Understanding the Fascinating World of Dreams

“I was walking down a dark street, whistling and enjoying the darkness. Suddenly, I heard footsteps. Somebody was following me. I tried to run but my legs were cement. I couldn’t budge. I screamed. Nobody heard me. My heart was beating so fast. I was terrified. I didn’t know what to do.”

Maria continued: “I woke up in a cold sweat, shaken by the dream and wondered what it meant. I couldn’t figure it out. I have no enemies. There’s nothing that’s scaring me in real life. So, I kind of just tried to get it out of my mind by telling myself it’s just a dream.”

Dreams are mysterious. We’re both fascinated and perplexed by them. When they frighten us, we try to push them aside, saying “it’s just a dream.” Too bad. We can learn a lot from our dreams once we learn to speak their language.

Their language? What language do dreams speak?

The language of metaphor. A metaphor is figurative language that connects one thing to another. Metaphors can be quite powerful as they move beyond literal language, forcing our brains to work harder to understand the connections.

Simple metaphors, like “he’s a shining star,” are easily understood. More complex metaphors, however, require us to contemplate their meaning. Once we understand what our dream metaphor is trying to tell us, however, we can be deeply moved.

Though there are universal dream themes, your dream is unique to you. It is born of your subconscious. You intuitively know that your dream is trying to tell you something, and yet often you don’t have a clue about what your dream means until you bring your dream to life. How do you do that? Start by repeating the dream in the first person, present tense.

“I am walking down a dark street, whistling and enjoying the darkness. Suddenly, I hear footsteps. Somebody is following me. I try to run but my legs are cement. I can’t budge. I scream. Nobody hears me. My heart is beating so fast. I am terrified. I don’t know what to do.”

Already the dream is becoming more personal, just by putting it in the present tense. Next, begin to see all the elements of the dream as part of your persona. You probably recognize “you” as yourself, but do you recognize that you are also the “somebody” who is following you? As well as the “helpless person” who “doesn’t know what to do;” the “dark street” that you’re walking down; your “cement legs” that won’t move.

Ah yes, there are a lot of essential elements in your dream that are all part of your persona. In your sleep, you have ingeniously weaved them into this play. Did you know you were so creative?

Now it’s time to create a dialogue between the different elements, (i.e. the easygoing part of you as well as the part of you that’s terrified). Once you hear one part of your persona speak to another part, you’ll enrich your understanding of your conflict.

As Maria explored her dream, she realized that though a part of her (her outward persona) was confident and competent, another part of her (that she keeps hidden) is frightened that she doesn’t measure up to others’ expectations. She feels all alone with her fears (no wonder she keeps them hidden) and believes she has no one to turn to and doesn’t know what to do.

If you have had a similar dream to Maria’s, does her interpretation apply to you? No, for dreams are unique to each individual. No other person has your specific combination of emotions and experiences.

So, if you want to learn more about yourself, don’t hesitate to take the time to explore your dreams. The payoff can be immense as you learn about the hidden dimensions of your personality and how to integrate them into a multidimensional you.

©2016

Dream scene image available from Shutterstock

from World of Psychology http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2016/04/24/understanding-the-fascinating-world-of-dreams/

Facebook Fame, Real-Life Shame

“People aren’t posting about their Pinto breaking down on I-80 or their glamorous work trip to Walla Walla,” a friend wryly observed.

No. No, they aren’t. Instead, we are treated to a barrage of adorable baby photos, beaming couples, and far-flung destinations. If Tinder requires every attractive female to proclaim their love of (insert hometown) sports team, Facebook stipulates that every couple proclaim their undying devotion in mushy status updates. Maybe Facebook should sponsor Prozac — or, at the very minimum, provide every singleton with a complimentary bouquet of flowers.

Facebook is more than a blinking scoreboard for your unrequited love. Satisfying your voyeuristic needs, you can track your high school crush, freshman roommate, or gawky neighbor. Facebook is a creeper’s paradise — and a troublesome one for those clawing their way through mental health issues or a difficult life transition.

