What will the future bring?

Question

The Facts:
"One in ten youngsters suffers mental problems as behavioural disorders double in 30 years " - the Independent
"One in four Europeans will suffer from a significant episode of mental illness during their lifetime. Mental health problems account for approximately 20% of the total burden of ill health in Europe. In the EU, the economic costs of mental health problems are high: at least 3-4% of the gross national products. - Health and Consumer Intergroup
"20 per cent of women and 14 per cent of men in England have some form of mental illness. 18 per cent of women have a 'neurotic disorder' such as anxiety, depression, phobias and panic attacks, compared with 11 per cent of men. An estimated one in 20 people will have serious - or clinical - depression at any one time. By the year 2020, it has been estimated that clinical depression will be second only to chronic heart disease as an international health burden. - BBC Health

Links to the above facts:
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/article1093530.ece
http://intergroup.epha.org/article.php3?id_article=7
http://taylorandfrancis.metapress.com/(ahhiuf45egetceulftbt4i2f)/app/home/contribution.asp?referrer=parent&backto=issue,27,28;journal,17,39;linkingpublicationresults,1:100633,1http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/page.cfm?pagecode=PMMHST
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/awareness_campaigns/mar_mentalhealth.shtml
Considering this is the beginning of the century and at the rate mental health is deteriorating will all humans be potty, loopy or nervous wrecks by the end of the century?

When it comes mental heal;th solutions, yes it is. Half full for the pharmaceutical companies though. They laughing cause it is a fact their meds don't address the causes since it is also a fact thay have no clue what biochemistry (i.e. neurotransmitters) is/are really involved in emotional responses.

To confirm the bit on neurotransmitters look here at this previous question:http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AsfOIEgbKOXflKRTMyfCiI8gBgx.?qid=1006041026762

Answer 1

Don't ask me - I'm an elephant

Answer 2

Mental health issues are a relatively new phenomenon brought about by a recategorization (or label) attached to a problem which has always existed.

The recategorization results in statistics which show a decline in heart conditions, and a rise in mental health issues.

In fact cardiovascular problems, and mental health problems are inextricably linked. One goes hand in hand with the other generally, and the symptoms and causes of both are very similar.

Your projections into the future are somewhat spurious. I would suggest that these health problems are largely related to economic booms and depressions. In other words rather than an extrapolated exponential trend, there is in fact a cycle closely correlated to the amount of fraud and corruption which occurs in an economy when the bubble has not yet burst. After many years of depression and recession, the cycle of mental fitness will change in the opposite direction.

If I was to be specific it could well be argued that a person with anxiety, depression, or even panic attacks could be shown empirically to have high blood pressure. Such people could then easily be categorised as having cardiovascular problems rather than mental health issues.

Statistics are manipualted by governing bodies to produce whatever results suits their politics. Also the statistics are abused by such powers in order to manipulate the bubble effect (in other words keep the illusion going while making up stories to explain the symtoms of impending disaster).

Answer 3

Don't get me started on Mental Health.

Governments for decades have shunned mental illness and it's treatment.

As a Psychiatric nurse, I've worked in desperate wards full of desperate people and seen money squandered in areas and psychiatry totally left out of the budget.

I worked in a ward in the early 90's were wind blew through the windows, where bed linen and towels were tatty and the walls were nicotine stained.

The NHS likes to been seen to save money...but what they don't use of their annual budget...they loose.
Rather than loose money the following year the managers go on mad spending sprees from January to March to spend the money they have saved over the year.
Now this ward I worked in was a psychiatric admission unit within a general hospital...
The managers decided this year to replace the windows.... Yipee thought we.....To our error.
The money was spend on new windows for the CORRIDORS in the general block as that area had to look nice!!!
I mean...What a waste of money!

So if you think they are willing to spend money now...think again.
The government's Care in the community's white paper was issued in 1990. Meaning they would close the old institutions and many would be accomodated in their own areas even at home.

There are nowhere near enough beds in these smaller areas to cater for the people that are known to require psychiatric services..which are really the tip of the iceberg.

You never mentioned where a lot of money is going..i.e addictions and dual diagnosis.

The numbers are multipying yearly as more and more people are using substances...and some use to hide the effects of psychosis.

the hospital I work in has 45 acute beds over 3 wards....not a lot but we've been told to loose 15....Just like that!

with the introduction of the new revised mental health act...It states
" If a person in an area requires a specific treatment...then a unit that can cater to this person's needs must be introduced"

We don't have mother and children beds...we don't have eating disorder beds...we don't have medium secure beds...we don't have community continuing care beds....yet we have all these people needing these services.

The government's MUST cater for the mentally ill as you are quite right in your facts about the future...but we still live in a society that stigmatises the mentally ill and there are so many people who think this "Pull yourself together" statement works.

It's all money....Because the one thing about mental ill health that is fundamentally different from any physical ill health is prognosis.

You go into hospital for your tonsils out..your told how long you'll be in hospital and how long it will be before your back to "Your old self"

Mental health doesn't have that luxury. Everyone is different...everyone react's differently to therapies and treatments. and no one knows how long you'll be in hospital... days?? Months?? years??

Oh I could rant all day...but I think you get the picture.

Answer 4

Awareness is increasing as we look even deeper with knowledge:
As we traverse through time, we as a species will attain more wisdom i.e. about ourselves. Many of the facts you mention were not seen or considered in the past. As we become "aware" we see more about ourselves Many statistics may look dismal as if they are just now coming into fruition, but in fact they were never looked at in the past.
Go here to understand Human Knowledge as related to Time:

http://humanknowledge.net/Thoughts.html#Timeline

Answer 5

A change in how we define mental health; and fewer scare media tactics

Answer 6

I really don't know, I guess your input will influence some of that.. Live life like it were your last day thats what I say and it gets me through

Answer 7

Gosh thanx for the depressing statistics

Answer 8

when you say 14 percent of men in england have mental illness iwould dissagree . its probally more like 90 percent

Answer 9

Answers to existing questions. And new questions also.

Answer 10

Something seriously has to change.