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What does it say about Europeans that psychiatric disorders are now the biggest source of illness?

Asked by wundayatta (58722points) December 19th, 2011

A recent study found that psychiatric disorders are now the biggest source of illness among Europeans. What do you make of this? Is this a sign of some fundamental difference between cultures? Does this suggest that mental illness can be culturally influenced very strongly?

Are the Europeans tanking it? Do Americans or Asians hide mental illness? Is there something about the way we live that changes the rate of mental illness? Is mental illness something you have to be able to afford to have—a function of universal health coverage, perhaps?

In the US, we just passed the mental health parity law that requires insurers to pay for mental health care at the same rate as they pay for physical health care. Is Europe showing the American future in terms of mental illness? Will Americans show more mental illnesses now that more care is covered? If so, does that mean we are inducing an artificial amount of mental illness, or is it a reflection of a hidden reality?

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