Why depression is more common nowadays

[daydreams]

Isn't natural selection suppose to make the depression gene disappear, so why most of people are depressed nowadays, is it because of the unnatural life style and diet?
If we the most depressed ones ctb then natural selection will make the human race adapat to the new environmental changes and become happier with it?
Or the amount of misery is increasing at a high speed that nature laws can't handle

 

[tiger b]

I'm not sure depression is definitely more common nowadays. I think what's definitely more common is more people have the means and the will to express it - the internet being a big factor in this.

I'm not saying that what you state can't be factors, though.

 

[NumbItAll]

Our happiness is not really necessary for reproduction; unhappy people procreate all the time because of sexual urges, social pressure, and a desire to have children. From a gene's perspective it only matters that it is replicated, and whatever happens to the overall organism after that (aging, disease, death) is irrelevant. There's not really a single depression gene either as depression can stem from a multitude of factors.

 

[EvisceratedJester]

So long as depression isn't interfering with our survival people with the genes that predispose them to it will continue to reproduce.

Also, part of why depression seems so common nowadays is because there is more awareness surrounding it, it's getting diagnosed more, and the stigma surrounding it is dying down. Same thing applies to other disorders, such as autism.

 

[WAITING TO DIE]

I think depression is more common nowadays due to the state of the world we are now living in.
There's not much to look forward to and things are rapidly getting worse.

 

[Forever Sleep]

I think it's a mixture of genetics and environment. Environment wise, I think people are more isolated than they used to be. Everyone is under a lot of financial pressure. We live such unhealthy lives too. Even if someone is careful with their diet, there is so much pollution around us. Plus, I think social media has had a big affect.

Genetically speaking- depressed people still reproduce too- so, pass those genes on. Some I imagine think having a child to love them will make them happy. I think in many ways, the human race bypasses natural selection. Things like IVF and modern medicine ensure that people can conceive. Plus- as a society we debatably support our weakest members more than the average or stronger ones- who are expected to fend for themselves. Not that I'm saying that's wrong but- it's nothing like the natural world. I'm only glad my genes end with me and I haven't inflicted them on an unsuspecting lifeform.

But- I have followed that train of thought- how is depression 'good for us?' Maybe it does weed out the 'weak' for the greater good of the species. That just makes me think this world will just become more and more ruthless though- where only socio/psychopaths and narcissists will be able to survive in it. Which makes me sure I'm better off out of it and I'm glad no child of mine has to contend with it.

 

[Jolene79]

Our happiness is not really necessary for reproduction; unhappy people procreate all the time because of sexual urges, social pressure, and a desire to have children. From a gene's perspective it only matters that it is replicated, and whatever happens to the overall organism after that (aging, disease, death) is irrelevant. There's not really a single depression gene either as depression can stem from a multitude of factors.

This is the most depressing truth I think I ever read

 

[MatthieuFrederickW]

Combinations of many things. Genetics, garbage food, upbringing, overpopulation, pollution, evil politicians and corporate, suits, etc. they're ruining everything from environment, to food to even video games lol. everything is affected pretty much.

 

[WAITING TO DIE]

Combinations of many things. Genetics, garbage food, upbringing, overpopulation, pollution, evil politicians and corporate, suits, etc. they're ruining everything from environment, to food to even video games lol. everything is affected pretty much.

Yeah, it's hard to find quality food these days. They put nanotechnology in a lot of foods nowadays and rapeseed oil and gmo sugar in tons of different things. No wonder people are becoming physically sicker than they've ever been.

 

[livinginhellnation]

The biggest culprit is media and social media.. people posting stuff that you will never get to do, media stories about this billionaire buying this doing that while we face our never ending daily grind. Ignorance is bliss.

 

[UKscotty]

The main problem is capitalism, people want more and more, then get depressed when they don't get their wants.

 

[MatthieuFrederickW]

Yeah, it's hard to find quality food these days. They put nanotechnology in a lot of foods nowadays and rapeseed oil and gmo sugar in tons of different things. No wonder people are becoming physically sicker than they've ever been.

Yeah it's pretty annoying looking at the ingredients and recognising hidden sugars such a maltodextrin or whatever it's called in a plain product that shouldn't even be there. Rapeseed oil is just inflammatory and not good for humans. I use organic extra virgin olive oil for cooking minced beef and things…

 

[Fadeawaaaay]

I think we are living in a time of disconnection and isolation… Which is a recipe for depression… Human beings are supposed to live in tribes of 180 people… If you're living alone, it means you're banished from the tribe… once upon a time it was a death sentence…

 

[silence ends]

Society and culture going more and more into individualism, egoistic, shallow way..
Those who doesnt succeed in life are the first ones collapsing. But, as we've seen there are alot of very succesfull people who get to point of ctb too. Nothing is enough becouse we're raised to succeed more, get more, own more etc. Compairing, competing.
In this era of accomplish after accomplish, need of being more and more we've lost our natural inner peace and trying to buy that way or another but it's not for sale.


edit. And as mentioned above, gene pool getting fucked since people reproduce too much and from wrong reasons.

