Why Are Mental Health Disorders on the Rise?

feeling anxious depressed powerless well you're not alone a growing number of people all over the world are dealing with mental health problems in fact since 1990 mental disorders have increased globally by 48 besides the direct health and social impact it has on individuals this increase in mental health disorders is costing the global economy almost one trillion dollars each year this means that mental health can no longer be treated as an individual problem but rather as a widespread public health issue so the question is why has there been a rise in mental health issues in the last few decades but before we answer that we need to first understand what causes mental disorders mental health is incredibly complex and there are many variations in combinations of factors that can lead to mental disorders these range from biological factors to external social and environmental factors biological factors include genetics chemical imbalances and physical injuries for example studies have shown that disorders like bipolar depression and schizophrenia have genetic roots which can get passed down in the family more external are direct psychological factors tied to individuals personal experiences cognitive and effective traits like coping skills self-esteem memory or trauma poor self-esteem for example was shown to play a critical role in the development of mental disorders such as depression anxiety and substance abuse even further out are social and environmental factors discrimination poverty pollution displacement food insecurity etc can all have detrimental mental health impacts on a large scale for example a study showed that if people are exposed to prolonged armed conflicts where they experience constant stress and trauma they are more vulnerable to developing a mental disorder some of these external factors can also interact with certain internal factors and put people at higher risk of developing a mental disorder for instance internal factors like sex gender or race can interact with social factors like discrimination and poverty to increase the risk of developing mental problems now that we know what causes mental health problems which of these factors is behind the recent increase in mental disorders in the last 30 years since biological factors like genetics or physical injury have remained relatively constant they can be ruled out but as we move towards the more external social and environmental factors we see that there has been a lot of change in the past few decades and researchers believe that these external social changes have played a significant role in the increase in mental health disorders today let's explore four of these social and environmental changes and see how they have influenced widespread mental health problems over the years the gap between the average incomes of the top 10 percent and the bottom 50 percent of individuals within countries has almost doubled this unequal distribution of income means that despite overall economic growth many people still face financial problems research shows that this economic distress can adversely impact people's mental health as it may promote fear worry and hopelessness and a sense of powerlessness to exert control over their situation a study conducted with low-income families in the u.s showed that persistent poverty-related stress was directly related to symptoms of anxiety and depression [Music] the 2021 ipcc report warns us that global warming and extreme weather events like heat waves and floods will become more frequent and intense direct contact with these extreme weather events can severely disrupt people's lives and lead to trauma loss of resources and social support research reveals that this can increase the risk of developing mental disorders such as ptsd depression general anxiety increased substance use and suicidal thoughts for instance a 2019 study analyzed the mental health of flood victims globally twenty percent of the victims had been diagnosed with depression 28 percent with anxiety and 36 percent with ptsd besides being affected directly by extreme weather events climate change can also affect people's mental health indirectly a 2021 study reported that many people were experiencing negative thoughts about climate change 45 of respondents felt their feelings about climate change negatively impacted their daily life 75 percent of respondents said that they think the future is frightening and 83 percent said that they think people have failed to take care of the planet [Music] humans have evolved as social creatures strongly dependent on familial and social bonds however today many people live alone far away from their communities a major reason for this has been better job opportunities quality education and advanced health care offered in cities due to these incentives the urban population increased from 39 in 1980 to 55 percent today and is expected to increase to 68 percent by 2050 however cities are expensive and have limited space this often results in many people moving to cities alone leaving their families and social support networks behind researchers found that people living in isolation in urban areas are more likely to suffer from certain mental disorders such as anxiety depression alienation and family disintegration [Music] today almost one in three people around the world use social media platforms this technology has a direct link to people's lives and their social connections and interactions but how does it affect mental health many researchers have highlighted that social media is heavily linked to negative well-being and poor self-esteem especially among young people a 2017 study found that people who use seven or more social media platforms were three times more likely to have high levels of anxiety symptoms than those who use zero to two platforms some researchers also say that spending more time on social media can make people experience social isolation moreover according to the center for research almost 25 percent of adolescents believe that social media has a mostly negative effect on their mental health with 13 of 12 to 17 year olds reporting depression and 32 percent reporting anxiety while a lot of this research is still new and ongoing it is clear that the rise of social media is increasing the risk of mental health disorders as we have seen these large-scale social and environmental changes are creating mental health challenges so it's very plausible that the recent increase in global mental health problems is correlated to these large-scale social and environmental changes if that is the case solutions to this public health crisis in addition to conventional treatment and prevention measures need to address these social and environmental challenges as well and since these factors will continue to intensify in the future there is an urgent need for more research policy and awareness about this increasing mental health crisis and its impact on people and communities around the world [Music] you

Channel: Swiss Learning Exchange

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Keywords: mentalhealth, mental health, climate change, change fatigue, climate change fatigue, SLX, SLXvideos, SLXLearning, ClimateReport, doomsday, Global Warming, mental health awareness, positive mental health, social media, media influence, Sustainable Development, public health, public health issue, public health issues, global public health, mental disorder, mental illness, mental health disorders, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, SDGPlus, SDGPlusCourse, emotional damage, Course

Id: JGCUy8w4Ars

Length: 9min 30sec (570 seconds)

Published: Fri Jul 22 2022