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It is just me or is anyone else reading the comments getting the feeling that mental health issues are rampant today probably the most neglected space of health

It is just me or is anyone else reading the comments getting the feeling that mental health issues are rampant today probably the most neglected space of health care or at least public awareness? Shouldn't society and/or the government do more to increase awareness of these mental Heath issues and make information and treatments more widely available?

joe_the_user 10y ago
On the one hand, I don't psychological services industry has really demonstrated an ability to treat psychological problems in a consistent, effective fashion. On the other hand, I would claim one can see a strong correlation between declining incomes and increased psychological distress in this society - the suicide rate approximately doubling in the last twenty years - not this is a direct casual effect. Which is to say that easily available, acceptable housing - hotel rooms rather than shelters as suggested in the article - is better solution for people, psychologically distressed or not, than more psychological services or better psychological services. And also, if someone's on the streets, no amount of counseling (or drugs or whatever) is going to solve much if they stay on the streets.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
colechristensen 10y ago
We're running out of problems to solve and it's a good thing. Nobody cares much about mental health problems when the primary issue most people face every day is finding something to eat. As a corollary, I'd bet there are really significant causal forces at work in many mental health issues coming from exactly this – the lack of simple problems like food and shelter at the front in center of life combined with having the basic skills and environment to tackle those problems daily – drives many mental health problems. Lots of people are depressed but almost nobody is starving, almost nobody is getting murdered or fighting in a war or dying of the common cold. Just about every baby survives, very few have to defend their home or their families from attack.... on and on and on. Human life used to be very rough and was not very long ago. We live in the most peaceful prosperous time in human history (and almost nobody seems to realize we're living in a paradise compared to a few hundred years ago).
- mistermann 10y ago
  Well yes, but man, homeless people live in terrible conditions, but I think even worse than that would be watching everyone go about their lives in seeming prosperity, knowing you used to be one of them and you can't ever get back, and no one cares. To me, that would hurt.

joe_the_user 10y ago

On the one hand, I don't psychological services industry has really demonstrated an ability to treat psychological problems in a consistent, effective fashion. On the other hand, I would claim one can see a strong correlation between declining incomes and increased psychological distress in this society - the suicide rate approximately doubling in the last twenty years - not this is a direct casual effect. Which is to say that easily available, acceptable housing - hotel rooms rather than shelters as suggested in the article - is better solution for people, psychologically distressed or not, than more psychological services or better psychological services. And also, if someone's on the streets, no amount of counseling (or drugs or whatever) is going to solve much if they stay on the streets.

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]

colechristensen 10y ago

We're running out of problems to solve and it's a good thing. Nobody cares much about mental health problems when the primary issue most people face every day is finding something to eat. As a corollary, I'd bet there are really significant causal forces at work in many mental health issues coming from exactly this – the lack of simple problems like food and shelter at the front in center of life combined with having the basic skills and environment to tackle those problems daily – drives many mental health problems. Lots of people are depressed but almost nobody is starving, almost nobody is getting murdered or fighting in a war or dying of the common cold. Just about every baby survives, very few have to defend their home or their families from attack.... on and on and on. Human life used to be very rough and was not very long ago. We live in the most peaceful prosperous time in human history (and almost nobody seems to realize we're living in a paradise compared to a few hundred years ago).

mistermann 10y ago
Well yes, but man, homeless people live in terrible conditions, but I think even worse than that would be watching everyone go about their lives in seeming prosperity, knowing you used to be one of them and you can't ever get back, and no one cares. To me, that would hurt.