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Romanticized mental disorders probably also have something to do with this. Claiming to have some anxiety and depression is pretty much par for course these day
by bena 8y ago
Romanticized mental disorders probably also have something to do with this. Claiming to have some anxiety and depression is pretty much par for course these days. What's more ironic is that the trend is to suggest that you're secretly depressed and anxious with suicidal thoughts and hiding it with humor by... pretty much telling people that you're secretly depressed and anxious with suicidal thoughts and hide it with humor. Which is kind of contradictory.
But then again, it's kind of a dick move to question anyone's mental state in such a manner. Because you don't know what's actually going on for the most part. You won't have the whole story most of the time. So if someone says they're anxious or depressed or a third thing, accept it, let them have it. Worst case scenario, they're putting on airs and they get the attention and validation they're craving. Big deal. If this leads to less stigmatization about mental health in general and people who genuinely need help, get it, I don't care if only 0.01% of people who claim it have it.
Not to mention, even if you aren't afflicted to the degree that it negatively impacts your life, learning how to manage anxiety can't be a bad thing.
- drb91 8y agoIt seems to me you’re painting people with a broad brush. Many people who talk about anxiety (or depression) talk about it because they are dealing with it, successfully or no—awareness does not imply inaction. Why would you question them? If you think they have more capacity to handle life than they think they do, this would probably be a reassuring and helpful thing to state. This assumption that people would prefer a comfortable self conception to addressing their problems is a dangerous slope to go down. People are not this simple in aggregate or individually.
- bena 8y agoEither I know far more depressed and anxious people than is statistically likely or there is some degree of over-reporting going on. And I think I explicitly said that I don't question them. I keep it to myself, because if I'm right to question them, the rewards are minimal, but if I'm wrong, then the risks are greater. I also think you're reading me wrong. It's not "You're stronger than you think you are." It's more like a child over-selling their accident for attention. I don't believe that it's as serious as being made out. And where did I say anyone is simple in the aggregate or individually? I noted certain trends, that's all. And while people are not simple in aggregate or individually, statistics can't be beat.
- drb91 8y ago> It's more like a child over-selling their accident for attention. How could you possibly distinguish? And my point was that extrapolating a claim on an aggregate from anecdotal evidence seems low value.