The quote above comes from Carl Gustav Jung, a psychiatrist born in 1875. Though Jung died in 1961, this quote was ahead of his time, I believe. If only he could've seen the research done today, he'd truly see the meaning behind his quote. Today, as my dad would say, everyone seems to believe they're sick, or mentally ill in some way- and while comparing the past to the present seems like a great idea, you have to take into consideration that there have been numerous studies done since the beginning of time that have improved our understanding of our minds and how they function.
I believe that saying that everyone today thinks they're ill in comparison to the years prior isn't a fair statement. Cancer existed before we knew it did. So did the more severe mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, or Alzheimer's, or even dementia. I don't think that the severity of an illness should define the "importance" or "validity" of it. Between 1960 and 1970, there were only 350 recorded cases of cancer in the US. As of 2010, it was estimated that 1,685,210 new cases of cancer would be recorded yearly and that of those numbers, 595,690 people would die from the disease. Now... do you think those numbers have escalated because cancer has suddenly began spreading more easily? Or because we've done more research and are now able to identify it much easier. The same holds true for mental illness... just because we didn't have the resources to identify it back then, doesn't mean that it didn't exist. We just didn't recognize it for what it was, and thus we all walked around assuming that how we behaved was normal. As a population, I don't think any of us can any longer say that we aren't mentally ill- it's just how willing we are to accept that as a species, it is within us to be flawed. Some cases are far more severe than others, but in general, I believe that everyone suffers from something (and always has). Research has just come a long way and is at the point where anyone can access information about mental illness, and study for themselves to see what criteria they fit. I think it's great. It empowers a younger generation and gives them the resources to take care of themselves- either through self-help or necessary therapy. It can be just as empowering for the older generations, too... if they'd be willing to take off the rose-colored glasses and accept progress as it is. Some mental illnesses may not sound serious to you, but your opinion in no way invalidates the suffering of those who haven't yet learned to cope with themselves. So if someone wants to say they've self-diagnosed, or that they suffer from a "behavioral issue" or "something they need to get over" such as ADD, ADHD, or an anxiety disorder? All the better. The first step to recovery is identifying the problem and accepting it. Now... I have a lot more that I could say about the medications prescribed for these illnesses... which is what some people confuse for research, I believe. But that is a separate post in and of itself. That's all for now, Maddie
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