"Today I want to talk with you about an uncomfortable topic that needs much more open discussion than it’s receiving: America’s extraordinarily high level of anxiety.
"A panel of medical experts has
recommended that doctors screen all patients under 65, including children and teenagers, for what the panel calls 'anxiety disorders.'
"Lori Pbert, a clinical psychologist and professor at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, who serves on the panel,
calls mental health disorders 'a crisis in this country.'
"Today’s New York Times has a lead
article about what’s called 'persistent depressive disorder,' or P.D.D., which an estimated
2 percent of adults in the United States have experienced in the past year.
"Nearly
50,000 people in the U.S. lost their lives to suicide last year, according to a new provisional tally from the National Center for Health Statistics. (The agency said the final count would likely be higher.)
"The suicide rate of 14.3 deaths per 100,000 Americans has reached its highest level since 1941, when America entered World War II."
"What’s going on?
"Maybe the widespread anxiety and depression, along with the near record rate of suicide, should not be seen as personal disorders.
"Maybe they should be seen — in many cases — as rational responses to a society that’s becoming ever more disordered.
"After all, who’s not concerned by the rising costs of housing and the growing insecurity of jobs and incomes?"
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