Self-harm, workaholism, anorexia: what kind of “neurosis of our time” do we suffer from Psychiatrist Gagin told what mental problems await a modern person

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– In recent years, psychologists and psychiatrists have been talking more and more about the so-called “neuroses of modernity.” Has human vulnerability to stressors changed that much in the last 10 or even 100 years?

It’s really hard to draw a clear line. One cannot say that life suddenly becomes worse or more difficult after an event. Firstly, the life of a person of any generation is always accompanied by a lot of stress – wars, famine, climate change, socio-economic difficulties. Secondly, anxiety and depressive disorders began to be actively described not so long ago – competent diagnoses appeared only in the 20th century. And thirdly, the enlightenment of the population played its role: today people understand that their condition can be not just sadness, but something more serious. And they are trying to somehow fight it, turn to specialists, look for ways to improve their condition.

If you look at the statistics, about 300 million people currently suffer from anxiety and depression, according to WHO. In the past, of course, there was less. But not because people are much more prone to ailments anymore, but simply because they are better detectable.

By the way, the term “neurosis” is already outdated and not used in psychiatry. Anxiety, depressive states and other disorders are now distinguished separately.

– Mental disorders are believed to be a “privilege” of developed countries, and the population is happier where people are not far from the primitive system. Has the development of civilization really brought us more mental problems?

— Depression and other disorders are indeed more commonly diagnosed in highly developed countries. However, this does not mean that people in less developed countries have fewer mental problems. Rather, the cure for these problems there is hunger, disease, inadequate sanitation, etc. pushed into the background compared to some of the bigger challenges, such as And such difficulties, of course, can only cause stress, depression and anxiety. However, health institutions in developed countries are much better at detecting and treating mental disorders.

Going back to statistics, WHO estimates that 76% of people with mental disorders in low- and middle-income countries do not have access to the treatment they need. Disorders are simply not diagnosed, not recorded.

In the cities of our country, St. Even if we take statistics for St. Petersburg, Moscow and some regions, it will differ significantly – in regions less cases of mental illness are registered. And it’s not because the population there is healthier, but because people there are less likely to seek help. Moscow and St. Although stigma in this regard is already less common in St. Petersburg, attitudes towards mental disorders in regions are still strongly influenced by stereotypes.

– In other words, does the difference in living standards not affect the prevalence of mental disorders?

— Generally, no. The stressors themselves may be different: underdeveloped countries have their own problems that we do not even think about, and their inhabitants do not face the same difficulties that we do. There is also a difference in what gives pleasure: what pleases people in poor countries, someone from developed countries sees it as the norm and does not experience any emotions. However, on average, the degree of influence of stress factors on the psyche can be considered approximately the same.

— Are there specific problems facing our generation?

– If we talk about something relatively new – this is non-suicidal self-harming behavior (self-harming). This is anorexia that mainly affects young girls. Of course, all this was 50 years ago, but it did not reach today’s proportions. We see this all the time at work, mostly with young people.

The fact is that now the availability of information has increased significantly. Both teenagers and children use the internet. And of course, what they see and read affects their state and behavior. In particular, the same anorexia is romanticized and popularized by a number of communities.

– Is the loss of profit syndrome a new problem?

This expression appeared not so long ago. On an emotional level, it is anxiety arising from the risk of falling behind others in something or, conversely, from the desire to get benefits that others do not receive. The diversity of available opportunities, expectations and ambitions is of course of great importance. But here, I also tend to believe that people have had these problems before. As I just said, people are more often seeking help with constant obsessive thoughts, fears, and worries about what they could do differently. But unfortunately our life excludes the subjunctive.

The growth of ambition also led to a constant race for productivity, the spread of workaholism. It really got bigger.

If people want to achieve certain goals and do not achieve them, of course, against this background they are faced with anxiety, low mood and emotional lability.

– It seems that the dependencies are also getting more and more. Why did this happen? Is this how people try to cope with stress?

– There are now many addictions, they are very diverse. And from alcohol, drugs and game plan addiction. Their lists are updated with each new revision in the International Classification of Diseases ICD and the American Classification of Mental Disorders in the DSM.

Addiction can also be to conditionally useful things – work or sports. The more interests and temptations a person has, the more options there are for developing addictions.

And it isn’t always a way to deal with addiction, stress, or anxiety. Some people are prone to their occurrence. In this case, they can switch from one type of addiction to another. If such a person wants to get rid of a certain thing, he may fall into an addiction of a completely different nature. For example, if a person wants to quit smoking, they may turn to sports excessively. However, most of these addictions are treated with psychotherapy.

— Many of the problems we face today, however, do not usually pose a threat to life and health as they did a few centuries ago, and are mostly experienced today in third world countries. Isn’t that why recent generations have become more sensitive, more vulnerable to stress?

– I think people learned not to keep all negative emotions inside themselves and began to fight them. And that’s a positive thing. More people than ever before are ready to go to specialists and get help. This is not femininity, but a more responsible attitude to one’s health. Today, the stigma associated with mental disorders is declining in many countries. This makes it possible to talk more openly about illnesses and increases the likelihood that people will seek the special care they need.

— Last year clearly increased the level of stress among Russians. Has the number of complaints about mental health problems increased?

Yes, the number of patients has increased in the last year.

Anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder are among the most frequently reported problems by the patients of the Psychiatry Department of the Institute of Human Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Emotional instability, addictions, suicide attempts are also not uncommon.

There are no exact statistics yet, but we are seeing more such cases. And patients who come with anxiety and depression note that these conditions arose against the background of a political situation.

– These stressors that arose during the development of civilization will obviously not go anywhere. What skills need to be developed to successfully counter them?

“To counter all these mental health issues, you must learn to carefully monitor all of your emotions and those of your loved ones. After all, according to statistics, one out of every four people in his life is suffering from mental illness. And this applies not just to anxiety and depression, but to other disorders as well.

No one is exempt from this, so it is important to learn to monitor your condition. In addition, it is necessary to reduce the level of stigma about going to a psychiatrist and psychotherapist.

In our country, it is especially high among representatives of the older generation. It is important to mention possible problems so that they do not start more difficult processes.

“21. Those born in the 19th century are no longer familiar with other conditions of life. Will this generation be more adapted to the problems of the “new time” than its predecessors?

– We are not much different from our distant ancestors in terms of the structure of the soul, the nervous system. Therefore, for the new generation there will be stress factors and the development of mental disorders. The question is how to work with our feelings and thoughts. I tend to believe that the next generation will be more enlightened in the field of mental health and therefore people will turn to specialists over time. And not even to treat existing problems, but to prevent them in the form of periodic psychotherapy.

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