Depression, dementia, alcohol dependency and stroke are common culprits
Article Source: msnbc.com
from:msnbc.comNearly 40 percent of Europeans suffer mental illness
Seeded on Sun Sep 4, 2011 8:36 PM EDT (msnbc.com)
- msnbc.com sites & shows:
- TODAY
- Rock Center
- Nightly News
- Meet the Press
- Dateline
- Morning Joe
- Hardball
- Ed
- Maddow
- Last Word
- msnbc tv
Leave a Comment:
Jesus, if it's 40% in Europe what on earth is it in America, 80%
When I read the headlines, PVperson, I had the same reaction. I most likely should not laugh but it is easier than crying as I can no longer read if there are tears.
Too much inbreeding for too long among the White folks.
News Flash FatCat:
Europeans come in every race, color and creed.
And in America we all have guns. Holy @!$%#ing @!$%#!!!!!!!!
And the rest of them are just plain crazy!!
There's a lot of them here to. I read their posts on here all the time talking about how perversion is ok and nothing is wrong with it.
Sounds like a load of Chit.
We have plenty on the right, but even we don’t have that many.
pvperson, that was the laugh of the night. from what i see on a daily basis you got the numbers right
ROTFLMAO!!!!!
See, see, see I've been saying it for years, LIBERALISM IS A DISEASE! The predominance of Liberal Progressivism in Europe is now finally being exposed as the mental disorder that it truly is. For simplicity Liberalism/Socialism will just be described as Liberalism as many Liberal Progressives are very thin-skinned when their true colors as socialists are exposed.
When you combine the findings in Europe in this article with the recent finding that Liberals have a genetic mutation creating a variant of the DRD4 gene that makes them more likely to be Liberal, the explanation is simple. Liberalism is actually a genetic AND mental disorder. This explains the obvious delusional state that most Liberals shuffle through life in and its genetic transmission to their offspring. A vaccine or something stronger MUST be found for this genetically modulated mental disorder to save the millions of children from these infected parents.
The article also exposes another wildly touted propaganda by Liberals of the superior health care systems in Europe.
Sorry my good but delusional Liberal Progressive friends, facts don't lie. The so-called exceptional European health-care systems are just illusions. No more, no less.
The article even includes the usual Scandinavian countries that everyone wants to move to. More concerning is that the percentage from the 2005 study has risen from 27% to 38% in a mere 5 years. This can only be explained by the fact that the often exalted and praised socialist utopia that Liberals praise so valiantly in Europe is collapsing under its own economic, social and cultural weight. This is proof that socialism is unsustainable, as the late-great Margaret Thatcher predicted so eloquently. Now we see the severe damage it can do to the frail psyche of the Liberal Progressives who cling so tightly to the nanny-state.
The severity of the Liberal disease is further offered.
This follows the very accurate saying, "When you're young and not Liberal you have no heart, but when you get older and are not Conservative, you have no brain." We now see this being clearly evident with the likes of Howard Dean, Bill Ayers, Bernadine Dohrn, Francis Fox Piven and other radical extremists of the 1960/70's seeing their socialist/Marxist dreams falling apart. These and others are obviously manifesting the malignant impact in later life the article describes.
Even though we can HOPE that these mentally dysfunctional Liberal beliefs can be treated pharmacologically many of us know that the only true cure is elimination of its proponents and substituting them with the only logical and simple cure, Conservativism. We have seen a mass movement in this direction in 2010, the only Hope we have for real Change is to continue this through 2012, 2014 and further until this disease is fully eliminated and sent to the graveyard as was Leninism, Marxism and Maoism.
markmich - people like you can never stick to the subject at hand but have to turn everything into a political comment. Don't you think it's time to grow up?
I don't think you realize that this number is only those that have been diagnosed. The actual number is logically higher.
The most disturbing thing in the article is that "[t]hose few receiving treatment do so with considerable delays of an average of several years and rarely with the appropriate, state-of-the-art therapies." The idea that it takes someone several years after diagnosis to get appropriate care is frightening. If this is what happens with socialized medicine, I hope we never see it in the US. The idea that someone would have to wait so long to get needed treatment is not much better than no treatment at all. When you think of the level to which someone can deteriorate over years with an untreated mental illness it is scary. An mild problem that would have been easily treatable can become a completely disabling illness with little hope of recovery in that amount of time.
My grandmom used to tell me that what we seem to call depression, insomnia, anxiety... (she'd say "down in the dumps," "not getting enough sleep," "scared of (a teacher, a bully, a test) is normal, and git off ur bum and wake up and smell the coffee."
Depression... she'd say "do something! something hard that you don't want to do... scrub the dang floor. What's to be sad about? So your boy friend is a cotton flickin' cheatin' flake. Get over it." (Oddly, down on my knees scrubbing the floor I found I was thinking, panting, will I make it clean enough? Will she make me do the dishes tonight, too?)
Insomnia? "Easy, go out in the fields and tie the bundles your granddaddy is threshing. You'll be so tired afterword you will plop to sleep before the birds stop tweeting."
Worried? "Do something about it! Talk to your teacher. If the bully is bigger? run. If not, inseparable your nose and thumb. A test??? You have to ask? Less than an A you get grounded a week to read to me every night outta the book you should of learned."
Her message was really... "You don't like it? Fix it. And quit whining."
Now, I didn't know the word "dementia" when I was a kid, and I know she didn't either. But a severely abnormally behaving person who hurt others was simply locked up back then. The others were looked after by the village (she was born in).
