass movement against experiencing any emotional pain.” Instead, he recommends exposure therapy — for example, putting people who experience heart-pounding panic attacks on treadmills to get their heart racing and master the fear they’re going to have a heart attack and die. “It’s a way to get people to face their fear in order to learn at a gut level that they’re going to be OK.”

 

Rosmarin is particularly concerned about high self-reported rates of anxiety among youth, about the competition and social comparisons. On social media, “Everyone is sizing themselves up against somebody else. ‘Why is everybody so happy and I’m so miserable?’ ” Rosmarin said. Facebook, he said, has done a number on our collective mental health.

 

“Most of all, frankly, we don’t have the level of adversity we used to,” he said. “In Canada a lot of parents and grandparents are immigrants and they came in and were eating fried potato peels and trying to scrounge and make a buck and sell what they could.

 

“Now we have a lot of luxuries. We’re not used to facing adversity.”

 

Others worry that anxiety is being over diagnosed, that we’re medicalizing the normal anxieties of being human.

 

Anxiety is seeded in our evolution, an adaptive response to keep us from getting eaten by tigers, said Dr. Allen Frances, professor emeritus of psychiatry at Duke University and creator of the diagnostic criteria for narcissistic personality disorder. “We shouldn’t expect an anxiety-free life. It’s adaptive to feel anxious.”

 

Survey results also tend to greatly exaggerated disorders, Frances said. “People say ‘well, isn’t this an unusually anxiety-provoking time?

 

“I would invite those people to think about what it was like to be in Nazi Germany. Or what it’s like today to be in Syria, or on the road from Africa to Europe because you don’t have food to eat and you’re afraid of being attacked by pirates,” Frances said.

 

He doesn’t mean to trivialize true, disabling anxieties. However, “We live in an unusually privileged moment in time and place. We don’t live in a period of stress anywhere near where people have lived in historically, or that people are suffering from around the world.”

 

There’s a lot in this world that’s worth being anxious about, Frances said. “That’s not pathological. That’s part of life.”

 

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Anxiety might be a little more of an issue in 2019 than it was in the past but most of this has to do with living in a culture that would rather try to shelter and coddle people than teach them how to deal with adversity. Add a medical establishment that profits by convincing people that normal feelings are pathological, and this is what you get.
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Anxiety might be a little more of an issue in 2019 than it was in the past but most of this has to do with living in a culture that would rather try to shelter and coddle people than teach them how to deal with adversity. Add a medical establishment that profits by convincing people that normal feelings are pathological, and this is what you get.

 

???  How are people being sheltered and coddled by the culture?  Are you referring to Canadian culture, US, either?

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???  How are people being sheltered and coddled by the culture?  Are you referring to Canadian culture, US, either?

 

Western culture.

 

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???  How are people being sheltered and coddled by the culture?  Are you referring to Canadian culture, US, either?

 

Western culture.

 

 

1:36 made me LOL.  :laugh:  Ouch!  So spot on.

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???  How are people being sheltered and coddled by the culture?  Are you referring to Canadian culture, US, either?

 

Western culture.

 

 

Saw another member posted that one.  It's a funny one but I can't see it.  My read on that was that it's a satire of a pretty small subpart of American-only culture.  Coddling and sheltering has definitely not been my experience.  Maybe I'm a glass half-empty kind of person though.

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This article made me reflect on anxiety levels over time and to think about what my grandparents faced in pre-Second World War in Europe before coming to Canada. That was not only anxiety but well-founded fear. It was a terrible time for certain people, and they were lucky enough to be able to get here to escape it.

 

Obviously, our fears and anxieties are necessarily of a different type and source now. That makes sense. Things change over time. I wish I could ask my grandparents now what their anxieties and fears were about once they made it here and got settled and were no longer worried about their basic survival. Maybe they worried about bills, health issues, taking care of their family, etc. I think that people were pretty hopeful after the end of WWII, since rationing had ended and the future in Canada looked bright.

 

Things move much more quickly now, and expectations are extremely high that we should be, do and have much more -- and faster -- than ever before. Does that make people anxious? You betcha!

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Saw another member posted that one.  It's a funny one but I can't see it.  My read on that was that it's a satire of a pretty small subpart of American-only culture.  Coddling and sheltering has definitely not been my experience.  Maybe I'm a glass half-empty kind of person though.

 

There aren't a whole lot of people who would actually go so far as to "use safe spaces" in the US, but the underlying "everyone is special and feelings are paramount" idea is pervasive in our culture.

 

Also, this South Park video might technically qualify as satire but it isn't really exaggerated. There are quite a few people (usually in universities) that think this way.

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???  How are people being sheltered and coddled by the culture?  Are you referring to Canadian culture, US, either?

 

Western culture.

 

 

Saw another member posted that one.  It's a funny one but I can't see it.  My read on that was that it's a satire of a pretty small subpart of American-only culture.  Coddling and sheltering has definitely not been my experience.  Maybe I'm a glass half-empty kind of person though.

