Are we more depressed because we're getting smarter?

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

Random thought: people are (in general terms, in western society) less happy than they may have been in generations past. This is only in part correlated with the distressing economic situation, there was a lot of vague anxiety/distress/depression going on culturally in the 90s, too. Take into account the fact that people (in general terms, in western society) are by all reasonable measurements getting smarter, and that smartness is correlated with mental health problems, and you have to ask: have we hit the tipping point where the majority of people are at significant risk of mental health concerns due to their intelligence?

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Random thought: people are (in general terms, in western society) less happy than they may have been in generations past. This is only in part correlated with the distressing economic situation, there was a lot of vague anxiety/distress/depression going on culturally in the 90s, too. Take into account the fact that people (in general terms, in western society) are by all reasonable measurements getting smarter, and that smartness is correlated with mental health problems, and you have to ask: have we hit the tipping point where the majority of people are at significant risk of mental health concerns due to their intelligence?

Correlation != causation.  It isn't due to their intelligence, it's due (IMO) to the never ending shit rain of bad signal that people are bombarded with all day every day.

[Cardinal Pizza Deliverance.]

Random thought: people are (in general terms, in western society) less happy than they may have been in generations past. This is only in part correlated with the distressing economic situation, there was a lot of vague anxiety/distress/depression going on culturally in the 90s, too. Take into account the fact that people (in general terms, in western society) are by all reasonable measurements getting smarter, and that smartness is correlated with mental health problems, and you have to ask: have we hit the tipping point where the majority of people are at significant risk of mental health concerns due to their intelligence?

Correlation != causation.  It isn't due to their intelligence, it's due (IMO) to the never ending shit rain of bad signal that people are bombarded with all day every day.

That would be my take as well. It has less to do with rising intellect, because down here below the poverty level, I don't see an excess of genius. But what I do see is an excess of stress and worry.

Are we going to lose the house? How can I juggle two jobs and my kid's IEP at school? What do we do if the dog gets really sick? No Christmas bonus this year, but did lose fifteen hours a week until business picks up - eat or pay bills?

See a lot of that shit. It tends to lead to poor sleep, ulcers, and booze.

[LMNO]

What does "less happy than generations past" mean? The average happiness level in the 50s was higher? Because if all that repression and homogenization, maybe? The 60s, with Vietnam? The 70s, with OPEC and Iran? The 80s, with AIDS?

When was this happier time?

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

What does "less happy than generations past" mean? The average happiness level in the 50s was higher? Because if all that repression and homogenization, maybe? The 60s, with Vietnam? The 70s, with OPEC and Iran? The 80s, with AIDS?

When was this happier time?

http://www.everydayhealth.com/health-report/major-depression/depression-statistics.aspx

The Rising Rate of Depression

Statistical trends related to depression are hard to come by, but most experts agree that depression rates in the United States and worldwide are increasing. Studies show that rates of depression for Americans have risen dramatically in the past 50 years. Research published in The American Journal of Psychiatry found that major depression rates for American adults increased from 3.33 percent to 7.06 percent from 1991 through 2002. Depression is also considered a worldwide epidemic, with 5 percent of the global population suffering from the condition, according to the World Health Organization.

Please note that I am not taking the position that things were better at any other point in history, just looking at the fact that we seem to be responding to stress with depression more now than we used to.

[Cardinal Pizza Deliverance.]

What does "less happy than generations past" mean? The average happiness level in the 50s was higher? Because if all that repression and homogenization, maybe? The 60s, with Vietnam? The 70s, with OPEC and Iran? The 80s, with AIDS?

When was this happier time?

http://www.everydayhealth.com/health-report/major-depression/depression-statistics.aspx

The Rising Rate of Depression

Statistical trends related to depression are hard to come by, but most experts agree that depression rates in the United States and worldwide are increasing. Studies show that rates of depression for Americans have risen dramatically in the past 50 years. Research published in The American Journal of Psychiatry found that major depression rates for American adults increased from 3.33 percent to 7.06 percent from 1991 through 2002. Depression is also considered a worldwide epidemic, with 5 percent of the global population suffering from the condition, according to the World Health Organization.

Please note that I am not taking the position that things were better at any other point in history, just looking at the fact that we seem to be responding to stress with depression more now than we used to.

I think the shift has more to do with how we talk about it. The 'suck it up and soldier on in silence' thing seems to be losing hold in favor of spilling your guts about every single bad thing ever on Tumblr/Facebook/etc.

[LMNO]

Plus, pushing pharmaceuticals is easier if there are more diagnoses.