No wonder Europe has such gigantic figures LOLOL... and posters are probably right... no doubt there is a higher percentage among us.
Lazy bums aren't we.
Gator: I see this "not sticking to the subject" constantly in almost ANY comment section to almost ANY topic from both sides, the left and the right.
It's not that everyone is stupid (well, some are) but some have a different world view. It never helps to question anyone's intelligence, their heart or even their compassion.
To my mind, Leninism, Marxism or Maoism is the inevitable end-product of Socialism, or what most people think is Socialism. The US is not fully capitalist, not fully socialist. Neither are the Euro countries ... yet.
Back on topic ... in Spain, psychiatrists recognize as a legitimate psychological disorder the funk vacationers experience going back to work after their vacations.
Obviously, if the 38% figure is correct (and one wonders what kind of candy-ass wimps live in Europe if the figure is correct) something is very wrong. I think ... as in England ... where large blocks of the population have lived on the dole for generations (i.e., mum and dad, and now their adult offspring) now that would work on your self-esteem and then you come to feel entitled to it, and then start rioting and burning stuff because almost every govt is finding out that they're running out of other people's money to give away (a paraphrase from Maggie Thatcher).
Guess I'm old school. Suck it up and stop whining. :)
UMGator
If you don't see the obvious political implications of this article you need to take your rose-colored glasses off and stop drinking the double-strength Kool-Aid.
This is as blatantly a political referendum as it is a psychological/medical one. Liberalism abounds in Europe and its alleged virtues are constantly exalted by the Left. For years now we are seeing the death of that socialist ideology. The economic upheaval is just a result of its moral, cultural and social failures. Massive debt, similar to ours, because of unsustainable entitlements and social programs is being fully exposed. Multiculturalism is failing in one country after another. Moral decay is seen more and more as societal structure that has worked for millennia are being replaced with nonsensical political correctness.
When you look at the tumult and chaos occurring in Europe and the rest of the world DO NOT believe that the same fate is not soon coming to our great Republic. For decades we have been corrupted by Progressivism and now its ugly reality is being exposed. It is a failed and irrational ideology. This article is just a small piece of the huge puzzle that socialism and Progressivism creates. It has never worked in a nation our size and it never will.
I realize facts don't mean anything to those that already have their mind made up. Our nation’s survival and American exceptionalism depend on Conservative beliefs dominating. Progressivism has and will only continue to fail as it has for nearly 100 years.
PVperson,
My sentiments are the same.
My God...how high is the mental illness rate here in the U.S.?
Europeans report being happier than Americans and they have far fewer hand guns than our citizens pack.
Additionally, Eugropeans have better access to health care and they live longer than Americans.
You rock, Mark. Listened to some news clips with David Gregory today ... Rep Maxine Waters (D-Calif) was saying the president needs to get those bankers in here and tell them to refinance those loans, make sure the interest rates are less than 4%., make them bring the call centers back home yada yada. Every word out of her mouth and many others like her is asking for authoritarian govt. Sounds kind of like DICTATING doesn't it. My earlier point was or should have been: Liberalism becomes Socialism... Socialism becomes government by force, take your pick, dictatorship, communism, etc.
AHHHHHH YES, THE LIBERAL PROGRESSIVES COLLAPSE WHAT THEY CAN'T DEFEND!
Such is the cowardice of Liberals. Censoreship is their last line of defense to facts they can't dispute. If they can't obfuscate they castigate.
I and hundreds of others have been villified, insulted and had obscenities thrown at us and we never collapse a post. Liberal Progressives hate, anger, xenophobia, secularism and racism is prevalent on these threads and no one collapses them.
The hypocrisy of Liberalism is obvious.
I am sorry you feel that your opinions are vilified and censored. Have you ever thought that your opinions are silly and something that might get you arrested?
PVperson, did Jesus ever respond?
AhhCrap
Silly? Of course not. Unless you consider facts silly. Oh wait, you are a Liberal Progressive so facts are all silly to you. You've already made your mind up DESPITE facts, haven't you.
Arrested? Of course not. Once again, only if you're a Liberal Progressive and you think anyone with facts should be arrested.
Hypocrite!
'The Social Dimensions of Mental Illness, Alcoholism and Drug Dependence'.
http://www.questia.com/read/15417496?title=The%20Social%20Dimensions%20of%20Mental%20Illness%2c%20Alcoholism%20and%20Drug%20Dependence
"Mental and substance use disorders often go hand in hand. This study adds to the evidence of this connection," said Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Administrator Pamela S. Hyde, J.D.
Read more: Study Links Alcohol Dependence to Mental Illness | MedIndia http://www.medindia.net/news/Study-Links-Alcohol-Dependence-to-Mental-Illness-85912-1.htm#ixzz1X6VpyZcE
A 10-year study showed that adolescents who were not depressed but used marijuana were four times more likely to be depressed at follow-up, suggesting marijuana could cause depression. This study also showed that those who were not depressed when first surveyed and then used opioids were 228 times more likely to be depressed at follow-up... see Kuepper R, van Os J, Lieb R, Wittchen HU, Höfler M, Henquet C. Continued cannabis use and risk of incidence and persistence of psychotic symptoms: 10 year follow-up cohort study. BMJ. 2011 Mar 1, 342:d738. doi: 10.1136/bmj.d738.
Gee, imagine that, durring a recession many people suffer anxiety, depression or suffer many a sleepless night of worry. Next think you know they'll be telling us water is wet!
In congress and the government as whole, it sure appears to be closer to 95-99% that are afflicted with some type of mental deficiency.