 

Coddling and sheltering has not been my experience either. I had seen a lot of scarring, life-altering ugliness by the time I was 20. When I think back, I think it's sort of amazing that I didn't crumble down at a younger age. It was clear to me that world was an ugly place from very early on.

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Saw another member posted that one.  It's a funny one but I can't see it.  My read on that was that it's a satire of a pretty small subpart of American-only culture.  Coddling and sheltering has definitely not been my experience.  Maybe I'm a glass half-empty kind of person though.

 

There aren't a whole lot of people who would actually go so far as to "use safe spaces" in the US, but the underlying "everyone is special and feelings are paramount" idea is pervasive in our culture.

 

Also, this South Park video might technically qualify as satire but it isn't really exaggerated. There are quite a few people (usually in universities) that think this way.

 

It's also about some running to the shelter of "safe spaces" (literal or figuratively) and calling for back up after bullying/hurting others themselves.  In other words, the mentality of, one can say or do anything one wants to without regards to how it may affect others unjustly and their "safe space" and back up posse will always be there for them. 

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Saw another member posted that one.  It's a funny one but I can't see it.  My read on that was that it's a satire of a pretty small subpart of American-only culture.  Coddling and sheltering has definitely not been my experience.  Maybe I'm a glass half-empty kind of person though.

 

There aren't a whole lot of people who would actually go so far as to "use safe spaces" in the US, but the underlying "everyone is special and feelings are paramount" idea is pervasive in our culture.

 

Also, this South Park video might technically qualify as satire but it isn't really exaggerated. There are quite a few people (usually in universities) that think this way.

 

I guess I just don't see how this ideology lines up with the discussion points in the article.  Quick fix and high expectations make sense and I agree is more of the reality nowadays.

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Saw another member posted that one.  It's a funny one but I can't see it.  My read on that was that it's a satire of a pretty small subpart of American-only culture.  Coddling and sheltering has definitely not been my experience.  Maybe I'm a glass half-empty kind of person though.

 

There aren't a whole lot of people who would actually go so far as to "use safe spaces" in the US, but the underlying "everyone is special and feelings are paramount" idea is pervasive in our culture.

 

Also, this South Park video might technically qualify as satire but it isn't really exaggerated. There are quite a few people (usually in universities) that think this way.

 

I guess I just don't see how this ideology lines up with the discussion points in the article.  Quick fix and high expectations make sense and I agree is more of the reality nowadays.

 

I don't see it either. I think it's easier for humans to look at some models that explain things rather than realize the fear, pain and desperation in their lives and acknowledge them for what they are. So much discussion out there these days is meta discussion. Very little actual sharing of emotions/experience. Very little emotional honesty these days in the world out there. Maybe because the pressure to appear ok and composed and well-mannered is too great.

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Saw another member posted that one.  It's a funny one but I can't see it.  My read on that was that it's a satire of a pretty small subpart of American-only culture.  Coddling and sheltering has definitely not been my experience.  Maybe I'm a glass half-empty kind of person though.

 

There aren't a whole lot of people who would actually go so far as to "use safe spaces" in the US, but the underlying "everyone is special and feelings are paramount" idea is pervasive in our culture.

 

Also, this South Park video might technically qualify as satire but it isn't really exaggerated. There are quite a few people (usually in universities) that think this way.

 

It's also about some running to the shelter of "safe spaces" (literal or figuratively) and calling for back up after bullying/hurting others themselves.  In other words, the mentality of, one can say or do anything one wants to without regards to how it may affect others unjustly and their "safe space" and back up posse will always be there for them.

 

P.S.  Anyhow, thank you for sharing the video, FloridaGuy.  I do not always find myself laughing in regards to such, but 1:36, again, was a laugh I so needed.   

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Good article.  Following.  I was happy to see the mention of a difficult withdrawal off SSRI’s.

 

I like what LorazepamFree said about all the faking we do in this society, focused on presenting an image of having it all together and the prevalence of squashing feelings creating a dishonest world on every level.  Sorry I’m on my phone and don’t know how to quote so if that’s not what you’re saying, sorry, that’s what I’m saying.

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I do think that we are teaching people that normal human emotions are disorders that need to be medicated.  I actually think that it is the opposite of coddling that is happening though.  I think teachers and parents are too harsh with children, telling them what they are doing and how they are behaving is wrong, with no guidance on how to behave other than drugging them so the "bad feelings" go away.  That will NEVER teach them how to deal with the feelings or that the feelings are normal and we have them for a reason. 

 

I feel personally duped by the system, as I thought my anxiety was a disease for so many years.  Now I have come to realize that I was probably feeling anger because of a legit reason, and then anxiety, cause I thought anger was anxiety, and then became anxious about my anger or anxiety.  OR I was feeling hunger or excitement, which I also got confused with anxiety. I only recently have been learning about emotions, why we have them, and how they are all totally normal. 

