Why So Anxious?

I am a worrier. And I struggle with mild anxiety. Though, I don't think I worry as much as I used to. As for anxiety, I define it as "mild" because it isn't mentally paralyzing. While my anxiety aggravates my gut and makes me prone to panic attacks, I have discovered ways to cope.

Is it just me, or does it seem that mental illness is on the rise? On both sides of your family, there are people who struggle with mental health issues. It isn't something people like to discuss, as the subject is still "taboo", especially for people of Asian ethnicity. We are quick to admit our physical ailments such as diabetes or heart disease or gastroesophageal reflux disease. But depression, anxiety, bipolar or obsessive compulsive disorder? Umm... (((Let's not talk about that too much.)))

Back to my question. Is mental illness on the rise? I think so. Personal experience and observation combined with some research supports my tentative yes. Please note, the next paragraphs are not written as an expert who is judging society (or any person in particular), but rather as an amateur researcher who is compiling the collective voices of others who have attempted to answer the question (and this is not an exhaustive list).

For all we know, mental illnesses already existed in the past, but our doctors and psychiatrists were not very good at diagnosing them. Now, the medical field has better tools to diagnose and treat mental illnesses. On the other hand, some people believe that doctors and psychiatrists diagnose and treat with drugs quicker than they should. In many ways, it is easier to conclude "depression" and provide the patient with a prescription rather than digging down to the root cause(s) of the patient's emotions.

Regardless, our society has become more frenetic than years past. There is a lot of pressure out there to make a difference and create one's legacy. Social media tempts us to promote ourselves as we post our holiday pictures of exotic somewhere. We can be "liked", "followed" and "pinned" while we "tweet" about our significance. We live in a society where ambition, avarice and fame are virtues. No wonder people get depressed and anxious and think their life has no meaning! In addition, our drive to produce a successful life, accompanied with our general mistrust of people, actually robs us of developing healthy relationships with real, face-to-face humans. If we spent more time developing a network of "true-blue" friends around us instead of competing with others, in relative isolation, we'd be better off mentally. (These ideas are gleaned from Michael Horton's Ordinary. See my previous post Ordinary: Tempering Radical for more details.).

There is another school of thought out there that equates the apparent rise in mental illness to poor diet, inadequate exercise and not enough sleep. To put it bluntly, we eat large portion sizes of crap, sit in front of screens too much and stay up past our bedtimes. Our society's diet is high is sugar. We don't eat enough good fats. We indulge in processed foods far too much. Our North American diet is overrun by gluten (there are some tentative links between gluten intolerance and poor mental health). Plus there is the whole issue of GMO's, pesticides and antibiotics. (Sometimes I wondering if we are slowly poisoning ourselves.) Coupled with that is our lack of exercise. Oh, we may have become better in enrolling our kids in organized sports or getting that gym membership. But we have forgotten the benefits of free play. Neither do we get enough fresh air and sunshine. Plus, we consume too much caffeine, stay up too late -- often in front of a screen (I'm guilty right now) -- and wake up too early.

Then there is the whole spiritual side to the question of mental illness. How much of our mental illnesses are due to an inadequate understanding of the character of God and unrealistic expectations of our sinful selves (or because of the consequences of someone else's sinful actions). I have thought about this one often, especially when I am prone to worry about our family's financial future. Do I believe God will provide my needs today? Do I believe God will grant me the wisdom in money management if I ask Him? Do I really believe all of this? If so, why am I worrying? May the Lord help my unbelief. As for unrealistic expectations of myself, sometimes I aim to do too much and forget how perfectionism is my vice. And when I find myself in that place, where the to-do list has become insurmountable, I begin to panic. My chest tightens. My breathing becomes shallow. It is in that moment, I have to mentally pause, step back, take a few deep breaths and look at the situation as objectively as I can (and sometimes I enlist the help of your Daddy to assist me in this process). Do I really need to do this much? What is important? What is the priority? Are my expectations unrealistic? What can I let go? What can I delegate? I. Can't. Be. Perfect. So, why am I desperately trying to please humanity over seeking God's mercy and grace? (Ahhhhh -- the eldest child syndrome.) If we are so crazy about scheduling stuff, why can't we become better at scheduling moments of quiet reflection where we meditate on God's truth in His Word to provide perspective AND realize we need saving everyday? Why do we struggle to courageously face ourselves and the evils of our past through the services of a counselor, mentor or pastor? Why do we try to do this whole thing called life alone?

Of course, things are much more complicated in real life than what I've unpacked above. And I do believe there are many genuine cases of people out there who truly suffer from a chemical imbalance in their brains. Such people need prescription medications daily. There is no shame in that! And some people need medication for a season to get over a difficult period in their life. Regardless, we would ALL benefit from reflecting on the influence of culture, lifestyle and spirituality on our mental health and make the necessary changes to support a healthy mind. Me included.

Additional Reading:

Abrams, L. (2013) Study: Most People Diagnosed With Depression Do Not Actually Meet Criteria. The Atlantic.

Entin, E. (2011). All Work and No Play: Why Your Kids Are More Anxious, Depressed. The Atlantic.

Friday, L. (2011). Students in Crisis: Depression, Anxiety on Rise. BU Today.

Fox, K. R. (1999). The influence of physical activity on mental well-being. Cambridge Journals Online, 2(3a), 411-418.

Konnikova, M. (2013). How Facebook Makes Us UnHappy. The New Yorker.

Peters, S. L., Biesiekierski, J. R., Yelland, G. W., Muir, J. G. & Gibson, P. R. (2014). Randomised clinical trial: gluten may cause depression in subjects with non-coeliac gluten sensitivity - an exploratory clinical study. Ailment Pharmacol & Therapeutics, 39(10), 1104-12.

Sathyanarayana Rao, T. S., Asha, M. R., Ramesh, B. N. & Jagannatha Rao, K. S. (2008). Understanding nutrition, depression and mental illnesses. Indian Journal of Psychiatry. 50(2), 77-82.

Verghese, A. (2008). Spirituality and mental health. Indian Journal of Psychiatry. 50(4), 233-237.

Vuchnich, A. & Chai, C. (2013). Young Minds: Stress, anxiety plaguing Canadian youth. Global News.