Mental health, work and history

[stormi]

Hi all,

I know it is fairly common knowledge that 100 years ago (give or take) kids often were at work by the age of 14. My Grandad has a saying that "kids these days have too much free time on their hands". In my experience with mental health, I know that if I'm not busy my brain will become over-active and 'the devil makes work for idle hands/heads' I will get depressed.

I know it is perhaps short-sighted to say that mental health illness is only caused by having 'nothing better to do', but I do know that a large part of a healthy mind is knowing that you have something to do tomorrow, the next day and the future.

Today many new mums get depressed, 'back in the day' being a mother wasn't the 'be all and end all' of their existance, they still worked to survive even while raising the children - far too busy to even contemplate their situation existentially. Even today in 3rd world countries, you see women with babies strapped to their backs pulling rice in the fields, are those mothers depressed?

Of course - there was no such thing as 'mental health care' back in those days, and if people had any issues they'd rather keep them private rather than risk being condemned. But still, I am wondering whether mental health issues could have been much less common back then, mainly due to the fact that people were too busy working and trying to survive, rather than worry about 'other' things that weren't directly related to surviving/living.

Just as a disclaimer I am a person with a lot of care/respect for people with mental health issues, it runs in my family and I also suffer myself, so I am not writing this to 'discount' mental health at all, it is just a curious thought.

TLDR; I guess I wonder if we're just too easy on ourselves these days, our minds aren't supposed to have so much idle time.

[Stanwix England]

Having looked at my own family tree, and as a result, through lots of historic newspapers, I think mental health issues were just as common back then as they are today. If not worse, for those living in extreme poverty - which will always make these things more likely to develop.

Suicide was pretty common and it's not rare to find people being admitted to mental asylums.

Even back in medieval times, I think you can find traces of it. I've read accounts of people becoming convinced they were damned, which sounds a lot like a form of obsessive OCD.

[stormi]

Having looked at my own family tree, and as a result, through lots of historic newspapers, I think mental health issues were just as common back then as they are today. If not worse, for those living in extreme poverty - which will always make these things more likely to develop.

Suicide was pretty common and it's not rare to find people being admitted to mental asylums.

Even back in medieval times, I think you can find traces of it. I've read accounts of people becoming convinced they were damned, which sounds a lot like a form of obsessive OCD.

Interesting, but just to play devils advocate on your mention of medieval accounts of people thinking they were damned - back then surely any of those accounts would be of people in upper society, whos accounts would be recorded, and perhaps they themselves were a lot more 'idle' than your average peasant on the streets, which supports my original thoughts.

[stormi]

I just found an interesting article on suicide rates since 1861-2007:
https://academic.oup.com/ije/article/39/6/1464/736597

[Stanwix England]

The women I was reading about were mentioned in a book called 'Maids, Wives and Widows' by Sara Read. I misspoke a bit when I said medieval, as the book begins in 1540, but still pretty far back. The women concerned were mostly middle class women, running large households. So I wouldn't say they were ideal as even middle class women would have had to work a great deal back then.

[Stanwix England]

I suppose the downside potentially of the study you linked to, is where suicide deaths always recorded as such? Especially back in the day when it was such a stigma?

[stormi]

I suppose the downside potentially of the study you linked to, is where suicide deaths always recorded as such? Especially back in the day when it was such a stigma?

Well to be honest, the study supports your view that suicide rates have dropped dramatically over the last 100 years. But it is true that there would have been unreported rates too, which supports your view even stronger.

So yeah, seems my original hypothesis was completely wrong 

[pharmaT]

Alongside what others have said about the suicide rate I don't think instances of PND are greater today.  Although the diagnoses might be.  Culturally talking about it was taboo so people would hide how they felt more.  Whilst today new mums are routinely screened for symptoms by health visitors.  One of my 3x grt grandmothers died "in a well whilst in a state of weakness" not long after my 3x grt Aunt was born.  Due to stigma euphemisms were often used when  suicide occured for the sake of surviving family members.

Only just surviving is often a trigger rather than a preventer of depression as it leads to burn out.  Although only just surviving would make it harder for people to recognise symptoms in others.

I can't really agree with the idea that young people today are underoccupied.  I have a 16yo and 10yo.  They may only be at school from 9 until 3/4 but they have hours of homework in term time and other activities.  For example my 16 year old regularly has over 20 hrs homework a week.  She has a part time job, trains and competes in athletics and does charity work through a school group (the work is done outside school hours).  The majority of her friends have part time jobs, compete in sport or play in orchestras, do charity work.  Actually to the point I worry they're doing too much.    I think big damaging factor is that they are constantly being told that they're not doing enough.

[stormi]

I can't really agree with the idea that young people today are underoccupied.  I have a 16yo and 10yo.  They may only be at school from 9 until 3/4 but they have hours of homework in term time and other activities.  For example my 16 year old regularly has over 20 hrs homework a week.  She has a part time job, trains and competes in athletics and does charity work through a school group (the work is done outside school hours).  The majority of her friends have part time jobs, compete in sport or play in orchestras, do charity work.  Actually to the point I worry they're doing too much.    I think big damaging factor is that they are constantly being told that they're not doing enough.

I guess I was talking more your average kid who barely has any homework, plays xbox soon as they get home and spend the evening scrolling facebook and snapchat or instagram (yes, that is most kids today, might come as a shock?)

Your kids are obviously very well brought-up and are shining examples of what youngsters are capable of when given the proper support and guidance. Well done But you seem to think that is normal, or average, it certainly isn't, they are exceptional.