Today's Kids MORE Depressed than in Real Depression, & American Idol Begins

Yes the headline is evidently true and those facts are connected. More kids age of 16-22 report feeling "stressed out" or filled with anxiety, than did in the actual depression. Indeed, 40% of college students report feeling depressed or hopeless. They report high levels of pressure to perform, having large school loans, and the overall expectations of them exceeding their performance. Japan's suicide rate remains near its' highest rate.

Yet I can't imagine anyone who'd admit to being "stressed out" back in the 30's. My mother grew up then and said they were very poor, and sometimes her childhood sounds bleak. When she moved to a real city, life improved. But I doubt she'd say that she was "depressed" then, and she sounds as if she was the life of the party then too. But somehow I don't think a lot of people in that generation would say they were "stressed out" or depressed, because frankly, it seems far too wimpy.

Today there's a whole industry created around "stress and anxiety." We have therapists, counsellors, groups, self help books galore, and a whole range of pharmaceutical products and physical programs and activities such as yoga, Pilates and work outs, all designed to reduce stress. The terms "stress and anxiety" are like a diagnosis in epidemic numbers. It's a plague out there! Do all you can to avoid these terrors!

So, what's up? Maybe we should ask each other, "so what if your life has some stress?" Lots of the stresses reported are "internal"...for instance, crime isn't high in Japan, yet their suicide rate is higher than ever. As for hope, more of us go to college than did back then, and even in this recession, home ownership is much higher than it was back then. We have more now than we did back then...

So, was it as bad back in the Depression as we seem to think it is now? Back in the 30's there were few public safety nets. If you had no food, you hunted and gathered. You went to your family, your neighbors and your church, before you dared to hope the charity poor house might have something. Malnutrition existed then, (and really bad teeth as well. Check the photos). But I'm not sure it was worse then. I'm curious though. True, there was a much stronger sense of community back then, but then think of how many people moved because of hard times. They went where the jobs were. People today think that sounds insane. Why would they move for a better job, unless it's a certainty they'd get it?

Were people tougher back then? I get the feeling they were. (Or did Brokaw's book "The Greatest Generation" get a bit overwrought?) Or, were people then secretly miserable and suppressed? Were our expectations simply lower then? Are we more open and in touch with our inner selves now? Or are we simply more self centered now, with unrealistic dreams and hopes? And lest we forget, aren't we bombarded with advertisements about everything from erectile dysfunction (an experience I'm glad my father & grandfather were spared watching) to restless leg syndrome, and "mild to moderate depression", "moderate pre-menstrual syndrome", and of course, plenty of really bad news about the world and our economy, and a tsunami of scary threatening information 24/7, along with heightened expectations of life from the media? What a combo!

I do think the youth (of the western world at least) expects a hell of a lot out of life. But so did I. And we raised this youth! For instance, I still "expect" to be happy in my life and I usually am. If I'm not, I'll work on fixing the problem that's preventing me from being able to claim happiness.

I "expect" to have a good marriage, (even if my husband still has tons of improvements to make). I operate under the assumption my children will excel, and so far, they have. But am I setting them up for something bad later? And "average" isn't easy for me to accept. Upon reflection, that's a tad troubling. I expect to find meaning & compensation for my work, or I'll keep looking to move on. I expect to have a home in a good safe area, with decent schools and some space to play in. I expect to take a trip or two a year, purely for fun and travel. (Not the fake "vacations" my father pretended we were on visiting relatives who lived on a lake...but in his defense, hey, I am one of 9 kids. Good grief). These are things I hoped for as a child, but then came to "expect".

I just re-read that last paragraph. I do expect a lot. That's got to be part of the problem today.

But I'm curious about what you think. Why are today's youth reportedly more depressed and anxious than folks that age were, in the real Depression? Or is the study fundamentally flawed? I mean, reporting depression to your doctor back then, must have gotten a real second look from them. And what type of wacky behavior got you into a hospital for "a rest"?

As for today...there seems to be something awry with our expectations. We can't all be supermodels, can't all sing like Whitney Houston, or be reality TV stars (though actual talent probably would exclude you from a reality show) and we can't all play professional sports or win an Olypic Gold Medal. I have friends who practically grieve when their kids don't make the varsity team freshman year, or get a top 1% type of scholarship for college for a specific talent or skill. It's as if they've failed because their children are just simply smart, but not the smartest. They're merely athletic, not "gifted". Better than average isn't good enough either. You have to be "The American Idol" and there can only be one.

We can't all make a fortune on Wall Street or invent the newest money making gadget. Yet after watching American Idol's first auditions tonight, I wondered who had told these kids that their voices were worth having an entire nation listen to? They all said "I'm the next American Idol!"...and probably they were required to say that. But the thing is, many of the worst ones, believed it. Most of us will not be rich and famous, or "the best" at something, or anything...and I'm starting to think, "so what?" Someone once said, "learning to love what you have is the road to being content." I think I like that. Because otherwise, all those contestants on American Idol are doomed to feeling pretty damn bad about themselves if it's all...or what? Nothing?

The bottom line is that we can't all be "the special one". If we were, then no one would be...Wow, now that's depressing. Say it ain't so! ( I mean, we are all really really happy all the time, right? Right?)