Can you explain the proliferation of behavior disorders in developed countries?

Question

Are we all really insane? Or is it something else?

Did you know that only two countries (New Zealand and the US) allow direct to consumer marketing for drugs?

Answer 1

It's all about the marketing. If a drug company sees an opportunity, they will make up a symptom to make you think you need to take their drug to cure it. I love the drug for restless leg syndrome...like nobody has had their leg fall asleep on them. lol.

Answer 2

I grew up in the far north and now I live in a high population metropolitian area in the US.

I don't think that there are really more behaviour disorders or emotional problems in the developed countries than anywhere else but they take different forms.

If you live in a remore area than many behaviours may be eccentric but not a problem in living and working with others. Violence and alcohol and drugs are a common problem though in the Arctic or 1st nations reserves or even in regular boring rural areas.

If you live in a 3rd world you are probably too busy just surviving from day to day to worry much about going crazy. But there is a Lot of cruelty and violence in many 3rd world countries. Some of it is political and some of that is personal but they are really the same what you get down to it. You don't ever want to see it.

Re direct marketing of psych meds to consumers in the US and NZ I can only say that it is totally unethical and I don't know why it is not forbidden. But I know that both countries are Anglo cultures with politicians that are totally for sale and both are high on the neoliberal view of economics in their policy.

That of course doesn't explain it all because they are not the only countries like that but I think that it is Part of the explaination. Maybe something in their cultures also says that it's ok to self-medicate or reads emotional problems as an illness needing medication, I really don't know.

Edit: just wanted to add that Yes I realise of course that some emotional problems or psych problems really can be helped with meds I'm not saying anything different.

Answer 3

It could be that more disorders are diagnosed in the developed world because people in wealthy countries have superior access to mental health facilities. People in the developing world have more pressing things to worry about - like food and shelter.

And no, I wasn't aware that New Zealand permitted direct-marketing to consumers (patients). In Canada this is verboten.

Answer 4

It's not the proliferation of behavior disorders, it is the proliferation of seemingly benign emotional affects becoming ailments in which medication must be prescribed.
Normal shyness=social anxiety disorder
A case of the blues (even with good reason)=depression
Child is bored/inattentive=must be ADHD

PMS is now a "disease" which requires an anti-depressant.
Smoking is a disease and not an addiction which also requires anti-depressants. (Wellbutrin, etc)

People aren't insane. The doctors (who end up giving good doctors a bad name) that push these medications on people that don't really need them...that's insanity!

I'll admit that some people can benefit greatly from such medications but a majority don't really need them. If used they should be paired with "talk" therapies. (psychoanalytical, cognitive, behaviorial, etc.)

Answer 5

Developed countries have more rights and freedoms; with that they are able to be more individual and with that comes an increase in the likelihood of a behavioral disorder or of that disorder being made public and/or recognized.

Answer 6

There is better screening and more access to health care, thus you will see more people diagnose.

In developing countries they have they same mental problems as the rest of us, but manifest differently due to their culture. I know in Chinese culture for example depression id manifested as body pains or bad gas. Plus struggling to survive supersedes a lot of disorder.

Answer 7

"Behavior disorder" is just a fancy way to say: "This person does not do what everyone else does".

Basically anyone who rebels against the norm is a weirdo, freak, sicko.. etc.

And YES.. these people are not NORMAL because normal people are followers. Michael Jackson is not normal for instance.

But I wouldn't call it a disorder unless its something involuntary like a tick.

Answer 8

oh, mostly just pampered Western whiners just dying to claim they or their kids have some sort of designer affliction, I think. Not getting enough sympathy griping about the "chemical imbalances" in their brains.

Don't think too many people in Rwanda give a hoot about whether or not they have "severe anxiety disorder" or "ADD."

Answer 9

I agree with Fletcher on this one - we are marketed to self-diagnose, therefore we can come up with an ailment for just about any thing!

Damn Pfizer...:)

Answer 10

better living through chemicals