It should be a mandatory testing of ones mental faculties before any person can be swore in to any political office.
We sure couldn't do with having a bunch of "crazy" people running our government now could we? /s
ZIP2
Yes, and since they do not have any medical coverage anymore they can just suck it up. Damn, we sure are a compassionate country. Someone mentioned that he/she thought allot of bloggers were drinking Ripple, well he/she was probably being racist but I think Ripple is all some can afford while unemployed.
Nearly 40 percent of Europeans
suffer mental illness
Stated another way this headline, more accurately might state, "Psycho/Pharma Seeks to Increase Sales by 40%". In actuality this "statistic" is nothing but an advert.
The WPA (World Psychiatric Association) whose publication partnership with sister organization, the APA (American Psychiatric Association) puts out the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual outlining 'diagnostic criteria and insurance billing codes for the "treatment" of mental illnesses) has been increased in size from roughly 25-30 criteria in the 70's TO OVER 300 DIAGNOSING CRITERIA IN THEIR LAST REVISION and the new revision (with even MORE criteria) is in the "comment" phase right now and scheduled for release in 2012.
So while they can create a "study" which says that "40% of Europeans suffer from mental illness" what the studay ATUALLY FINDS IS THAT THE CRITERIA HAVE BEEN BROADENED TO INCLUDE MORE PEOPLE.
It has NOTHING to do with members of the public running around in the throws of mental illness. It means that the criteria are so broad and overlapping that ANYONE could qualify on ANY given day in NUMEROUS CATEGORIES.
It's a SALES SCHEME.
Don't race-troll, FatCatGets$700Bil. You're suspended for a day for violating #5 of the Code of Honor.
Depressants such as alcohol & pot causes mental illness. 40% of suicides involve depressants. Russia's alcoholism & suicides go hand & hand.
It you look at the demographics and infection rates the EU & USA have a reason to have mentally illness...
The EU with their permissive view of Illegal drug use has resulted in the following...
Hepatitis C Infection rates - Researchers analyzed international data and found infection among injection drug users (IDUs) were 60 to 80% in 25 countries and greater than 80% in 12 other countries.
These countries included Spain (80%), Norway (76%), Germany (75%), France (74%), United States (73%), China (67%), Canada (64%), Italy (81%), Portugal (83%), the Netherlands (86%), and Mexico (97%).
Lower rates were seen in New Zealand (52%), Australia (55%) and the United Kingdom (50%), the researchers noted.
Hepatitis B infection rates - Were 5 to 10% in 21 countries and more
than 10% in 10 countries. The highest rates were in Vietnam (20%), Estonia (19%), Saudi Arabia (18%) and Taiwan (17%). The United Kingdom had the highest rate in Western Europe at 9%. The rate in the United States was 12%.
The study, is published online 28 July 2011 in The Lancet. see http://www.doctorslounge.com/index.php/news/hd/21915
HIV/AIDS Infection rates -
UK/EU - The UK average is 149 cases per million inhabitants for NEW INFECTIONS, the third highest rate behind Estonia (504) and Portugal (205). The average for the EU is 67 cases per million. HIV testing indicates, that there has been no reduction in the significant rate of HIV transmission amongst gay men and the rates of heterosexual infection continue to rise.
USA - Wayne Wiebel, an epidemiologist at the University of Illinois' Chicago campus. Found that HIV infection among US IDUs nationwide hasn't been uniform. New York City has the highest rate of HIV infection, with 60% of tested addicts infected. Newark, NJ, follows close behind with 50%. Chicago's numbers appear somewhat less, a city wide infection rate of about 21% among IDUs. Up to 24% of San Francisco's addict population tests positive for HIV. Yet in a number of cities, including New Orleans and Minneapolis, drug communities remain virtually pristine, with only about 1% of addicts infected.
At the University of California, San Francisco Chaisson and his colleagues interviewed 633 heterosexual IV drug users and tested them for HIV infection. They found black addicts at higher risk of getting AIDS: 26% of black drug abusers tested positive for HIV, compared with 10% of Hispanic and 6% of white drug users. Interviews revealed that blacks favored injecting cocaine rather than heroin or other IV drugs. Forty-seven percent of the blacks injected cocaine, compared with 30% of the white and 37% of the Hispanic IV drug users. Chaisson and his co-workers describe their findings in the Jan. 27 JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
The question to ask - Have new laws allowing addicts to buy syringes over the counter or through exchange programs increased drug use by frequency or population???
The article is about mental illness, not infection rates, hepatitis or HIV/AIDS. Last I heard, hepatitis is a liver disease and HIV/AIDS is are diseases of the immune system, so what do they have to do with depression, dementia, etc.?
In fairness, I think one has to be mentally ill in the first place to get hooked on drugs.
The point was, if you have a serious illness, with higher rates of infected people in a region, those people will tend towards depression, and some, towards suicide.
Duh?
I'd be depressed if I had HIV or Hepatitis C (or B) :)
UMGator,
If you think there is no connection read...
'The Social Dimensions of Mental Illness, Alcoholism and Drug Dependence'.
http://www.questia.com/read/15417496?title=The%20Social%20Dimensions%20of%20Mental%20Illness%2c%20Alcoholism%20and%20Drug%20Dependence
"Mental and substance use disorders often go hand in hand. This study adds to the evidence of this connection," said Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Administrator Pamela S. Hyde, J.D.
