Are more and more people having mental disorders?

Question

As the decades and centuries go by, are there more and more percent of people with mental disorders?

Perhaps because of eating habits or other things.. or maybe because more disorders are being officially created.

What do you think?

Answer 1

I think in the past people with mental disorders were not understood and often feared. Now I believe there is more openess and acceptance. More and more people talk about it instead of hiding and feeling ashamed or embarrassed. I also believe that people now know that mental disorder does not mean "I'm crazy, you better watch out."

Answer 2

They are being studied more, and have been discussed more often. They are more obvious than they used to be. Mental disorders were thought to have been the works of demons, witches, warlocks and the like. We fear the unknown, so people either had to masque their disorders to assimilate, drink or abuse drugs to have an excuse and/or pass out so as not to behave in an unacceptable fashion, or they were put in asylums never to be thought of again. In more recent history, we now understand that some disorders are genetically linked, and that some have come about due to the unknown side effects of medications, pesticides and other toxins in the environment. It is sad when you think about the history of mental illness and the pioneers who fought for the rights of the ill to be treated humanely and properly. Not every mental disorder is curable or controllable. Some never get the simple precautionary care before their ailments develop further. Some are abandoned by their families, some are even killed for fear of shame on the family. Ignorance to this issue is the reason so many act out and commit crimes and hurt other people.

Answer 3

I believe they're being diagnosed more correctly now. Centuries ago, people with mental disorders were often accused of witchcraft or worshipping the devil and being possessed. Decades ago, people often didn't receive help for depression and rather used alcohol or illegal drugs to medicate themselves. If anything, I think the media plays a role in some of the more henious situations ... we see so much violence and sexual activity on tv that we're no longer shocked by murders and rapes, and I feel that people with the more severe mental disorders just get ideas from tv and the movies.

Answer 4

i think that these disorders have been here all along, it's just that now they are not being clumped in with everybody else and sent off into an asylum