A directionless 30-year-old, I lived with my beloved aunt in Minneapolis. My daily routine: job applications, doting on her Labradoodle, and prepping for the occasional job interview. As my employment search dragged on, Facebook dragged me down. Slinking around her apartment, I would click on acquaintances’ glossy photos. Friends and acquaintances were gliding through life as I stumbled from one unfulfilling position to another. Or so it seemed.

These misperceptions — or cognitive errors, to borrow a clinical term — invite feelings of inadequacy and inferiority. According to author James Hamblin, “Because Facebook tends to serve as an onslaught of idealized existences — babies, engagement rings, graduations, new jobs — it invites upward ‘social comparison’ at a rate that can make ‘real life’ feel like a modesty festival.”

Hamblin is right. Facebook distorts reality. In any social comparison to Facebook, we fall short of its glamorized life — and then redirect perceived shortcomings on ourselves. On Facebook, there are always more anniversaries to commemorate, destinations to marvel at, and babies to caress. On Facebook, every day is a booze-filled Friday afternoon or a sun-splashed getaway. It discounts those dreary Monday afternoons which, as much as the lavish Bali vacation and swooning honeymoon, represent life.

Of course, as I questioned my employability, I posted uplifting quotes or endearing status updates. My Facebook facade was unbreakable. According to Medical News Today, we post “highlight reels.” Glossing over life’s troublesome moments or personal frailties, we present our most interesting, dynamic selves. Would you rather browse through your friend’s Machu Picchu photos or listen to him shred his boss in a bitter polemic? You and I both know the answer.

Facebook, more than a glitzy car or extravagant wedding, is our generation’s status symbol. We gloat about our accomplishments, seeking affirmation for our personal virtues and professional successes. How many of us have changed our profile photo and obsessed over the number of “likes” trickling in? If you can’t share it on Facebook, did it really happen?

We depend on Facebook for news, information, and trends. It satisfies our insatiable craving to know, judge, and gossip. But as we disparage our ex-girlfriend’s trashy outfit, we miss out on life’s good stuff: the authentic conversations and close relationships that define us.

My Facebook recommendation: Turn the page. Leave the cheeky Facebook status updates to others; you are the author of a far more captivating series: Choose Your Own Adventure.

References

Hamblin, James (2015, April 8). “The Psychology of Healthy Facebook Use: No Comparing to Other Lives.” The Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/04/ways-to-use-facebook-without-feeling-depressed/389916/

Paddock, Catherine (2015, April 8). “Scientists Find Link Between Heavy Facebook Use and Depressive Symptoms.” Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/292081.php

Alexey Boldin / Shutterstock.com

from World of Psychology http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2016/04/24/facebook-fame-real-life-shame/

The Making of a Happy Mind

The mind, just like any other entity in nature, follows some specific laws. The mastery of these laws can be immensely helpful in improving mental health and generating happiness.

Long before the discipline of psychology was established, philosophers started providing answers to the question of how to reach happiness. Tested by science, some their claims have been refuted, while others were confirmed, such as the following statement made by Epictetus in The Art of Living:

Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle: Some things are within our control and some things are not. It is only after you have learned to distinguish between what you can and can’t control that inner tranquility become possible.

In The Art of Living, Epictetus argued that we must differentiate between what lies within our control and what lies beyond our control, focus on the first and disregard the second. He promised that this practice will lead us to happiness and freedom.

Centuries after Epictetus, Jay Weiss and his colleagues conducted a seminal experiment where they examined the relationship between control and stress. The experiment was conducted with pairs of rats: each pair was subjected to random electrical shocks (a very stressful situation!) and one of the two rats (rat A) could end the shocks by turning a wheel. Rat A could end the shocks for both rats by turning the wheel; he was in control. Rat B could do nothing but wait for rat A; he was helpless. The experimenters found that rat B developed symptoms of depression and rat A did not. Their findings suggest that being in control of a stressful situation can make it less harmful. Feeling helpless during a stressful situation can heighten its harmful effects.