Read more: Study Links Alcohol Dependence to Mental Illness | MedIndia http://www.medindia.net/news/Study-Links-Alcohol-Dependence-to-Mental-Illness-85912-1.htm#ixzz1X6VpyZcE
A 10-year study showed that adolescents who were not depressed but used marijuana were four times more likely to be depressed at follow-up, suggesting marijuana could cause depression. This study also showed that those who were not depressed when first surveyed and then used opioids were 228 times more likely to be depressed at follow-up... see Kuepper R, van Os J, Lieb R, Wittchen HU, Höfler M, Henquet C. Continued cannabis use and risk of incidence and persistence of psychotic symptoms: 10 year follow-up cohort study. BMJ. 2011 Mar 1, 342:d738. doi: 10.1136/bmj.d738.
But like you said mental illness has NO CONNECTION to illegal drug use and the hep B & C infections that results from it... Ha! Ha!
Sorry, AC Robertson, but UMGator is right. The article was not about infection rates or the connection between addiction and mental illness. Hepatitis was not even mentioned in the article.
Ah the Libs and promoters of ILLEGAL Drugs are out in force...
But they think there is no connection between mental illness and drug use and the resulting illnesses...
First indicator of a personality that is susceptible to addictions is - DENIAL...
Proof living as a commie drives you NUTS!!
Simple, AC Robertson is getting depressed that soon he'll be out of a job, what's his job? He profiteers off of the war on drugs and the destruction of lives that causes.
Z1P2,
I'm retired, I terminated many careers of illegal drug-users, while I was in the US Military...
The country where I live now, they put dealers/traffickers to DEATH. The users go to jail for long periods or sometimes DEATH, and they have to rely on family and friends so they can survive in jail...
Funny, the only places that seem to have drug problems are were the western tourist like to go...
like I said... the war on drugs does nothing but destroy lives... and you profiteered off of doing just that. Make no mistake, the US will decriminalize marijuana soon, no matter what people like you think... because the rest of us don't see the need to destroy so many lives over a drug that was only outlawed to protect the timber industry.
Z1P2,
The next time you are flying, think about how many people were high when they were working on the aircraft you are on... Or if the Pilots are popping a few to make the boredom better...
We were maintaining supersonic armed aircraft. You think that the technicians and crew will preform just as well when they are high???
You want to kill yourself, I'm fine with that. But do not place the lives of others in jeopardy when you do it, or expect society to pay your hospital & burial expenses......
Not everyone flips burgers or sits @ home on their parents dime...
Most work at occupations where other people lives are placed in jeopardy if they are not working @ their optimum.
Even the person working construction, when they are operating heavy machinery or working on energized equipment. Just a moment of inattention could cause their or others DEATH...
Or the truck-driver moving down the highway @ 75MPH in his 30+ton vehicle...
But HEY - You have no problem with them using, because it cost so much to ENFORCE existing laws...
Once, while working the test desk in an electronics plant where we built military and life support equipment, ( I was testing boards for ultra-sound monitors at the time) I overheard one of the suits from the front office grilling a line lead as to why the production and quality in her department had suddenly and drastically deteriorated. She reminded him that her department had been hit with a drug screen the month before, and whined,"I always lose all my best help for marijuana."
So, no, I don't have a problem with someone stoned building the plane I'm flying in. In fact I would prefer it. Detailed work requiring a low tolerance for variance, and a steady hand, which is endlessly repeated, is much better done by someone who is stoned, than by someone with a hangover. I know, because I've done it in both conditions. By the way, I know a couple of stoners who've been building molds for the fuselage on Lear jets, for years.
In most types of manufacturing, it's not mistakes made by people who are high on pot, you should worry about. It's mistakes made by people who are high on the fumes from the resins and chemicals we have to work with, you should worry about. A lot of that stuff absorbs right through the skin, so masks are no help.
SonofMollyM,
That is BS, I have a C-Level Minicomp repair certification. That is multi-level circuit board repair using 30X-bifocal microscopes...
I also was the one that CDIed the repairs made by others. I could tell if someone had consumed a double espresso, by the quality of their work...
People that work in Hazardous environments, know the requirements to prevent exposure. Only fools violate these rules and supervisors should fire anyone that does...
The only people who think drug users are indispensable are the drug-users themselves...
Shame on you MSNBC for the teaser header for this article. Europeans have depression and old age diseases like alzheimers and you create a "Europeans are Nutcases" header. Why don't you just say "Click me and be Shocked!", or like your advertisements on the right pane, "One Weird Thing about Europeans!"
It got you to read it though, didn't it?
OH what fresh hell is this!? If Europe is 40% mentally unstable the what hell do the numbers look like in America!? Ok, calm down Ga Girl, let's say they they have better access to mental health services and therefore have higher reported numbers then most countries like Loon-nited State America. ROFL!
I don't know about other conditions, but 35% of women in the US have some form of bi-polar disorder.
SonofMollyM, 1 out of 3 (roughly) women have bipolar? That seems a little high.
Welcome to post-Christian Europe.
Justin, you don't thing alcoholism, depression, Alzheimer's, insomnia and dementia happen to Christians? Sometimes the mentally ill don't realize their sick. I guess that may be the case with you.
People need to have a purpose in life.
If you believe in God, well, you have that purpose.
I do believe Christians have lower rates of mental illness than the general population.
Human beings were created for a purpose: fellowship with God and doing His will.
The further people go from that, well, the more lost and confused they become. This is clearly evident in Europe these days.
Justin,
I'm sincerely curious. What are you basing this on?
Being Christian can be a mental illness too....
I disagree Justin, as most of the American Christians we encounter these days are completely off their rockers and believe God brings earthquakes, hurricanes and all kinds of petulance down upon the people. A good Christian is hard to find and they would disagree with you, also.
