Why Americans are dying earlier than their international peers

POSTED BY: Niki2
UPDATED: Thursday, November 24, 2022 19:21
VIEWED: 5137
PAGE 5 of 5

So anyways - it seems like calculating the effect of gun deaths on life span should be a simple calculation when you have the numbers/ ages of those deaths. Not having the data I'm not about to do the calculation but it shouldn't be a mystery.

As for US food, many cultures cherish their food traditions, which were probably good traditions to have as they made use of available food and manged to keep people alive through generations.

And what is the US food tradition?

Oh yeah, lots of greasy salty carbohydratey food piled higher than you can eat and just dripping with sugar and salt and grease. Dive IN ...

Yep - our traditions - formed by big business and early exposure to addictive foods. YUUUuuuummmmmm.

NOTIFY: N  | REPLY  | REPLY WITH QUOTE  | PERMALINK  | TOP  | HOME

Quote:

---

Originally posted by peacekeeper:
I take note of the fact that a lot of Americans are being diagnosed with depression.This is a serious point I'd like to address.Do you think this has something to do with your culture of aspiration?
It seems to me that your kids are pushed constantly into "realising your potential" and "living the American dream" etc etc. Now, although this is, in itself, not a bad thing, and it's healthy to try and better yourself, I feel that perhaps you can put TOO MUCH pressure on your kids. Unfortunately, in a culture where competition is highly prized, there is going to be abject disappointment for so many, and only the very best are ever going to succeed.
It seems evident that most of you seem to have a bloody therapist to help you with the most basic functions of life. Every time you have a minor hiccup, you seem to dive into the therapist's chair,rather than learn to cope with these things on your own.Now, to me, being able to stand on your own two feet and accept your lot and get on with it, is a far greater measure of success than getting one up on the next man?
You are a very emotional nation, which again, isnt necessarily a negative thing, but maybe The Briitsh(as an obvious example), with our culture of "stiff upper lip" and "keeping things close to our chest", may put us in a better position to cope with adversity.You do, in all honesty, seem to have somewhat of a "victim culture" on occasion.
Hey, maybe we are just too cold and unfeeling as a nation, and maybe that causes its own problems, but it's just an observation of comparisons that might explain why so many Americans dont seem to be able to cope. This failure to be able to realise your expected potentials may be a reason why so many of you turn to the gun for your releases of your frustrations?
I'm happy to be proven wrong, guys???


With the grace of age, commander, we learn to accept.

---

Depression is being diagnosed in epidemic proportion throughout western nations. I don't think that is particular to the US.

I sometimes wonder whether people turn to counselling and therapy because of the lack of emotional support that they have in their lives in general. Who do you turn to when things are tough? In a highly competetive, individualistic society that can be a hard call. In more collective cultures, you are surrounded by family all of the time. They can form a buffer for many people, although can be very isolating if you don't conform.

Maybe as well some people are not emotionally intelligent enough to cope with the everyday emotions that are darker, sadness, grief, loss etc and these can be pathologised and treated like an illness.

I do agree that a culture that has the values that success, wealth and happiness is a right for everyone and that only stupid, lazy people do not achieve this, must be a difficult place to find yourself if you do not achieve those dizzy heights/ It also strikes me that the US is a place where there are many diverse values, but that particular belief is pervasive.

NOTIFY: Y  | REPLY  | REPLY WITH QUOTE  | PERMALINK  | TOP  | HOME

Excellent, Magons.

Quote:

---

I sometimes wonder whether people turn to counselling and therapy because of the lack of emotional support that they have in their lives in general.

---

That one hits home big time. I first sought counseling when I was in a VERY bad place with no support whatsoever. I was caring for Jim's two kids--to whom he was emotionally unavailable and one of which had severe anger issues and school problems--and his brother, who at that time a serious alcoholic and was living with us, and Jim was totally unavailable to me. We'd moved here and I'd left all my friends behind, so I was totally alone. I'd never had a "family" per se, was 25 and never been married, had kids of my own, or kept a house. I was a mess!

I did therapy for quite some time, and looking back, I made the mistake many do regarding therapy. I talked and talked and talked, bitched and moaned and used it for support, which the therapist allowed me to do. I realized later that i NEEDED that, and I also needed him to let me do it so that I could feel safe really opening up. When I went back to therapy after I was dx'd, I did the WORK, I became a different kind of what you called "emotionally intelligent", in that I came to recognize symptoms and have resources to deal with them, through EMDR I was able to go back and find out where I'd internalized many of the things that made me react unhealthily, and I went to sessions with specific agenda in mind to learn how to deal with things.

The problem with therapy for many (most?) people is that they get stuck in that first method...just talking and thinking the therapist will "solve" their problems. They don't do the work. They don't attempt to become self-aware and LEARN from therapy. So they end up thinking it's a waste.

As to depression, via the DSM a "depressive episode" is:

Quote:

---

A. Five (or more) of the following symptoms have been present during the same 2-week period and represent a change from previous functioning; at least one of the symptoms is either (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest or pleasure.

Note: Do note include symptoms that are clearly due to a general medical condition, or mood-incongruent delusions or hallucinations.

(1) depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day, as indicated by either subjective report (e.g., feels sad or empty) or observation made by others (e.g., appears tearful). Note: In children and adolescents, can be irritable mood.

(2) markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day (as indicated by either subjective account or observation made by others)

(3) significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain (e.g., a change of more than 5% of body weight in a month), or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day. Note: In children, consider failure to make expected weight gains.

(4) insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day

(5) psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day (observable by others, not merely subjective feelings of restlessness or being slowed down)

(6) fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day

(7) feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt (which may be delusional) nearly every day (not merely self-reproach or guilt about being sick)

(8) diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day (either by subjective account or as observed by others)

(9) recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide

B. The symptoms do not meet criteria for a Mixed Episode.

C. The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

D. The symptoms are not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of

NOTIFY: Y  | REPLY  | REPLY WITH QUOTE  | PERMALINK  | TOP  | HOME