The reason for most mental illnesses
I believe it's pretty simple. What is even a "mental illness"? It's a diffuse diagnosis based on different criteria made by a profession that is not very tangible. I've been working in psychiatry for many years and seen so many different examples of how western medicine only tries to tackle the symptoms, when almost always the underlying reason behind almost all mental illnesses is too much COMPLEXITY in peoples lives.
When two or three big and negative things happen in someones life, you blow out at your weakest point. Alcoholism, anxiety or depression. If you get diagnosed with cancer, your mom dies in a car crash and your financially broke - you will most definitely experience one of these things. This is why people commit suicide. To escape the complexity of their lives. It just makes them feel worthless, weak and alone.
But what about those who all of a sudden start getting panic attacks? Or are suddenly depressed? First of all, experiencing anxiety or depression is just a part of life. We grow up with this false notion that life is going to be just great all the time. Especially us in the West. Many kids are spared from the horrors of the world, but at some point in life as adults they get overwhelmed by the terrifying reality that no one really cares about you, you're not safe and you're going to die. You start exercising, but isn't your heart skipping a few beats? Can't catch my breath properly? Do I have heart failure? My feet are cold, I got bad circulation! My grandmother died of cancer, so am probably I!
And, yes, you're going to die of something, that's for sure. Some people die of old age peacefully in their own bed surrounded by family. But let's not kid ourselves. You're probably going to die of some horrible disease alone, and the world continues without anyone caring.
Yup. Now, add some financial problems and relationship problems on top of that and let's see how mentally stable you feel.
My advice as a non professional? Reduce the complexity of your life. Make things simple. Have a harmonious and easy relationship. Cut out people who drag you down. Quit your job if it's too complex and you don't like it. Don't keep adding rooms to your all ready huge house. Don't buy an overly expensive car. Don't add complexity!
This is what people do, they just pile on with complexity in their lives until they break under the weight. That's why so many kids in the western world struggle with mental problems in their teens now. They take on too much responsibility. They are pushing themselves too hard on useless struggles like getting good grades in useless courses. Kids in elementary school has 2-3 different after school organized activities. Childhood should be freeroaming, not schedule and duties.
What do you think? Do you believe a lot of mental illnesses are just too much complexity in peoples lives?
Yes, I believe it is sound advice to cut out unnecessary things in your life- via negativa. Have you read Antifragile by Nassim Taleb btw, it is a fantastic book that touch into the philospohy you also write about in this post:)
Good post.
I believe that to include nutrition is even more effective.
Add on the microbiome, and I think most mental issues will be handeled.
Interestingly, most substances that can show an effect on having a preventive effect on dementia and alzheimers, are also showing, in other studies, to have an effect on both depression and cognitive abilities.
From this, it is absolutely possible that birth depression acctually is nutrition deficiancy, as the body priorities the foetus prior to the mother as we can see in nature in many other species.
Which again can be the reason why the first born usually is the most capable amongst siblings.
I think it's an epigenetic issue with some and an issue with people being raised by bad parents in a bad environment. People who have a strong, healthy upbringing in a good environment don't end up with mental illnesses unless it's something genetic or a serious trauma takes place.
We've witnessed a couple of generations where the family has been dismantled and where kids grow up in high-stress environments. The increase in mental illnesses is symptomatic of that and it's not something that psychotropic medications will ever fix.
Yup. And family relations like that are very complex for people. You have to tolerate your parents, visit them, take a lot of shit etc. Of course, you don't HAVE to. You can just say fuck you and never see them again,but for most people that is almost impossible, and you would have to have experienced some really bad shit AND realized how bad it was to cut them off.
I believe most people grow up with bad parents who make our lives more stressful / complex than it needs to be.
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Nice point. I feel a lot of mental illness and "mental illness" are due to a disconnect with nature. We like to keep Hingis sterile, to pretend they don't rot, many people I grew up with hated to see ducks hanging from their neck in china town because it reminded them of just they were actually eating. We don't all need to know how to plant vegetable soup but we don't even know where our vegetables come from or what kind of work goes into making them. The biggest cause of mental illness though is our unrealistic attitude towards death. We act as if it doesn't exist for as long as we can and then when we are forced to face it we cover it up with whatever we can, treating it as something entirely negative. It's good that we want to survive and live long healthy lives but rejecting the reality of death is not really a way to do that.
This reply may turn into it's own post. X-D