how did people in yesteryear not crack up?

StrongIma

Sun, May 05 2013, 3:52 pm

morah wrote:

Oh, people cracked up alright. They just either got shipped off to some horrible institution while the family hush-hushed, or they walked around town muttering and were the town nebuch. There are a number of factors that make it more prevalent today (and I do believe it actually IS more, not simply a perception of more):

A. We know more about these things so we find/diagnose more cases

B. Mental illness is treated, so sufferers are able to marry and reproduce (a lot of things are hereditary) as opposed to being locked away somewhere

C. Paradoxically, we both have more and less time; we have more time because we don't have to do laundry by hand and kasher our own chickens, but we have less time because thanks to technological advances, we are expected to do more, multi-task, be constantly on call for various pursuits etc. This creates a lot of extra stress that may not have existed in the past

D. Technology is rewiring our brains, and not necessarily in a good way; chemicals and stuff in our food and other household items may also play a role

oh, I'm convinced that we live with lots more stress than in days gone by - all our lives are faster paced, w'ere hit with much more stimulation, sound levels are much higher, etc. etc.