Perhaps you have not noticed by now, but many of us already have, whether it is you or others around you experiencing some decline in mental health. We are able to witness and even undergo the effects of mental illness more so than ever before. With this rise occurring at an alarming rate, we have to wonder what has brought on this dramatic rise in mental illness. In this article I write, I wish to explore this question, but before I do, I want to present some facts and figures on the rise of mental illness.
What do the numbers say?
There are many studies concerning this phenomenon. I have encountered many studies which indicate the greatest increase in mental illness concerns adolescents and young adults. A compelling study published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology studied adolescents aged 12 to 17 from 2005 to 2017 and young adults aged 18 and over from 2008 to 2017. What they found was (Twenge et al., 2019): Symptoms consistent with major depression in the last 12 months increased by 52 % in adolescents (8.7 % to 13.2 %) and an increase of 63 % in young adults aged 18 to 25 (8.1 % to 13.2 %).
The above figures pertain to America. However, the increase for the rest of the world is very similar, sitting around a 50 % increase globally in mental illness (Children’s HopeChest, 2023).
From the above figures, we can see that this is a global phenomenon that is affecting many people. We can also infer that mental illness is rising globally and will continue to rise throughout the years, which the current trend suggests.
What happened during Covid-19?
There is little denial at this stage that COVID-19 affected us very negatively, which is very appropriate when talking about mental health. We humans undertook something unnatural for us; we isolated ourselves from one another. Through this isolation, we could not fully fulfil our social needs.
Even though COVID-19 has contributed to an increase in depression, it is not the only factor causing the rise in mental illness. We will now take a deeper look at other major contributing factors.
The causes of the increase in mental illness
Concerning the rise of mental illnesses, there are many explanations that are up for offer, and these include the following:
- Our ever-increasing use of social media (Orben, 2020)
- The increasing inequality in income around the globe includes harsher economic conditions for most (Patel et al., 2018)
- A rise in competition, which increases the academic pressure on students to perform in order to secure a good job (Högberg, 2021)
- The Covid-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on mental health as isolation grew with it (Saunders et al., 2021)
If we are to speak of depression for a moment here, as it is a critical topic of discussion, then you can apply the above causes concerning the increase in depression. However, these are not the only factors that contribute to this rise. We can see that an individual’s job/vocation can contribute to their feelings of depression. Why is this the case? It is due to particular jobs exposing people to trauma daily, such as work in hospitals and even first responders (Gordon, 2023c).
We can also understand that depression can manifest itself in young individuals in their teens, and as they age, more severe symptoms begin to show. We know that when teens are faced with depression while becoming adults, the pressures that come with being an adult can have a significant impact on how they experience depression. Essentially, both working hand in hand makes the feelings of depression worse.
It would be a mistake to think that the rise of mental illness globally is because people are more open about their disclosure, as this dismisses the reality that many aspects of modern life contribute to the increase in mental illness. If we overlook the many causes listed here, we might fail to put into place measures to help the many people suffering from different mental illnesses and the many more who are yet to suffer.
The South African factor
I have spent much time researching the matter of mental illness, and it is worth highlighting that through a study at Wits University in South Africa, they have found that South Africans suffer from higher rates of depression and anxiety than any other country (The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022).
I am sure you have come to understand that the causes of this phenomenon in South Africa are multifaceted and complex. When breaking down the many causes, we can see the following as likely contributors to this alarming fact (The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022):
- Individuals with adverse childhood experiences (physical and emotional abuse, neglect, violence in the household, and many others) are more likely to experience mental illness during adulthood.
- Poor education also increases the likelihood of mental illness.
- Individuals who live in urban areas are more likely to experience mental illness, such as anxiety and depression.
There are many more factors that contribute to mental illness in South Africa, such as discrimination, socioeconomic pressures, bullying, and many more. Much like research from other parts of the globe, all these aspects need more investigation to understand the effects and ramifications said aspects have on societies and their people.
Should we be worried?
When it comes to the issues of mental illness, we should be worried, as it has a direct impact on the functioning of our societies. It is not only a psychological concern but an economic one as well!
We must be worried about this decline in mental health due to its direct effect on the quality of our interactions with members of society, which significantly affects our relationships. Without well-functioning relationships, it has a direct negative impact on the functioning of our societies. If more and more people succumb to mental illness, we have more people struggling to participate in the job market, which puts a greater strain on our economies.
The possible solutions
We know that due to technology and the recent pandemic, we have become far more isolated than we ever were, which plays a significant role in increasing mental illness around the globe. If we are to re-establish our physical connections with one another, it could aid in decreasing mental illness globally.
Providing counselling to those suffering is of utmost importance; however, such services encounter limitations, and those suffering tend to outnumber such healthcare services, which we must address in some shape or form.
Promoting physical and mental exercise (these two types of exercise reduce stress and depression and improve physical fitness and mental health) will go a long way in improving the health of many individuals the globe over, especially for those who have been neglecting both, and have developed poor health as a result.
Many other solutions involve the socioeconomic issues that many face worldwide that require a keen mind in politics and a firm understanding of economics, which I choose to avoid. As an outline, I would like to highlight that inequality around the globe is one of the issues that need resolving to aid with the efforts of reducing mental illness. However, such an activity is highly complex, and I could not do it justice here. You can find many sources on this topic online, which I encourage you to look at.
Conclusion
Through the studies and evidence available, we can clearly see that mental illness is on the rise and will continue to worsen until there is considerable intervention provides the necessary aid. However, this is easier said than done, as there are more people who are in need of help but not enough people available to help. We understand that professional healthcare members are not increasing in equal amounts to the increase in those suffering from mental illnesses. We must look for more solutions to this ever-increasing problem, which requires more investigation and research. One thing is for certain! We must all work together in order to bring about these much-needed changes for the better.
Sources:
- Children’s HopeChest. (2023, April 28). Empower Vulnerable Communities | Children’s HopeChest Nonprofit. https://www.hopechest.org/
- Gordon, S. (2023c) ‘Depression Rates Are Higher Than Ever—Experts Say These 5 Things need to change,’ Health, 24 May. https://www.health.com/depression-rates-higher-than-ever-things-to-change-7501286.
- Högberg, B. (2021) ‘Educational stressors and secular trends in school stress and mental health problems in adolescents,’ Social Science & Medicine, 270, p. 113616. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113616.
- Orben, A. (2020) ‘Teenagers, screens and social media: a narrative review of reviews and key studies,’ Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 55(4), pp. 407–414. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-019-01825-4.
- Patel, V. et al. (2018) ‘Income inequality and depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the association and a scoping review of mechanisms,’ World Psychiatry, 17(1), pp. 76–89. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20492.
- Saunders, R. et al. (2021) ‘Understanding different trajectories of mental health across the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic,’ Psychological Medicine, 52(16), pp. 4049–4057. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291721000957.
- The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. (2022, November 14). 2022-11 – Mental health in SA is at shocking levels but people are not seeking help – Wits University. https://www.wits.ac.za/news/latest-news/research-news/2022/2022-11/mental-health-in-sa-is-at-shocking-levels-but-people-are-not-seeking-help-.html
Twenge, J.M. et al. (2019) ‘Age, period, and cohort trends in mood disorder indicators and suicide-related outcomes in a nationally representative dataset, 2005–2017.,’ Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 128(3), pp. 185–199. https://doi.org/10.1037/abn0000410.