Generally, I dislike being like everybody else.
I do sometimes think "If only I was normal, if only I could function like everybody else, if only every aspect of me mirrored the majority.", but those are thoughts of despair. If I did have the choice, I would choose to be me.
Being one of
so many on antidepressants, just another number in the statistics, so insignificant, makes me want to vomit (and not just because of the side effects) but it also makes me wonder. The way these affective disorders are spreading, rapidly, pandemically... It's frightening and alarming.
The development fits the typical model of lifestyle diseases perfectly, and I always wonder about these diseases.
Have they really become more and more frequent, or is it simply that people used to die, or get seriously ill, from a number of infectious diseases before they were even old enough to be affected by the lifestyle diseases?
I mean who would notice high levels of blood glucose or triglycerides if you're already dehydrated, covered in boils, and coughing up blood?
I think it makes sense though. That the changes in lifestyle from then to now could lead to the various health-related problems. I think obesity is a perfect example. Especially because the most important factor is an environmental one. Food availability!
The increase in food availability (in this part of the world at least) has been so rapid compared to previous environmental changes for our species. The same goes for the decrease in physical activity. And the complexity of our bodies makes it impossible to adapt so quickly. We are suited to a limited environment, so we do not function well in this excess of foods and nutriments. We are not fit to having to say stop or say no to food. The evolution, which should ensure that we adapt to the changes around us, is a slow process. We cannot keep up with the societies we are creating.
Maybe the affective disorders can be viewed the same way. We deal with more and more cognitive stimulations and challenges. The pace is increasingly high and the demands are growing and developing, and we haven't had the time to evolve and adapt to this. We've pushed it to the limit and the brain cannot keep up.
So, just like the increased food availability causes problems, so does the increased cognitive stimulations. The problems are diverse, and so we define them as different disorders in order to handle them.
So the problem isn't that we, as a species, have suddenly started spontaneously developing new disorders - and with great frequencies. Instead, the problem is what we have created outside ourselves.
It's simply a matter of the capacity which has, until recently, been sufficient - but can no longer meet the demands we ourselves are creating.
The real problem is then: what the frack can we do about it? Medicate everyone?
Surely we cannot speed up evolution or slow down the development of our societies. But okay, if we just wait for everyone to become ill, then development will naturally slow down, if not break down. I doubt that would happen though.
I'm at a loss.