Oh Justin, you need to check yourself into an locked in care facility for your delusion, how sad for you, do you hear voices telling you what to do? read something written when the earth was flat that controls your life? how sad, you are a flatlander, hey Justin, it is 2011, try to join this ERA, the sun does not revolve around the earth,, so sad for you, sigh, yeah I sigh ,,, ennigh
For so many reasons...that is extremely unlikely.
The belief in invisible, magical beings who are orchestrating life events...or the need or desire to believe these things...doesn't indicate the healthiest frame of mind. There are an endless parade of characters in the bible who could easily be diagnosed with various serious mental disorders.
Most importantly, when religious people are suffering from a mental disability, they are more likely to be referred to an unqualified preacher for counselling rather than a professional who might actually help them. Consequently, they are more likely to waste months or years trying to get better by talking into their hands, and getting worse and worse...before they seek genunine help...or they never seek or receive any real help.
There is nothing to indicate that christian have a lower rate of mental illness, and given the fact that so many may avoid real treatment or be discouraged from it by hack preachers...their rates actually might be higher than the general population.
NotKidding - Amen to that Brother or Sister!!
Justin, deviant behavior and disease appear in any and all populations. One clear example that comes to mind is the scandal involving priests in the Catholic church. Their Christian purpose certainly did not keep them from totally unacceptable behavior.
Illness should be considered on an individual basis. And some people with problems may be hidden because those around them have come to accept abnormal behavior as normal.
The results of this study are troubling.
When you go to church the devil is the first one through the door. He's there waiting on you. The tempter is everywhere.
Notkidding.. You are so right.
Justin - the Christian bigotry on the vine is well known. You have no chance of cutting through this noise with the truth about Christianity.
You are right of course, but that is beside the point.
How do I know? The immediate name calling and insulting that spews from the hate filled lefties.
I think you have to have a mental illness to believe in any religion. It's in the same boat as bigfoot and UFO's. Except there is better evidence for UFO's and bigfoot
Justin-2196821, I will agree that faith(true faith) in a power greater than oneself or any other individual brings inner peace and mental stability for many of us. An awesome view of a great ocean, a towering mountain peak or a the vastness of space on a clear night may bring such peace to some of us.
That holds true for most religions. Jehovah for the Jews. Allah for the Muslims. Jesus Christ as the Son Of God for the Christians. The "Eternal Law" for the Hindus and Mother Earth for most American Indian tribes. Most historical writings of these religions prescribe peace and respect for humanity, the creatures that share our planet and the planet itself (when taken in context of the era of those writings).
I have the utmost respect for those that actually live their lives according to that blind faith. Their lives are truly enriched and they enrich the lives of those that know them. I have been very fortunate to know just a few such people.
However, we naturally seek control of others to fulfill our needs from the moment of our birth. The infant's cries for nourishment and attention always become more and more demanding without parental guidance. Many of us mature and learn to care for ourselves. Just as many of us never mature to deviously invent other ways to control those around us to fulfill our needs.
We often prey on weak-minded individuals by picking and choosing (out of context) phrases from ancient Holy texts to distort their meaning. We use that deception to control those that try and fail to achieve inner peace, through blind faith, despite their futile efforts. These misguided "believers" then transfer that illusive faith to the predators that are more than glad to lead them to chaos.
That explains the Christian Inquisition, the Christian Crusades and many other deadly religious wars throughout history. It explains the followers of Reverend Jim Jones in Jonestown, Guyana that fed their children (and later themselves) cyanide- laden kool-aid at his command. The suicidal members of Heaven's Gate. The terrorists of 9/11 following the Muslim "religion" of Osama Bin Laden that murdered 3,000 innocent American men, women and children.
Europe is a large continent filled with people of many religions. It is the continent that built the first Christian church that remains the largest Christian church in the world today. You outrageous claim that lack of Christianity is to blame for the results of this study is absurd. You must look within yourself and those you follow to explain such absurdity.
Well, that explains the socialism.
Yeah ctviking, because after all, our capitalism doesn't make our country better. You're a fool.
If it's so much better there, you're welcome to go there. BUt then they might have to revise that percentage upward.
You know what, ctviking, I think that at times. After all, they have one-upped us on numerous occasions. But I love my country, because I still believe we can recover from this mess we are in, and shut people like you up who scream that socialism is one thing: bad. Period. You wonder why the world thinks we are arrogant? You're an example.
I don't say I like everything about socialism. There is stuff I hate about it too, and with capitalism, vice versa. A mixture of it, though, is good, but people like you, who fear socialism, believe that it has taken over our country. We are still mostly capitalist, not even close to Europe.
MS12-
Have you seen a doctor?
MS you're right, not all of socialism is bad. Not all of government is bad.
But when you have lived in this country for 50+ years like I have, and have seen professional politicians tell us why we need them so much, and how valuable government is, along with why we should be paying higher and higher salaries to these experts, and then to see the mess that they have created, it is very difficult to stomach any ideas of more government.
There is not one area of national government that is not overbuilt, under-performing, filled with incompetence, fraud, abuse or criminality.
From our sales of weapons to criminals to not protecting citizenship, overspending that makes Enron look like a class project gone wrong to regulatory agencies that do not regulate.
They estimate we've wasted $60 billion in Iraq on overspending, and that with an organization (the military) that already overspends on everything from wrenches to toilet seats.
We have two generations now of citizens who do not work. We have government people retiring in their 50's with six-figure incomes for life.
This is just a few off the top of my head.