Besides affecting how we respond to stress, feeling in control also affects how we respond to pleasure: Having control over rewarding experiences can make them more rewarding. Rewarding experiences become less rewarding when we are helpless.

The evidence for this comes from another study conducted with rats. Hemby and his colleagues conducted an experiment with the same design as Weiss’s experiment except for one difference: Instead of delivering electrical shocks, Hemby and his colleagues created a pleasurable experience for the rats. They gave them injections of cocaine.

Cocaine was given only when rat A pressed a lever. In order to receive cocaine, rat B had to wait for rat A to press the lever: rat B was helpless, rat A was in control. And as expected, it was found that rat A experienced more pleasure from cocaine than rat B. The experimenters knew this by measuring the amount of dopamine released in the brains of the two rats. Rat A had more dopamine released in the pleasure centers of his brain. It is known that the more dopamine is released in the brain’s pleasure centers, the more pleasure we feel.

Control could therefore be one of the keys to happiness; it makes the pleasurable more pleasurable, and the stressful less stressful.

When we think more about what we can control and less about what we cannot control, we experience a better mood. In his inspiring TED Talk “My philosophy for a happy life,” Sam Berns, a young man who had to live with progeria (premature aging disease), stated that instead of focusing on what his condition did not allow him to do, he chose to focus on things that he could do: “I’m okay with what I ultimately can’t do because there is so much I can do.”

When we set goals and reach them, we experience a better mood. Neuroscientist Alex Korb argued that “we are often under the impression that we are happy when good things happen to us. But in actuality, we are happiest when we decide to pursue a particular goal and achieve it.” Setting a goal and achieving it reminds us that we are in control, and this reminder instantly creates a pleasurable experience in our brains. In more scientific terms, setting goals increases the activity of dopamine in our brain and increases our perceived control. (See Alex Korb, The Upward Spiral, Chapter 6, for a more detailed discussion).

In order to experience more control in our lives, all what we need to do is identify what we can change, set achievable goals, and reach them.

Feeling in control is an experience that we all pursue. However, this feeling is pursued through different means, some of which are problematic. Many individuals resort to harmful and sadistic practices in order to feel in control. They mistakenly believe that control means control over others and power means the ability to harm others.

Science has proven that control and power can be reached through prosocial practices such as altruism and kindness. The next blog entry will discuss the benefits of these practices on mental health.

References

Berns, S. (2014). My philosophy for a happy life http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/My-philosophy-for-a-happy-life

Hemby, S.E., et al. “Differences in extracellular dopamine concentrations in the nucleus accumbens during response-dependent and response-independent cocaine administration in the rat.” Psychopharmacology 133.1 (1997): 7-16.

Weiss, J.M., et al. “Behavioral depression produced by an uncontrollable stressor: relationship to norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin levels in various regions of rat brain.” Brain Research Reviews 3.2 (1981): 167-205.

Woman outdoors photo available from Shutterstock

from World of Psychology http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2016/04/23/the-making-of-a-happy-mind/

Reconnecting to Yourself Every Day

We can get disconnected from ourselves regularly. Even on a daily basis. This can happen because we’re fully focused on checking off tasks from our to-do lists. Or because we’re fully focused on taking care of everyone else.

It can happen because we’re stuck in our heads — “leaning too far into the future or obsessing about things that didn’t go well for us in the past,” said Kelly Rose, LMFT, a psychotherapist who helps people reconnect to their authentic selves in Wayzata, Minn. Because when we’re disconnected from the present moment, we’re really disconnected from ourselves, she said.

Rose shared this quote from Eckhart Tolle: “Most humans are never fully present in the now, because unconsciously they believe that the next moment must be more important than this one. But then you miss your whole life, which is never not now.”

We can become disconnected from ourselves when we look to others to help us make decisions. Rose once worked with a woman who fell in love with a house the first time she saw it. She then consulted her 10 closest friends for their thoughts. By the time she saw Rose and reconnected to her original desire, the house was sold to someone else. This might sound like an extreme example, but all of us can relate to turning to advice — over and over — when we really didn’t need it.