 

[carac]

Personally I think it is to do with society and lack of community. I think if you look at like tribes or tribal communities they have a really harsh existence but few suicides.

 

[Fadeawaaaay]

Personally I think it is to do with society and lack of community. I think if you look at like tribes or tribal communities they have a really harsh existence but few suicides.

100%

 

[Egg]

Personally I think it is to do with society and lack of community. I think if you look at like tribes or tribal communities they have a really harsh existence but few suicides.

Everyone needs more hugs.

 

[Yuna is My Waifu]

Pretty much all of the answers here are spot on, its not just one thing. It's definitely part genetic though. I wish i was never born so i couldn't get the shitty DNA.

 

[hermestrimegistus]

Gonna sound like an absolute boomer here but I think the internet and social media have a lot to do with it. So much 'FOMO' and social isolation definitely aids in depression. Going outside, interacting with people face to face, physically touching people (even platonically), "touching grass" all of these things help. Not that I'm not depressed haha because I definitely am. But I assume these things are why other people also are depressed more often in this particular time period

 

[BlockHammer]

This is a complex topic, depression is cause by a lot of factor some of them usually cause by finansial problem, they just stuck in their shitty job with minimum wages unable to buy or go anywhere in life, they feel like their freedom has been rob by this broken system (although you can make your way through this by preserverence but the change of succeding for certain people is small depending on your raw talent and ability to adapt to everyting). Another thing cause by not having someone to share your pain, and it can be related to your financial situation, appereance or personality that make it harder to find girlfriend/boyfriend

There's so much more things that can trigger depression that i haven't talked in this post but those 2 imo are the most common reason why depression is more common now

 

[Fadeawaaaay]

This is a complex topic, depression is cause by a lot of factor some of them usually cause by finansial problem, they just stuck in their shitty job with minimum wages unable to buy or go anywhere in life, they feel like their freedom has been rob by this broken system (although you can make your way through this by preserverence but the change of succeding for certain people is small depending on your raw talent and ability to adapt to everyting). Another thing cause by not having someone to share your pain, and it can be related to your financial situation, appereance or personality that make it harder to find girlfriend/boyfriend

There's so much more things that can trigger depression that i haven't talked in this post but those 2 imo are the most common reason why depression is more common now

100%

 

[Life'sA6itch]

There's so many factors in depression and suicide, some may be specific to the person or their environment. We all can experience even the same environment quite differently. Some people have tools and resources (money, health insurance, vacation time, second/third car when others break down, sabbatical time, etc.) to bounce back from different setbacks while others don't and may never be able to even hope to acquire them, a common factor in depression when modern life almost requires certain resources but you just don't have them.

In other cases you can find that those with fewer financial/other resources will likely be forced to eat the cheapest, least nutritious foods leading to various ailments and diseases as time goes on that can factor into how they feel in a negative way, kind of like throwing more logs onto the fire of depression. Or maybe some try to self medicate with possibly similar results. The sheer explosion in the number of humans (quadrupled) over the past 100 years increases the likelihood of depression cases growing as well simply because there are so many more humans. Add in outright needless issues put upon them by other humans (relatives, politicians, schools, work, etc.) and it's no wonder to me at least that there are so many depressed and/or suicidal people.

 

[donewithlife1]

I think we call everything "depression@ there is something called situational depression, ptsd, anxiety, grief, loss, sadness, etc.. it's a temporary period of time where you either adjust and on time it goes away or it lives inside you until it takes over you. Depression is one of the mental illness mostly labelled ourself with is what you make it or what you let it be. Life stressors and what's going on right now in life everywhere is sad and causing young generations insecurity and fear about the future and it's nothing nice to live with. I don't want to fight what I'm going through now, living it until I die because I have nothing left on earth to live for the person I loved the most in earth is gone and I'm be gone soon life without him is impossible.

 

[notherenotnow]

My uncle, who has absolutely no knowledge about mental health, said that it's because we're doing everything with mostly our minds. Before, those few decades ago and earlier, people mostly worked psychicly and back then they would have more psychical illnesses. I do not know if this is true or not.

 

[Aburach]

Back through history most people were probably too physically exhausted from back-breaking manual work, malnourishment and subsistence living to even think about whether they were depressed or not (even though many no doubt were) - and they usually didn't even leave their villages except in case of war so had no sense of the wider world. Advanced/capitalist society offers a lot of sedentary work and a vast overview through technology of fake aspiration stuff - beautiful people living supposedly happy lives in amazing places - and grim realism stuff - wars and misery. Family/community units are not as solid as they once were, and depression is obviously much more understood and often diagnosed. Basically, a combination of loads of factors.