Post by abbey1227 on Jun 2, 2021 3:14:38 GMT
Over 50% Of Liberal, White Women Under 30 Have A Mental Health Issue. Are We Worried Yet?
By Elizabeth Condra ·Apr 13th 2021·
A 2020 Pew Research study reveals that over half of white, liberal women have been diagnosed with a mental health condition at some point. Does this mean there's a correlation between progressive ideas and mental health?
It’s a common tactic of the politically charged on either side (and normally perceived as a cheap one at that) to take the particular adherents of an ideology and equate that diehard worship to mental illness.
Conservatives label younger liberal generations as snowflakes or as having Trump derangement syndrome if they didn't like the past president; liberals and progressives label right-leaning individuals or conservatives as racists, bigots, misogynists, etc. Resorting to this type of lowbrow behavior might once have been seen as an excuse not to address the actual issues or beliefs at hand, but now ad hominem attacks are more common than not.
Women and Mental Illness
For whatever reason, we’re not talking about the risk of mental illness women in general face, especially compared to men.
Women are 40% more likely to develop depression than men. Due to lower levels of serotonin, we’re also more likely to have anxiety and depression because of that deficiency. There are also certain life experiences, like childbirth for example, which can lead to these diagnoses. 1 in 7 women will be diagnosed with postpartum depression in the year following childbirth. Postpartum depression in particular is a condition that leaves its victims feeling powerless and without confidence or assurance in their own abilities as a mom or caregiver — many women with postpartum depression describe feeling like failures.
Women are 40% more likely to develop depression than men.
Conditions like depression and anxiety thrive in silence, but there also seems to be a lack of confidence in women when it comes to knowing our own bodies, and instead our mental problems are written off as being too overly “emotional.” (Think about how many times someone has described you or another woman as emotional.) While hormones do obviously play a role in the development of mental health, for better or for worse, it’s possible to minimize or downplay the risks our mental health is facing if they’re written off as a “hormonal” issue, whether it’s our medical professionals or even ourselves engaging in that mindset.
But biology and hormones aside, what about the choices we actively engage in? The behaviors we indulge, the beliefs and convictions we hold as more important than all the others? The people we spend our time with, the actions we devote our energy to, and the news we consume? Is that negatively impacting our mental health, or even more importantly, leading to medical diagnoses?
Here’s What the Study Found
The study in question — which, by the way, isn’t from a news source or media outlet but Pew Research for heaven’s sake — is, when all’s said and done, pretty damning.
Interestingly enough, the study, which is titled Pew American Trends Panel: Wave 64, was dated March 2020 — over a year ago. Yet it took a Ph.D. candidate in political science posting about the study on Twitter for it to garner even a smidge of attention.
By Elizabeth Condra ·Apr 13th 2021·
A 2020 Pew Research study reveals that over half of white, liberal women have been diagnosed with a mental health condition at some point. Does this mean there's a correlation between progressive ideas and mental health?
It’s a common tactic of the politically charged on either side (and normally perceived as a cheap one at that) to take the particular adherents of an ideology and equate that diehard worship to mental illness.
Conservatives label younger liberal generations as snowflakes or as having Trump derangement syndrome if they didn't like the past president; liberals and progressives label right-leaning individuals or conservatives as racists, bigots, misogynists, etc. Resorting to this type of lowbrow behavior might once have been seen as an excuse not to address the actual issues or beliefs at hand, but now ad hominem attacks are more common than not.
But what if what was once a cheap shot or a personal insult has actually been found to bear scientific correlation between the individuals who hold progressive ideologies and an increased risk of mental illness? That’s exactly what Pew Research has found — and all politics aside, the shocking diagnosis of over 50% of liberal women with some form of mental health medical diagnosis is a public health concern that no one seems to be discussing, let alone taking seriously.
For whatever reason, we’re not talking about the risk of mental illness women in general face, especially compared to men.
Women are 40% more likely to develop depression than men. Due to lower levels of serotonin, we’re also more likely to have anxiety and depression because of that deficiency. There are also certain life experiences, like childbirth for example, which can lead to these diagnoses. 1 in 7 women will be diagnosed with postpartum depression in the year following childbirth. Postpartum depression in particular is a condition that leaves its victims feeling powerless and without confidence or assurance in their own abilities as a mom or caregiver — many women with postpartum depression describe feeling like failures.
Women are 40% more likely to develop depression than men.
Conditions like depression and anxiety thrive in silence, but there also seems to be a lack of confidence in women when it comes to knowing our own bodies, and instead our mental problems are written off as being too overly “emotional.” (Think about how many times someone has described you or another woman as emotional.) While hormones do obviously play a role in the development of mental health, for better or for worse, it’s possible to minimize or downplay the risks our mental health is facing if they’re written off as a “hormonal” issue, whether it’s our medical professionals or even ourselves engaging in that mindset.
But biology and hormones aside, what about the choices we actively engage in? The behaviors we indulge, the beliefs and convictions we hold as more important than all the others? The people we spend our time with, the actions we devote our energy to, and the news we consume? Is that negatively impacting our mental health, or even more importantly, leading to medical diagnoses?
Here’s What the Study Found
The study in question — which, by the way, isn’t from a news source or media outlet but Pew Research for heaven’s sake — is, when all’s said and done, pretty damning.
Interestingly enough, the study, which is titled Pew American Trends Panel: Wave 64, was dated March 2020 — over a year ago. Yet it took a Ph.D. candidate in political science posting about the study on Twitter for it to garner even a smidge of attention.
The study, which examined white liberals, moderates, and conservatives, both male and female, found that conservatives were far less likely to be diagnosed with mental health issues than those who identified as either liberal or even “very liberal.” What’s more, white women suffered the worst of all. White women, ages 18-29, who identified as liberal were given a mental health diagnosis from medical professionals at a rate of 56.3%, as compared to 28.4% in moderates and 27.3% in conservatives.
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Maybe it's a case of overthinking in many areas?![[cheers]](http://storage.proboards.com/7182076/images/engyBVslEdpmpmdnBwZQ.gif)
