Have the Baby Boomers Ruined Society?

Introduction.

The author is a young energetic historian who has entertaining and insightful ideas. His exuberance on occasion leads him astray, he can be too pessimistic, and he should be more cautious in his prophesizing. I should make such a criticism, in my early 20's I came to the conclusion that society would fall off a cliff a few decades after I had died. I might die tonight. It is going to be a close call because present indications are I have many years left in this decaying container. 

Problematic Psychiatric Diagnosis

 As both a psychiatrist and a patient, I know how slippery a diagnosis can be

At the outset I must make this perfectly clear. Psychiatric disorders exist, have as yet an undiscovered physical substrate which may have a genetic and environmental components, typically a result of the gene and environmental interaction. Psychiatric drugs have made huge improvements to society and individuals. My focus on this post is where psychiatry and psychology needs to change. 

 The controversies surrounding psychiatric diagnosis are decades old. Thomas Szasz is the seminal figure on the issue and his work, "The Myth of Mental Illness"(1961), began a debate that continues today. Today the problem is worse. The above article is another example of how psychiatry as a profession and our culture needs to seriously reevaluate how psychiatric diagnoses are made and how psychiatric conditions are treated. 

Mental Illness in the USA

I have been consistently surprised by the numbers of people in the USA diagnosed with a mental illness. For example, consider this statement from an excellent review on the apparent epidemic of mental illness in the USA:

The number of people treated for depression tripled in the following ten years, and about 10 percent of Americans over age six now take antidepressants. The increased use of drugs to treat psychosis is even more dramatic. The new generation of antipsychotics, such as Risperdal, Zyprexa, and Seroquel, has replaced cholesterol-lowering agents as the top-selling class of drugs in the US. 

The Epidemic of Mental Illness: Why?, Marcia Angell, The New York Review of Books

Longevity(Exceptional) - the genes have it

This recent press release has caused a world wide stir, with critics pointing out flaws in the analyses, though with the caveat that the identified flaws did not disprove the conclusions but raised questions that needed further investigation. In that link the researcher states his own research also identifies 150 specific markers in the exceptionally long lived. This more critical analysis though suggests the whole methodological approach is up the creek with one scientist quoted as saying the paper should not have been published because all the conclusions are suspect. The question is: Do we now know enough to enable people to realistically aim at extending their healthy lifespan? Not with studies like the above, but when the current centenarians were born people were only just becoming interested in the work of the quiet monk, Gregor Mendel, who pioneered modern genetics. Today we know so much more, and there is sufficient information to suggest it is possible to increase our lifespan and avoid illness. It is still a numbers game but we can play with the odds. First, some more of these genetic studies ... .

Climate Change, Ecological Novelty, This is not the Age of Aquarius

Generally I prefer to stay away from debates about climate change. I try to perceive the issue in an ecological setting rather than some argument what is going to happen in 50 years if we don't or do do A or B. I have little confidence in our ability to predict the future but I often get the impression that arguments from sceptics and advocates appear predicated on the idea we can make reasonable predictions about future outcomes with sufficient degrees of confidence so as to justify actions A or B. Logically speaking we can't have such confidence, practically speaking if we try we learn something. We might even learn something useful but that's a long shot.

Peter Carey You Pretentious Dumbass

Who are these dinosaurs who think they can determine the true measure of intelligence? At the Sydney Writers' Festival one of Australia's most prominent "literary novelists", Peter Carey, whines about how we are turning into a nation of idiots. As regards to the purported dumbing down of our culture I addressed that in this post. Peter Carey might want to learn something about the vagaries of statistical analyses the douchebag. He might also wish to remember that the earliest recorded instance of someone complaining about the younger generation goes back to the Assyrians.

The Dumbest Generation Ever?

Once again someone is asserting that the upcoming generation will bring about the downfall of civilisation. To the best of my knowledge this refrain has been occurring since time immemorial. In this case the author is arguing that the internet age is breeding a generation of idiots. What the author fails to acknowledge is that our generation created the culture that has turned the upcoming generation away from learning about the world in general. There is no doubt education standards have markedly declined in recent decades but laying the blame at the current generation is a wonderful exercise in blame shifting. The problem lies not with THEM but US.

Eat slowly, eat well, with friends and\or family

In our fast paced world eating has taken on a utilitarian aspect that is not doing us any good at all. We read the labels for nutrients, we pop pills for health, we eat on the run, we avoid unhealthy foods, we have turned eating into a chore when it should be a pleasure.

Even supermarkets are now selling various supplements, foods are fortified with this and that, purportedly claiming superior health from eating these fortified foods. The evidence for this is scant. What epidemiological studies show is that you don't need a "scientifically" determined eating plan but rather observing some simple rules for eating healthily.

The French Paradox remains unresolved. Basically it goes like this: the French eat a great many unhealthy foods yet have markedly lower rates of the types of diseases that pervade many Western countries. The French enjoy their food, eat as a social event not as an intrusion on a busy life. They take time to enjoy their food, eat much more slowly than us, and enjoy their meals.

Now consider how many of us eat: we agonise of the right balance of foods to optimise health, we eat lunch quickly so that we have more time to enjoy our lunch break before going back to the grind, we get home from work and are so tired we slap dash something together and gulp it down while watching TV or on the internet instead of using meal time as a chance to socialise and unwind.

This latest study from the BMJ highlights a problem with our eating style. It found that eating quickly and until we are full is a risk factor for obesity. No surprises there. The feeling of being full arises when food reaches the stomach, hormones are released which signal that we have had enough to eat. However if we eat quickly the hormonal message doesn't begin to function until we have over eating. This is because it takes time for food to reach the stomach. The other problem with eating quickly is that we tend to insufficiently chew our food. This prevents nutrient absorption.

We need to change our eating habits. We need to return to the habits of enjoying eating rather than treating it as a scientific exercise. We need to eat with others, take our time, enjoy our meals, and stop obsessing about food and nutrients.