Until these imbeciles are brought to account, there are many of us that simply will not trust MORE government, even if it makes sense. The issue is now trust.
Justin-2196821, I will agree that faith(true faith) in a power greater than oneself or any other individual brings inner peace and mental stability for many of us. An awesome view of a great ocean, a towering mountain peak or a the vastness of space on a clear night may bring such peace to some of us.
That holds true for most religions. Jehovah for the Jews. Allah for the Muslims. Jesus Christ as the Son Of God for the Christians. The "Eternal Law" for the Hindus and Mother Earth for most American Indian tribes. Most historical writings of these religions prescribe peace and respect for humanity, the creatures that share our planet and the planet itself (when taken in context of the era of those writings).
I have the utmost respect for those that actually live their lives according to that blind faith. Their lives are truly enriched and they enrich the lives of those that know them. I have been very fortunate to know just a few such people.
However, we naturally seek control of others to fulfill our needs from the moment of our birth. The infant's cries for nourishment and attention always become more and more demanding without parental guidance. Many of us mature and learn to care for ourselves. Just as many of us never mature to deviously invent other ways to control those around us to fulfill our needs.
We often prey on weak-minded individuals by picking and choosing (out of context) phrases from ancient Holy texts to distort their meaning. We use that deception to control those that try and fail to achieve inner peace, through blind faith, despite their futile efforts. These misguided "believers" then transfer that illusive faith to the predators that are more than glad to lead them to chaos.
That explains the Christian Inquisition, the Christian Crusades and many other deadly religious wars throughout history. It explains the followers of Reverend Jim Jones in Jonestown, Guyana that fed their children (and later themselves) cyanide- laden kool-aid at his command. The suicidal members of Heaven's Gate. The terrorists of 9/11 following the Muslim "religion" of Osama Bin Laden that murdered 3,000 innocent American men, women and children.
Europe is a large continent filled with people of many religions. It is the continent that built the first Christian church that remains the largest Christian church in the world today. You outrageous claim that lack of Christianity is to blame for the results of this study is absurd. You must look within yourself and those you follow to explain such absurdity.
The title is ridiculous, the study clearly looked at the very large umbrella of neurological disorders, which is clearly stated in the first sentence. 'Mental illness' has a connotation of psychological diseases, which can be a type of neurological disease, but are only 1 type. MSNBC is irresponsible to title this article as it does. Hopefully the actual authors of the scientific article will complain as well.
Dude. It'e titled that way to get people to read. It's the oldest journalistic technique ever.
Seriously though, if insomnia is included, then half the college population is "mentally ill". Half the working population suffers from some level of anxiety, so 40% would be considerably less than what's in America.
My GOD, if insomnia is included, then EVERY NEWBORN BABY HAS A MENTAL ILLNESS!! that'll be the next headline, watch.
Eh, not every baby,Z1P2.
IN the US the number of mentally ill must be even higher- it's over 20% with just the teabaggers- add in those losing their homes due to getting scammed on their mortgages- the long term unemployed- the Koch brothers, Grover Norquist, Cantor, Boehner, McConnell, Joe Walsh, DeMint- that must be at least 38%.
You Musn't forget the liberal trolls as well, Mate...
I am surprised it took until the 7th comment for some troll to try and steer the discussion to US partisan politics. Not everything has to do with US partisan politcs and it certainly is not applicable to this story. Try staying on subject when commenting or stay under your rock and leave the discussion to the adults who can!
"Alcohol dependency" is more a physical thing, which would drop the number significantly. Also, distinctions need to be made between mild issues and overwhelming issues.
A mental dependency is a mental illness. I think someone is in denial.
So they drink more. So what. At least they have beer WORTH drinking;)
MYOB-1251250: You don't get the shakes because of your brain. You don't sweat out withdrawal symptoms because of your brain.
Now, did you have an actual point, or did you just feel like posting some ignorance?
I am not sure what to say. I was in Europe recently, and the people their I met are pretty well, both physically and mentally. But if their problems include problems our country suffers, how can this study's results be surprising to us here in the US?
MS: Me too. Spent the month of June in Spain and France. And the people I met seemed well, physically and mentally. But so what? We interact (probably) with at most no more than a few hundred people. What conclusions can you draw from that?
They were worried (especially in Spain) about their prospects, their economic futures. And, like here some are sick of the Nanny / Welfare state and others say mother can I have some more free stuff.
Spain, by now has probably enacted their balanced budget amendment. Although I personally think govt should get the hell out of our lives and leave us "mostly" alone ... I don't have a good feeling about that amendment. But the Socialists (Zapatero's party) and the Partido Popular (relatively conservative party) both back it. I think that egg is already cracked, Spain will leave the EU, go back to the Peseta, devalue their currency, get back on track, and everyone will go back to being mentally healthy again. lol :)
OH puhleeze. . . . everyone has some form of mental illness at one level or another. Some folks are bi-polar, some are control freaks, some are depressed, some use drugs/alcohol. Some are just too darned happy and out of touch. So what? Truly, many folks suffer from intense forms of mental illness, and they need agressive and comprehensive treatments. I'm not trying to minimize the importance of the treatment of mental health issues (in any country or place), but saying that 38% of Europe is crazy . . . . well . . . . is just crazy.
Most of us are just mildly crazy. I'm a little obsessive-compulsive about having a clean and orderly kitchen and the laundry done and put away, but that's my "mental disorder." I'm positive I'm not alone. My neighbor is a little bit of a germaphobe. She puts bleach in all her dishwater and most of her laundry. The guy down the street insists on washing and detailing his car about every other day. And he drinks a beer when he does it, too. Yeah, way mentally ill, LOL. But this would count as mental illness on the European study, as well.