If you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail, etc.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

What does "less happy than generations past" mean? The average happiness level in the 50s was higher? Because if all that repression and homogenization, maybe? The 60s, with Vietnam? The 70s, with OPEC and Iran? The 80s, with AIDS?

When was this happier time?

http://www.everydayhealth.com/health-report/major-depression/depression-statistics.aspx

The Rising Rate of Depression

Statistical trends related to depression are hard to come by, but most experts agree that depression rates in the United States and worldwide are increasing. Studies show that rates of depression for Americans have risen dramatically in the past 50 years. Research published in The American Journal of Psychiatry found that major depression rates for American adults increased from 3.33 percent to 7.06 percent from 1991 through 2002. Depression is also considered a worldwide epidemic, with 5 percent of the global population suffering from the condition, according to the World Health Organization.

Please note that I am not taking the position that things were better at any other point in history, just looking at the fact that we seem to be responding to stress with depression more now than we used to.

It was hard to suffer from something that didn't exist. They just gave 'em Valium and lobotomies.

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

Plus, pushing pharmaceuticals is easier if there are more diagnoses.

If you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail, etc.

I feel like depression and anxiety are less prone to medication-related spikes in reporting because they're terms we've been familiar with for generations. There are some diagnoses that come in and out of "fashion," like bi-polar disorder, ADD/ADHD, aspergers and narcissism, but depression is so mundane that it's not prone to as much of the "I'm so special lookit my disability" over-reporting on the patient side, and there are effective generic medications to treat it so there's less pressure from the pharmaceutical end (now they just push "medication resistant depression" as a thing so they can sell you more pillz).

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Plus, pushing pharmaceuticals is easier if there are more diagnoses.

If you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail, etc.

I feel like depression and anxiety are less prone to medication-related spikes in reporting because they're terms we've been familiar with for generations. There are some diagnoses that come in and out of "fashion," like bi-polar disorder, ADD/ADHD, aspergers and narcissism, but depression is so mundane that it's not prone to as much of the "I'm so special lookit my disability" over-reporting on the patient side, and there are effective generic medications to treat it so there's less pressure from the pharmaceutical end (now they just push "medication resistant depression" as a thing so they can sell you more pillz).

You also have to remember that psychology has only been a science for 150 years, and has only been in any way a rigorous science for maybe 30. I'm being generous, here... if I was being hard-assed about it I'd say that it is just now in transition from a kind of ridiculous alchemy-type science to a rigorous one.

Dude, look at repressed memories. That was the 1980-90's, for fuck sake.

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

Ugh, I had to school a crossing guard on repressed memories the other day.

Yeah, this is definitely not one of my better theories, just a thing that flitted through my head and I figured it's worth throwing at the wall to see what sticks.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Might as well throw it out there and see if it goes anywhere. In this case, I would say there is insufficient evidence in support. Who knows, give it another 50 years.

I don't think average IQ has increased enough in the last 50 years that we could expect to see a correlated increase in depression, even if our diagnostic standard had been consistent since then. For one thing, although the observed average increase has been significant, most of the change has been on the low end; there are literally just a lot fewer people with IQ's low enough to be considered mentally deficient.

[Telarus]

Might as well throw it out there and see if it goes anywhere. In this case, I would say there is insufficient evidence in support. Who knows, give it another 50 years.

I don't think average IQ has increased enough in the last 50 years that we could expect to see a correlated increase in depression, even if our diagnostic standard had been consistent since then. For one thing, although the observed average increase has been significant, most of the change has been on the low end; there are literally just a lot fewer people with IQ's low enough to be considered mentally deficient.

But there are plenty enough for the ATF to use as Patsies:
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/12/allegations-against-the-atf-using-the-mentally-disabled-as-pawns/282226/

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Might as well throw it out there and see if it goes anywhere. In this case, I would say there is insufficient evidence in support. Who knows, give it another 50 years.

I don't think average IQ has increased enough in the last 50 years that we could expect to see a correlated increase in depression, even if our diagnostic standard had been consistent since then. For one thing, although the observed average increase has been significant, most of the change has been on the low end; there are literally just a lot fewer people with IQ's low enough to be considered mentally deficient.

But there are plenty enough for the ATF to use as Patsies:
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/12/allegations-against-the-atf-using-the-mentally-disabled-as-pawns/282226/

I'm sure those were just exceptions, though... most of the folks working in those departments are good, upstanding guys.

[Pæs]

I'm curious whether we're less happy or whether our depression detecting surveys are more sensitive and our answers to them are more open.