“Most of the time when we need to make an important decision our hearts or our guts give us the first and best answer,” Rose said. It’s our minds that create confusion, because we yearn for certainty, approval or validation about our decision, she said. “When we look outside ourselves for this validation, we are giving our power away.”

Connecting to ourselves means connecting to our true selves. It means connecting to our intuition, so we’re able to make decisions based on that knowing, Rose said. It means navigating life with “intention, integrity and authenticity.”

You might be wondering: How do we actually do this? If we get disconnected from ourselves regularly, how do we actually reconnect? Rose shared a variety of suggestions below, some of which are as simple as inhaling and exhaling.

Take deep breaths.

Breathing eases our anxiety. It “counteracts the adrenalin and cortisol our brains release when we get into fight or flight mode,” Rose said. This helps us reconnect to our core, which exists beneath worries and what-ifs.

Rose suggested taking a deep breath by filling your stomach, lungs, chest and throat. Use five seconds to inhale, and five seconds to exhale, she said.

Take care of your body.

As Rose said, your body is “the only vehicle you’ll have that really matters.” Taking care of your body includes everything from drinking water when you’re thirsty to going to the bathroom when you need to stretching when you’ve been sitting for too long. It also might include meditating, walking, getting massages and practicing yoga.

Be your own best friend.

Pay attention to what you’re telling yourself during different points of the day, such as when you’re looking in the mirror. If you find that you’re speaking negatively to yourself, ask: Would I let someone say this to my best friend? Often we are most critical of ourselves, and it only hurts us even further. (In this piece, and this one, you’ll find simple ways to practice self-compassion.)

Rose suggested identifying three amazing things you can do for yourself every day. These don’t have to be grand gestures. They might be everything from flossing to going to the doctor to finally finding a therapist, she said. They’re small yet significant acts.

Connect with your senses. “[L]ook at beautiful things. Listen for beautiful sounds. Feel stimulating textures. Taste delicious foods and beverages. Smell scents that appeal to you.”

Rose also suggested taking yourself out on dates and scheduling creative time.

Pay attention to your physical sensations.

This might include paying attention to physical sensations that are related to different emotions, because identifying how you’re feeling is reconnecting to yourself. For instance, you might feel anger as a headache or anxiety in your chest.

Also, get curious about how you feel in your body when you’re around different people, Rose said. This is another helpful way to tend to your emotional life. She shared these sample questions to consider:

• “Does your throat feel tight or open?
• Do you clench your jaw or is it relaxed?
• Does your heart feel like it’s locking up or is there space around it?
• Do you slouch your shoulders (protecting the heart)?
• Is your stomach relaxed soft, or is it tight?
• Do you cross your arms in a self protection stance?”

We get disconnected from ourselves all the time. The good news is that we can take small and simple steps — like the ones above — to reconnect to our core, authentic selves.

Woman stretching photo available from Shutterstock

from World of Psychology http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2016/04/23/reconnecting-to-yourself-every-day/

Psychology Around the Net: April 23, 2016

Earlier this week, a recently unemployed friend of mine began a round of several interviews for a new job that, if all goes well, potentially could be the perfect fit for him. During the first interview he was asked, “What is your strongest attribute and how would it benefit our company?”

My friend is a quick thinker and delivered an answer that, after talking about it later, we both decided indeed summed up his strongest attribute; however, the interviewer’s question made us both start thinking more deeply about our attributes — especially as they relate to employment and personal relationships.

While this story isn’t much related to the stories within today’s Psychology Around the Net, it is something you might want to ponder about yourself. What are your strongest attributes? How do they play roles in your professional and even personal lives? How can you further foster them to boost your performance and relationships even more?

Several years ago (more than a decade ago, actually, but I feel it’s still relevant), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) published Seven Must-Have Attributes That Get You Hired! and, as the title suggests, it’s mostly geared toward employment; however, I think it’s worthwhile to look at these attributes and their descriptions and do some thinking about how they may reflect your strengths and weakness and how you can apply them to expand your professional and personal growth.