Who writes these "studies" anyway? I've said for years that you can make a study out of anything, and this just proves it once again. I think there should be a study about how much money someone makes for doing a study. Let me know if there's a market for that, I'd be happy to do it; just pay me! In the meantime, I think I'll load the dishwasher.
It's not considered a true mental illness unless it profoundly and negatively impacts your ability to live your life. If it's an illness then it cannot be overcome by willpower or determination.
If tomorrow all mental health medicine and all therapists and everybody else who treats mental illness vanished, we could see who was really ill and who isn't. People who are ill would be unable to live a reasonable life, while the others would suffer through somehow. Unhappy, maybe, but functional.
Actually, mental illness is not measured by intensity. Mental illness comes in all shapes, sizes, forms, etc. I think this study tried to cover all venues. Who knows, we didn't get to see the "study" requirements. By the way, "unhappiness" has a diagnostic code for mental illness.
Oh, c'mon guys, you know why so many are diagnosed this way? So the head shrinkers can sell meds and get their kickbacks from Big Pharma! I'd bet that if every person in this country went through a mental health eval, (every adult, that is), EVERY SINGLE ONE would be "found" to have some kind of mental disorder, whether mild or severe. They just love to find out what is "wrong" with us so they can order expensive medicine to fix it.
I've got a neighbor who sits for hours and picks moss out of his lawn - however I think its therapy just like women who knit or clean their kitchens - whatever floats your boat - who cares these are harmless exercises and if it makes them content go for it
Just like the people on these sites who comment for hours, solves nothing but lets off steam
Catsclaw81 - I was wondering how long it would take for the conspiracy theorist to crawl out of the woodwork. Looks like they just did.
Gator: personally, I don't think it's a conspiracy ... but drugs do seem to be just about the only tool in most doctor's repetoire.
Me, I'm like Nancy Reagan: "Just say no to drugs" :)
Is it a mental illness if you don't do drugs because you're paranoid about how they'll affect you?
Since we really do not know what "normal " is, I have to believe Europe is no worse nor better, than the rest of the world with regard to mental disease.
Snicker. I have to agree. I despise the word "normal" when applied to people. What is normal for me is not normal for an air force pilot, or a cop, or one of the totally brave and slightly nutso guys that work on repairing giant bridges and radio towers.
If its 40% in Europe ( I think the story is crap ) then it must be 50.8% in US.
Besides, too many of the European Economies got too close to US Wallstreet and Goldman Sachs. That would depress anybody.
That's it? Only 38%?
For all that extra vacation time they receive, it's apparently not doing much for their mental health.
What goes on over there, I'm not surprised!!!
With a condition as vague as "mental illness" it is quite easy to redefine the parameters to include or exclude just about everybody. Have a down day? Oh, you're suffering from depression. Let's medicate it. Get anxious before an exam. Uh-oh, that's anxiety. Better medicate. it. Doctors are business people. They need customers. So they define the parameters to make their market as large as possible. Dentists do the exact same thing. I now have gum disease. Apparently this afflicts just about everyone. So I need cleanings every three months and special trays. I go see an optometrist and guess what, my 20/20 vision isn't good enough because I have a astigmatism. I need glasses. I go see a dermatologist and I have spots all over me that need to be checked - at $250 a spot. Of course everything comes back normal. The medical profession has gotten to be just like banking and politician - a whole bunch of crooks.
GCV - Exactly - I thought the same thing reading this - there is a profit motive in there somewhere.
One of the 4 mental disorders is insomnia. Really? So if the question is posed, "Do you occasionaly have difficult falling asleep," a 'yes' answer gets you into the rubber room? Same with anxiety, "are you ever anxious?" It's all in how you ask the question and what you're out to prove. C'mon MSNBC, you could be a little more responsible.
And now your post depresses me..............add that in to the total
Fact is modern life is at odds with tens, if not hundreds of thousands of years of human evolution. Human diets used to be primarily Omega 3, with modern "industrial" farming techniques it's overwhelmingly Omega 6. Our brains need Omega 3, sunshine, plenty of exercise i.e. the average human used to walk ten miles per day.
Then there's the crippling effect of modern technology and change; which has out-moded the human potential to adapt and form the types of lasting bonds we need. A pill might make it seem better and oddly worse at the same time. Truth is a pill isn't a long term solution to what ills us as western societies have evolved.
The few remaining hunting and gathering tribes; on the face of this planet. Don't even know what long term depression and/or mental illness is. Much less a cavity.
Sometimes I think it was a bad idea for our ancestors to leave the ocean, much less the trees!
Absolutely correct. The dehumanizing, industrialized society that is forced upon us in the name of "progress" takes a heavy toll on the human spirit. The social fabric and relationships with the living earth have been ripped away to perpetuate this notion that advancement and success is defined by personal gain of material wealth. So smug we are to think technological advances somehow equates to better quality of life. It is unnatural for humans to live this way. This is why so many become ill in trying but failing to deal with this conflict within ourselves.
References, please.
Don't need references for something THAT simple. Most people ate meat before the advent of systematic agriculture. For ex., cattle eating their natural diet, grass, provide predominantly Omega-3. Fed an 'industrial farming' diet of grain, the meat is predominantly Omega-6. That's why you want to eat grain-fed beef. It's common knowledge for an educated person
Noone has to provide references for "the day is 24 hrs long". a horse can't climb a tree, etc.
