At face value, it can appear that there seem to be more people suffering from mental health conditions than ever before. (cont)
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What is more likely is that other factors are involved. These factors include increased awareness of not only the conditions themselves but of how common they are.
In the not-too-distant past, when those with almost any mental health condition were considered ‘abnormal’, sufferers went to great lengths to hide their symptoms as much as they could.
Their families helped them in this to avoid embarrassment and stigma. When symptoms could not be kept hidden, sufferers were incorrectly labeled, stigmatized and ostracized.
A huge part of the problem was the accepted perception that a person was either mentally stable or not. This binary thinking meant that any variance to what was considered ‘normal’ was treated as a form of madness or insanity.
Thankfully today there is an improved understanding that mental health, like everything else relating to health and well being, exists on a spectrum. There is still much room for improvement to achieve better outcomes for those affected.
Likewise, causes and influences differ also. There is a complex interplay of these factors, and it is simplistic to attribute cause without a complete understanding of the person and their history.