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Showing posts from May, 2021

The Environmental Trade-offs of Increased Antidepressant Use

       I came across an interesting sentiment the other day. In response to the generational expression  “kids have it so easy nowadays” someone replied “that’s the point”. The point of progressing is to make life easier for the next generation. While today’s kids don’t have to walk uphill both ways to get to school, they face their own unique obstacles with the constant pressures from social media and threat of school shootings. The 2021 State Of Mental Health In America survey reports that youth depression is worsening. Statistics show that this disproportionately affects youths who identify as more than one race. However, some statistical growth can be attributed to an increase in diagnoses as the stigma of mental health has changed and more people seek treatment. Along with better access to therapy, access to a variety of antidepressants has increased as well. The CDC reports that from 1999 to 2014 antidepressant use has increased by almost 65% with one in eight Americans over 12