The Epidemic of Mental Illness: Why?
This is the first of a two-part review of three books on the subject.
It seems that Americans are in the midst of a raging epidemic of mental illness, at least as judged by the increase in the numbers treated for it. The tally of those who are so disabled by mental disorders that they qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) increased nearly two and a half times between 1987 and 2007—from one in 184 Americans to one in seventy-six. For children, the rise is even more startling—a thirty-five-fold increase in the same two decades. Mental illness is now the leading cause of disability in children, well ahead of physical disabilities like cerebral palsy or Down syndrome, for which the federal programs were created.
Strangely enough, a friend of mine here in Orosi is going to be working for a psychiatrist from the States who will be bringing groups of Americans down with a variety of psychosomatic disorders – some of which will also be hospitalized at times. My friend is just supposed to keep an eye on them, make sure they don’t hurt themselves, take them for walks – or perhaps even play cards with them. She is ecstatic: the perfect job right in her back yard (they will be staying in a resort close to Orosi).
But to get back to the NY Review article – much of which is about the effects of all the new medicines now being heavily used for emotional disorders. The pharmaceutical industry is making a fortune with them – but their effects are dubious, or even harmful.
I have been this route myself – with Prozac. After all the sound and fury about it – and with me being on ever-increasing doses – it was discovered to be no better than a placebo. I dropped it with no serious withdrawal problems.
I was diagnosed with depression – but what I was really suffering from was Silicon Valley (a madhouse if there ever was one) – and then the culture shock of living in Latin America.
I also had experience here with Beth’s emotional problems. At one point, she cracked up completely and ended up on the psych ward at the county hospital. They shot her full of drugs and she recovered – or seemed to. We were told schizophrenia was just an chemical unbalance in the brain – and a cure for it was just around the corner. In reality, nothing changed – her condition worsened, and she ended up killing herself.
I ended up having a dim view of that part of the medical profession.
To me, what is wrong is simple: America has become so crazy it is driving Americans crazy.
That plan of sheltering Americans in Costa Rica would be pretty bad if they only had access to other Americans…because that is the problem. Those others are providing the echo chamber of neurosis–the shared psycho problems we all have. Instead they ought to be sheltered among Ticos.
One nice thing about Latino culture is that barriers of access to those younger or older isn’t there. A guy in his seventies could easily form relationships with twenty year olds–something nearly impossible here in the bad old USA.
You are right, and you are wrong. You are right about staying away from Gringos – I have learned that the hard way.
Of course an old Gringo can have a young Tica – if he has the money to take care of her, and her children (which can be cute). This was also true when my father was a Marine stationed in Haiti back in 1930 – he had a local woman who loved him devotedly. She was also black (mostly) and that horrified his family back in Iowa. He abandoned her.
I have to settle for living with the Latinos, with all their noise. But they are friendly, and what more can you ask?