Ah, now, back on track! It’s time to dive in for the latest on a current lawsuit involving a sperm donor’s mental health history, how live music can help manage anxiety, ways you can “spring clean” all your relationships, and more.

Sperm Donor’s Profile Hid Mental Illness and Crime, Lawsuits Say: Although “Donor 9623” was described as a healthy, extremely intelligent man working toward his Ph.D., donor recipients have since discovered his criminal past and history of mental illness (specifically, schizophrenia, which is sometimes genetic) wasn’t revealed. One mother states, “There needs to be measures in place by these companies to make sure that the people that are coming through the door are safe options for donor-conceived children,” but also claims she wouldn’t object to her son meeting his father because “[h]e is not a bad man; he is a person who has an illness […] He helped to create the love of my life.”

Treating Prenatal Depression May Cut Adverse Birth Outcomes: Even though some research suggests taking antidepressants during pregnancy poses a risk to the baby’s health, a new study conducted by Kartik K. Venkatesh, MD, PhD, and colleagues and published in Obstetrics & Gynecology states “treating depressed mothers-to-be with antidepressants may reduce the odds” of delivering babies preterm or by cesarean, as well as delivering “small-for-gestational-age babies.”

Here’s How Seeing Live Music Could Help With Anxiety: Raise your hand if you weren’t aware that music can greatly impact your mental health? Anyone? *crickets chirp* Well, now researchers from the Centre for Performance Science at the Royal College of Music in London have taken it a step further, stating that live music performances specifically (rather than just popping in your iPod’s earbuds) help, too — especially with lowering cortisol, the hormone related to stress and anxiety. According to the research, study participants “[…] showed lower levels of the “stress” hormones after seeing the [live music] performances.” However, don’t rush off to buy your Bonnaroo tickets just yet; so far the study includes only live performances of classical music.

This 7-Day Detox Will Spring Clean All the Relationships In Your Life: Forget the green smoothies and juice cleanses. The folks over at Shape teamed up with relationship expert and therapist Rachel Sussman for tips on how to reevaluate the most common relationships in your life (think family members, romantic partners, and co-workers or employers) and develop a plan for getting rid of those toxic relationships and all the stress that affects your mental and physical health.

Maine Could Be First State to OK Medical Marijuana to Treat Addicts: While medical marijuana has been prescribed in other states (such as California and Massachusetts) for opiate addiction, Maine could be the first state to actually include opiate addiction as a qualifying condition, according to the Maine Medical Association. Dozens of medical marijuana caregivers and patients have stepped forward and shared personal stories on how they’ve seen (or experienced themselves) how marijuana has helped beat addiction, but some medical professionals, such as Leah Bauer, a psychiatrist and medical director at the Addiction Resource Center at Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick aren’t in agreement, stating “using marijuana may be like pouring gasoline on the fire.”

What Does Your College Major Say About Your Personality? Research shows that not only does your college major say a lot about your IQ score, but also a lot about your personality (even including who you end up hanging out with on campus). Various studies based their research on the “Big Five” (personality traits including neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness); however, experts advise students against choosing majors based solely on their personalities: “As interesting as the personality group differences are, it is important to note that this type of research is based on averages […] Large variation within the groups exists, and many individuals will not, of course, ‘fit the personality pattern’ of their academic major,” says psychologist Anna Vedel, from Aarhus University in Denmark.

from World of Psychology http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2016/04/23/psychology-around-the-net-april-23-2016/

Constant Rage and Aggression Could Be Linked to Brain Parasite

Clean the damn litter box, people!

Intermittent explosive disorder (IED) is when people are overcome with anger and lose control of their emotions. This disorder is characterized by hostility, loss of control and recurring aggressive outburst. People with IED can explode into a rage-filled episode with very little provocation or reason. Think: road rage.

But a new study from the University of Chicago has found a link between IED and toxoplasmosis, a parasite commonly associated with cat feces.

