We Americans are a bunch of head cases...

Study: U.S. Leads In Mental Illness, Lags in Treatment
By Rick Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, June 7, 2005; Page A03
from Washingtonpost.com

One-quarter of all Americans met the criteria for having a mental illness within the past year, and fully a quarter of those had a "serious" disorder that significantly disrupted their ability to function day to day, according to the largest and most detailed survey of the nation's mental health, published yesterday.

Although parallel studies in 27 other countries are not yet complete, the new numbers suggest that the United States is poised to rank No. 1 globally for mental illness, researchers said.

Please read the whole article.

On the topic of mental function, ever wonder about those prescription drug commercials that suggest in their consumer disclaimers that some patients using a placebo displayed improvements in their health? Indeed some patients are effectively treated with a sugar pill... as in some patients convinced themselves that they are feeling better, and thus they "heal" themselves.

What if culture induces some forms of "sickness"? It is probably an understatement to suggest that modern society can be stressfull to an individual within that society. In the town I live in, I can find fancy liquor stores in every strip mall. Cigarette boxes line the selves surrounding the cashier at every gas station and food mart I enter. During the evening news, I am bombarded by pharmaceutical ads at every commercial break: Cialis, Viagra (stress can also minimize one's sexual behavior), and a myriad of drugs for hypertension, high cholesteral, and indigestion.

With all the drugs in our society, is it any wonder that Americans are losing their minds? I believe America has a drug problem, but our "mental illness" is the byproduct of our mind-numbingly dynamic modern culture. Individuals can experience burnout, but so can societies. Keep this in mind next time you flip on the television. Here you'll find a wonderful microcosm for the lifecycles of popular culture... just don't watch too much or your mind will go numb.

(no seriously, it will. read this)

for related thoughts, see also: Revolutions