It was brought to my attention that one third of the American population is on antidepressants. This was shocking to me since I thought when I was growing up that depression is rare and only effects a small part of the population. However, one third is very significant. So I then think, is this because more and more people are becoming depressed in an increasing sedentary life style and unsatisfactory 9-5 desk jobs? This seems plausible, that depression is becoming more common because of the unsatisfactory lives people live. Maybe too many people are living for a monotary value and leading empty lives. This maybe true, but I think there is a better explanation for this unexpected statistic.
More and more people are coming forward and talking about their problems now that it is culturally acceptable. It is the common believe in the present that sharing your feelings is good. In the generations before us, your feelings were better off ignored because you had more important things to worry about. So, with this change in public mentality it isn't as surprising of a statistic. Before you were crazy if you saw a psychiatrist, but now the psychiatrist is being viewed more as a regular doctor for average people with problems. This makes more sense since we all have problems. Why not go to a profession for advice?
Some say many patients are over medication, but I believe this is a small percentage of the population. Most of the antidepressants are perscribed to the benefit of people who aren't as happy as they could be do to countless reasons (once again, not because they are crazy). The bright side of this statistis is that most people who need help are actually getting it instead of being pushed aside.
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