Quiz: What Is Your Personality Type Based On The Words You Use?

Toxoplasmosis is a generally harmless parasitic infection that’s passed on through the feces of infected cats, or drinking contaminated water or raw goat’s milk, or from raw or undercooked meat. Toxoplasmosis affects around 30 percent of all humans but is normally latent.

“Our work suggests that latent infection with the toxoplasma gondii parasite may change brain chemistry in a fashion that increases the risk of aggressive behavior,” said the study’s lead researcher, Emil Coccaro, MD, in an article on Medical News Today. “However, we do not know if this relationship is causal, and not everyone that tests positive for toxoplasmosis will have aggression issues.”

Previous research has shown that the parasite is found in brain tissue and has been linked to a number of psychiatric conditions including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and suicidal behavior. Although most people who have toxoplasmosis are unaware that they have it, it can be very serious if a woman catches it just before or during pregnancy. It’s also not good for people with a weakened immune system, though there are medications to treat it.

Some ways to avoid getting toxoplasmosis include not touching your hands to your mouth after gardening, cleaning the litter box, not coming into contact with raw or partially cooked meat, not using utensils or cutting boards that weren’t properly cleaned after coming into contact with raw meat, and not eating raw or partly cooked lamb, pork or venison.

For the study, the researchers recruited 358 adult participants from the United States who were evaluated for IED, personality disorder, depression and other psychiatric disorders. Study subjects were rated on traits that included anger, aggression and impulse control.

Why People Who Have Struggled Most In Life Are Always The Kindest

Roughly one-third had IED, one-third had some psychiatric disorder that wasn’t IED, and one-third were healthy controls with no psychiatric history.

The researchers found that those with IED were more than twice as likely to test positive for toxoplasmosis exposure (22 percent), while only 9 percent of the healthy group and 16 percent of the psychiatric control group were likely to test positive.

Across all study subjects, toxoplasmosis-positive people scored significantly higher on scores of anger and aggression, suggesting that toxoplasmosis and aggression are strongly linked.

The authors point out that their findings don’t mean that toxoplasmosis causes IED or that people with cats are more likely to have the condition.

“This is definitely not a sign that people should get rid of their cats. It could be increased inflammatory response, direct brain modulation by the parasite, or even reverse causation where aggressive individuals tend to have more cats or eat more undercooked meats,” said the study’s coauthor, Dr. Royce Lee.

There’s no reason to panic. Just wash your hands after cleaning the litter box and before touching your face. It’s really a no-brainer. Plus, I don’t think anybody wants to touch their face after coming into contact with cat poop anyway.

This guest article originally appeared on YourTango.com: If You’re Rage-y All The Time, Blame A Brain Parasite (Says Science).

from World of Psychology http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2016/04/22/constant-rage-and-aggression-could-be-linked-to-brain-parasite/

U.S. Suicide Rates Go Up & Up: What Does It Mean?

For the past 15 years, the suicide rate in the United States has gradually inched upwards year after year, reaching its highest point ever. This according to new research just published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

It’s gone up about 2 percent per year starting in 2006, rising 24 percent in the study period from 1999 to 2014. Women fared worse than men, with women’s suicide rates rising 63 percent versus men’s 43 percent.

What does it all mean? Why are suicide rates increasing at all, instead of falling?

Contrary to the headlines, this isn’t a “surge” or a “dramatic” rise, but rather a very gradual rise over the course of 15 years. Of course, any increase is contrary to predictions. After all, we live in a time of relative prosperity and peace in our homeland. While the study period includes the time of the Great Recession, it also includes a period of time of economic growth.

The federal health agency’s last major report on suicide, released in 2013, noted a sharp increase in suicide among 35- to 64-year-olds. But the rates have risen even more since then — up by 7 percent for the entire population since 2010, the end of the last study period — and federal researchers said they issued the new report to draw attention to the issue.

The experts, not surprisingly, are stumped.