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You make some really good points, Green Cup. Emotions are normal. They're part of living. I have no idea what kids are being taught about emotions these days, but I have heard and read that many young people (I mean, quite young) are being medicated in order to control behaviour and/or feelings. It doesn't make sense to me, and I find it rather upsetting. Medicating children rather than helping them learn how to handle their feelings is doing them a disservice, and possibly, setting them up for a life of medications and/or self-medicating. I know someone for whom that was a reality....He's doing great now, but early Ritalin likely set him up badly for young adulthood.
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I agree, GreenCup and Lapis.

 

Another concept came to mind.  I really like Brené Brown's explanation of scarcity and think it relates to the increase in self-perceived anxiety in our culture.

 

For me, and for many of us, our first waking thought of the day is “I didn’t get enough sleep.” The next one is “I don’t have enough time.” Whether true or not, that thought of not enough occurs to us automatically before we even think to question or examine it. We spend most of the hours and the days of our lives hearing, explaining, complaining, or worrying about what we don’t have enough of.…Before we even sit up in bed, before our feet touch the floor, we’re already inadequate, already behind, already losing, already lacking something. And by the time we go to bed at night, our minds are racing with a litany of what we didn’t get, or didn’t get done, that day. We go to sleep burdened by those thoughts and wake up to that reverie of lack.…This internal condition of scarcity, this mind-set of scarcity, lives at the very heart of our jealousies, our greed, our prejudice, and our arguments with life.…

- Brené Brown, Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead

 

Here's a good article with more information:

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/jul/27/brene-brown-people-sick-being-afraid

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Of course it is just a generalization to say that people are coddled and sheltered but I 100% believe that it is true if you look at the big picture, and it absolutely has the potential to make people more anxious.

 

Most of us are living in the safest, most comfortable conditions in the history of man. People survived for tens of thousands of years (and they did so without psych meds!), and up until very recently the world was cold and brutal for just about everyone. Today most of us will never have to worry about getting eaten by wild animals, most of us have plenty of food, shelter, air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter, if we get sick or injured we jump in the car and head to the emergency room.

 

So what has changed? I suppose it could be argued that there are stresses today that didn't exist 100, 1000 or 10,000 years ago and that is absolutely true, but by most accounts the world is safer, easier and less stressful than it has ever been and probably ever will be.

 

And here we are, sitting behind desks all day long, eating crappy food and binging on netflix and facebook growing more and more anxious the easier we have it.

 

If someone lacks perspective to understand just how good things really are and society promotes the idea that any kind of adversity is bad and should be avoided at all costs, of course they are going to feel like the world is a hostile place. That is exactly the point I am trying to make.

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I actually think that it is the opposite of coddling that is happening though.  I think teachers and parents are too harsh with children, telling them what they are doing and how they are behaving is wrong, with no guidance on how to behave other than drugging them so the "bad feelings" go away.

 

I agree 100% that parents aren't teaching kids properly but that is a separate issue from sheltering and coddling them. Actually it might be considered a form of coddling if parents are afraid to properly discipline their kids.

 

You actually believe that adults are too harsh on kinds nowadays? As a general rule I believe it is exactly the opposite. I didn't even think it was debatable that kids today have less discipline, responsibilities and accountability than in the past, especially 50+ years ago.

 

 

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I actually think that it is the opposite of coddling that is happening though.  I think teachers and parents are too harsh with children, telling them what they are doing and how they are behaving is wrong, with no guidance on how to behave other than drugging them so the "bad feelings" go away.

 

I agree 100% that parents aren't teaching kids properly but that is a separate issue from sheltering and coddling them. Actually it might be considered a form of coddling if parents are afraid to properly discipline their kids.

 

You actually believe that adults are too harsh on kinds nowadays? As a general rule I believe it is exactly the opposite. I didn't even think it was debatable that kids today have less discipline, responsibilities and accountability than in the past, especially 50+ years ago.

 

I'm actually wondering now, if parents are not drugging their children instead of disciplining them, or guiding them.  That makes me so sad.  You are right about parents being afraid of disciplining children could be considered a form of coddling.  I am not sure what the solution is to this. 

 

I agree with you that children have less responsibility and accountability now, not sure about discipline, but probably that too.  I do think less autonomy can definitely cause anxiety so you might be right in this line of thinking and an increase of anxiety.

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I'm actually wondering now, if parents are not drugging their children instead of disciplining them, or guiding them. 

 

Absolutely. Handing them an ipad and a handful of ritalin is a lot easier than parenting.

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I'm actually wondering now, if parents are not drugging their children instead of disciplining them, or guiding them. 

 

Absolutely. Handing them an ipad and a handful of ritalin is a lot easier than parenting.

 

There is a lot of generalization going on here. I've been involved with families from many walks of life who are very good parents. They participate with their children and their interests including school, extra-curricular events, family activities, sports, arts, leisure, etc., etc.

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Wow

 

and not a word from any of you about the VERY REAL economic and environmental issues facing MOST Everyone...

 

Duh

 

Most definitely. I don't think it's a popular subject to talk about, but this has played a very big role in my life.

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