Why is anxiety, depression, ADHD and Bipolar disorders so rampant in the US?

Question

Is it the food, the weather or the lifestyle?

Answer 1

a bi polar and an organic depression is quite often genetic. i have seen parents with 5 children, and 3 out of the 5 are bipolar, and there is a family history of bi polar illness. organic depression can also run in families. because the population is getting bigger, there are more people diagnosed with this illnesses. also, in the past, there was little information about bi polar illness, and people, before decent medications, were kept in hospitals longer. now there is a lot more information , and awareness , and self help groups about bi polar and depression, which is a good thing. in the past it was not talked about, and more hidden from the public, because of the stigmas attached to mental illness. other forms of anxiety and depression, are rampant because it is much more difficult, and busy world we are living in, and probably related to our life style. . we have a lot more worries in the world to day than we used to hope this helps your questions,

Answer 2

Mothers are probably stressed out when pregnant and the go go mentality of America doesnt incorporate a safe calm environment for the mother to have. The baby feels the stress too at least chemically so neural pathways are carved from an early age. Also maybe science has come so far that we are able to diagnose people now. Psychiatry is a young science and advancements have been made. So overall environment, technology and genetics play a roll.

Answer 3

I think these things have always been around, I just think that science, and medicine has evolved to notice different patterns of behavior and diagnose them into catagorys to treat.
That said I do believe that all the additives in foods, and also changes in the environment probably play a large roll in why it seems like more people are living with those things.
I would say the way family structures have changed, but while they contribute, I think history shows there has been many things in society that have been stressors for people, that could lead to one or more of these things.

Answer 4

I think it's a combination of things.

I don't think mental illnesses are any more :"rampant"; they just being diagnosed more often. Doctors pay more attention to the symptoms than they used to, and people with mental illness are more likely to seek treatment than in the past. There are also more reliable treatments than there used to be, so psychiatry is held in higher regard than it was years ago.

There might be a tendency for doctors to over-diagnose people too. That's not really not up to me to judge, but sometimes I wonder. For example, why do some doctors give antidepressants to people who are grieving for a spouse who died, isn't it natural to grieve?
Also, there has been a lot of speculation that some children who are being diagnosed with ADHD might just be active kids with impatient parents.

Answer 5

Maybe it's something in the water... no seriously.

I would say the lifestyle. America is a country full of "fear" created by the media. America is also very quick to "diagnose" every little condition. People in other countries are living with depression and anxiety but there's no label for it, it's a way of life for a lot of them.

Answer 6

I think that the reason we're seeing a rise more and more in these kinds of illnesses is mainly because there is so much more awareness nowadays of the symptoms and signs of them, and therefore more people are seeking out help. Lots of things contribute to having a mental illness, such as genetics, personal experiences (trauma, etc.), and who knows, maybe the American way of life could be responsible for the rise, but I'm more inclined to believe that broader awareness of these illnesses and the movement towards seeking help for them is what is responsible for the rapid rise in the number of people being diagnosed.

Answer 7

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Answer 8

It might be a combination of all 3 & then some because we Americans go through more stress than people from other countries.

Answer 9

Because society puts so much burden on people to be "succesful" to "be someone in life" they stress themselves because they stretch themselves so thin for stupid things like material possesions. Accruing so much ******* debt so people think that they have "made it." Showing off their wealth by buying unnecessary things like million dollar homes near a cliff, $100,000 cars and all these other bullshit things.
And other's are just misdiagnosed.

Answer 10

My Psych. doctor says it can be due to genetics. Did anyone in your family act "weird" like parents or Uncle George?
Years ago people had no clue what was going on with themselves and that is how they lived their lives. Now doctors found the reason.