“It’s really stunning to see such a large increase in suicide rates affecting virtually every age group,” said Katherine Hempstead, senior adviser for health care at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

“It’s very sobering and disappointing,” says Harold Koplewicz, a psychiatrist and president of the Child Mind Institute, a non-profit in Manhattan. “We’re not making progress. We’re actually going in the wrong direction.”

So what’s going on? Why are suicide rates rising when more people have more access to healthcare than at any previous point in U.S. history?

Connecting the Dots for Rising Suicide Rates

Forbes suggests, “Researchers say that access to firearms and abuse of addictive drugs, like opioids, could both be factors.”

And specific groups seem to be at much higher risk than other groups with a jump in their suicide rates during the study period. The New York Times notes, “American Indians had the sharpest rise of all racial and ethnic groups, with rates rising by 89 percent for women and 38 percent for men. White middle-aged women had an increase of 80 percent.” They also note:

Recent research has highlighted the plight of less educated whites, showing surges in deaths from drug overdoses, suicides, liver disease and alcohol poisoning, particularly among those with a high school education or less.

One expert blamed the economy, despite the economy improving over the past 6 years. Another expert blamed a growing divorce rate and more singles in the world, who are more socially isolated and lonely. The rise of social networks in the past 10 years may have contributed to that social isolation, despite their intended purpose of drawing people closer together.

In short, researchers can’t conclusively answer the question of what’s driving this increase in the rate of suicide in the U.S. There are a multitude of factors that likely contribute to it, and it’s highly unlikely any single factor could be singled out as the cause.

Could Facebook Be Causing More Suicides Than Ever Before?

Coming back to that idea of social networks like Facebook contributing to the rise in the U.S. suicide rate, I find that there may be something there worthy of researchers pursuing further. If you’re already depressed, lonely, or socially isolated, checking a site like Facebook on a regular basis is likely to reinforce those depressive feelings, according to the research.

Inadvertently, Facebook has created a method that makes sad people feel even more sad about their lives, because of the social comparison that is happening that is the foundation of the service.

Does this single factor explain the rise in the U.S. suicide rate by itself? Highly unlikely. But it’s a real connection researchers have long been aware of and we know that Facebook depression is an actual thing driven by these social comparisons.

While Facebook has done more in recent years to try and address suicidal behavior on their site, they really can’t fix the underlying problem of their site reinforcing unhealthy social comparisons. That’s the fundamental issue, and one that Facebook won’t ever be able to easily fix (without breaking the entire purpose of the service).

Greater Access to Suicide Crisis Services, But Less Access to Actual Treatment

Today, more than at any other time in our history, people have greater access to suicide prevention services. Not only is there the suicide hotline (so old school, using a telephone: 800-273-TALK (8255)), but there are also services like the Crisis Text Line (Text “GO” to 741-741) and the Lifeline Crisis Chat. In other words, help is readily available for those seeking immediate support. Facebook now has built-in suicide support services (of questionable usefulness, after virtually ignoring the issue for the first 6+ years of its existence).

What about longer-term treatment and support? Sadly, the U.S. has cut — year after year — funding to public mental health services. And these are the services most needed by a person with severe clinical depression — a serious mental illness in need to long-term treatment. States routinely cut their funding for mental health services to their poor, because nobody seems to complain much on their behalf. And the federal government has done little to step up and help out.

Instead, we’ve become a nation completely happy that we’re warehousing people with severe mental illness not in our state hospitals any longer, but in our jails and prisons instead.

If you think your private insurance is better, think again. Try to make an appointment for your child to see a child psychiatrist through your health plan. I’d be surprised if the earliest appointment time you could get isn’t at least 2 months out. We’re a nation that has an increasing shortage of psychiatrists and other mental health professionals, and it’s only projected to get worse in the years to come.

Why has the suicide rate risen so much? Who knows for sure. But I can say it’s not going to get better any time soon without significant and meaningful investment in public mental health care moving forward.

 

Read the full New York Times article: U.S. Suicide Rate Surges to a 30-Year High

from World of Psychology http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2016/04/22/u-s-suicide-rates-go-up-up-what-does-it-mean/