Saturday, May 07, 2005

The Public Psyche (Gratuitous Bush-Bashing)

A friend recently observed that everyone she encounters these days seems totally stressed out and anxious. "I think it's because Bush is president," she said.

I've been thinking about the ridiculous numbers of people I know who are taking Wellbutrin, Paxil, Prozac, etc. Partly it's medical fashion, of course. A college student I know went to the clinic because he'd been feeling down. The doctor, whom he'd never met, administered a test, scored it, told him he was depressed, gave him a Wellbutrin prescription, and sent him on his way. Nice.

On the other hand, it seems like the times are simply depressing. If you don't have a great built-in endorphin system, a naturally cheery disposition, or simply a stoic ability to persevere, just the newspaper can be enough to send you down into the abyss. I guess it's not suprising that so many people need help just to make it from one day to the next.

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