Jim - any post that is made as though it is fact needs to be referenced. There are too many loonies on Newsvine who post statements that are personal opinion, notfact. In reality, scientists do not knoe for certain whether Omega 3s are solely responsible for the apparent increase in depression.
BTW, it should be no one, not "noone". Your post might carry more impact if you were able to spell correctly. Why would anyone take you seriously if you can't spell or at least click on spell-check?
Umm, ABCzyx?
It's "....not fact.", not ".... notfact."
And it's "know", not "knoe".
You might want to re-consider your second paragraph.
I truly believe mental illness is rampant and a breeding ground in our school system. Tackling bullying in school is a good step but much much more needs to be done.
I would put America's number much higher than Europe's.
It's stigma and ignorance that's the problem as displayed in these post.
They're talking about proven physiological medical problems, not personality flaws. There are many medical problems that are caused by the brain.
Alchoholism and/or drug addiction was proven to be a psychiological medical cause 15 years ago and successful medications have been created in the last several years but not only does the public not know about it, those that do don't want to accept it. They want to hold on to what makes them feel superior.
Note how dementia and Alziemers is included in mental illness. Why? Mental = brain. It's all really a field that belongs to neuorology.
The brain controls everything, your feelings, your emotions, your thoughts, even your hormones. If something in the brain is damaged, a neuron disconnected, it can affect your behavior.
Got knocked on the head? Well that damage may not show up for years. And it can affect your behavior.
Any of you have an elderly person with dementia? It's not natural because of their age. Note how they think differently, or how everything they knew before is twisted. Note how they're not the person you've know all your life. It's not because they've changed their character. Somethings wrong with their brain.
Start learning about neoroscience.
That is not a completely accurate statement. One theory regarding the origins of Alzheimer's is that the disease is due to the buildup of plaque in brain tissue. This process takes time to develop to the point that symptoms become evident. Thus, Alzheimer's is related to aging and the elderly. It is rarely, if ever, seen in young people.
UMGator,
Just like 'Mad Cow' (BSE) is not in the USA... Ha! Ha!
The majority of the US cattle are slaughtered prior to them becoming old enough to become symptomatic...
Unlike the UK where the cows were maintained for many additional years...
The US deer population is symptomatic because they are not harvested until they have prominent racks... But the public calls it 'scabies' (CWD), not 'Mad cow', it is a PR thing... Ha! Ha!
In humans they call it Alzheimer's or CJD...
The pharmaceutical industry is trying to hide the chemical (organophosphates) source of BSE and CJD, which damages prions in brains. Because a chemical connection would expose the role of the insecticides in Alzheimer's -- another neuro-degenerative disease...
Sorry, AC, but Alzheimer's andCJD are not the same disease. According to Nobel Laureate Dr. Stanley Prusiner, the common characteristic of virtually all neurodegenerative diseases is abnormal processing of proteins in the brain. All of the neurodegenerative diseases, including CJD, occur sporadically or are genetically inherited. However, CJD differs from the other neurodegenerative diseases in one important respect: it also is transmissible.
Alzheimer’s destroys the nerve cells that process, store and retrieve information in the brain. This nerve cell destruction is thought to be the result of accumulation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Amyloid is a general term for protein fragments that the body produces normally. In a healthy brain, these protein fragments would be broken down and eliminated. In AD patients, the fragments accumulate to form hard, insoluble plaques. Neurofibrillary tangles are insoluble twisted strands of a protein called tau protein that form inside brain cells. Scientists do not yet know whether the plaques or tangles cause AD or are a byproduct of some other process.
CJD also destroys nerve cells in the brain. However, while extensive amyloid plaque accumulation is the prominent feature of Alzheimer’s, only about 10% of CJD cases exhibit amyloid plaque. CJD is characterized as a prion disease because it is caused by an infectious protein particle known as a prion. Prions are the only known pathogens that are devoid of nucleic acid (prions contain no DNA or RNA). Unlike Alzheimer’s disease, which is not transmissible, CJD can be transmitted through exposure to the pathogenic form of the prion protein molecule that causes it.
CJD & Mad Cow/Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the infectious agent is believed to be a specific type of misfolded protein called a prion.
Currently there is just not enough evidence to say Alzheimer's is not related or even if it is not transmittable...
Paul Brown, medical director for the U.S. Public Health Service (Gruzen, 1996), said that the brains of the young people who died from the new CJD variant in the UK even look like Alzheimer's brains (Hager, 1996). Stanley Prusinger, the scientist who coined the term prion, speculates Alzheimer's may in fact turn out to be a prion disease (Prusiner, 1984).
The problem is our desire to medicalize ordinary facets of our existence. Many of those posting here want to politicize this phenomenon as well. Another illness altogether.
I'm a Texan; we'd love to get it below 65%!
Some of the depressions could be excused due to the @!$%#ty summer weather most of northern europe had this year-constant rain can make the hardiest person a bit cookoo.
Just don't get sick. Don't get crazy. Cope with the mess you find yourself in, or be punished for finding yourself here. It's easier to swim than sink.
For what it's worth.
Thank you. I read earlier this year 1 in 5 U.S. adults has a "mental disorder." I have '3': depression, anxiety, and adhd; all of which I take a psychoactive medication for.
Mental illnesses should be, if they are not already, measured in 'degree.' I still suffer from all of the above but I still try to make the best of it: despite generally being pessimistic and cynical, I try to be optimistic and grateful for what I do have. I know my situation could be a lot worse in numerous ways.
PVperson: probably more like 95%.