In Psychology Salon, Randy Paterson compares life in the present to life in the past, to try to see if there are any clues there as to why the incidence of depression seems to have been increasing so dramatically.
“If you raise this issue at a dinner party, do so with stopwatch in hand,” suggests Paterson. “Count the seconds until someone says ‘Life is so much more stressful now than in the 1950s.’ Observe as they sit back, satisfied that the question need be given no further consideration. Even clinicians offer this all-too-pat explanation.”
Why is Depression Incidence Increasing? (Psychology Salon, January 6, 2015)
Why is Depression Becoming More Common: Some Likely Cultural Factors (Psychology Salon, January 20, 2015)