Here we have Dementia support groups funded by the Alzheimer's Society and Alberta Health they give people support and information at no cost they help people cope through regular meeting at the long term care centre where the family members lives but, are open to anyone. It is very tough to deal with those changes in a loved one, I have heard you words from others before these groups help people like you a lot through shared experience you learn that you are not alone with your problems.

Americans do not have a monopoly on dysfunctional families most families have at least a small component of this everywhere.

I might but I doubt it I cope very well to nearly everything. Why, is the question, do you(Americans) fear how other behave?

@HeathenFarmer because there is a real fear, in this land of the free, that they will actually kill us

So, you feel there is a fad component then?

@HeathenFarmer yes - somewhat

Divorce could also be higher for other reasons; marriage for the wrong reason, lack of education in adult realities or religious pressure to be wed before being bed.

The fact that most of the basis (not all of it) for my observations comes from the media which is dominated by people with money; this could be skewing my observations as to how common it is but, why are all those people with money so screwed up? It is also, statically verifiable that the use and subscribing of antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs is far higher despite the fact that all Canadian have medical coverage.

@HeathenFarmer because the emphasis is to look for a magic pill

@btroje , I have though about that desire to find the quick external fix for an internal problem. It seems very odd to me that this would be the case in a nation that value rugged individualism over compromise and cooperation. Is this very philosophy at the root of the isolation and fear Americans feel making them seek council to cope?

I am not sure we are having the same discussion here and don't want to make sweeping generalizations about "American philosophy" and portrayals of any country by media/entertainment representation.Insurance reimbursement and pharmaceutical companies have a major effect in shaping choices here in the US though. I can not speak to individual choice as I havent met all of them

I can say that about cops, doctor, teachers and so on. It is not the person, it is the system they are under, that dictates what they do. Everybody hands are tied because the system is broken and as they threw us overboard 40years ago.

My daughter and I are better off the system as much as possible. I can grow all the medicine I need in my backyard. My family or friends remind me if I am getting too fat, Who needs a doctor for that. Do use some of their machine and advice, then get other options on my health.

Do you think the anxiety caused by living at a high level of fear plays into it? Fear of failure, fear of getting sick, fear of losing your health insurance, fear of your neighbour, etc. things we we don't have here in Canada could that be more of a reason because Canadian have high and sometimes unreal expectations and dysfunctional families as well.

@HeathenFarmer. Oh yes... fear. That's a lot of it. Money and possessions and big houses and social status causes social anxiety in some people. 70 thousand dollar trucks. 300 thousand dollar homes. You can't get this with 30 dollar an hour jobs. There's that other neighborhood they have to live in and their kids go to the school in that area. Kids get stuck in that environment and think along that scale of opportunity. No money for college. Hmmm... It's a circle some people can't seem to get out of.

Good answer it sums up what others have said. I wonder though how much fear plays into it because that is one of the main differences between Canadians and Americans the amount of fear we have.

An interesting read:
[susanrosenthal.com]

@HeathenFarmer good point. Fear is a factor for sure. With many of my clients it is a great fear of the future, and fear of not being good enough. There has been such a focus on external success and no focus on personal growth, and I believe that has come with a cost. It is why one of our countries nick names is "Prozac Nation". I think that is why more of us therapists are turning to Mindfulness Therapy, to try and counter the ever increasing trend of this country to ignore individual self growth and self understanding. One need not look any further than our current political climate.

@Hope4Zoe I read the entire book review. There is a lot there. I can't say there is not a fair amount of truth in Cohen's concerns. I remember when I was working on my counseling degree, one of my friends who was as intelligent as he was a pain in the ass, argued with me that my job as a therapist would be to help keep people following societal norms. That was thirty years ago. To this day I remember that discussion and try to prove him wrong. It is easier to do when working with "voluntary clients".....That could be a very long conversation.

...that is not very deep! 'Dingbats' doesn't sound like a disorder! Have you ever gotten therapy?

Ok I can understand why an Englishman might develop that opinion but why are they dingbats?

Guess what?

In Europe people fought wars. German bombs dropped on London. On Manchester. On Sheffield. On Dover. On Cardiff. On Birmingham.

Outside Britain, German bombs dropped on Paris. On Amsterdam. On Moscow.

The people of St. Petersburg (then Lenningrad) suffered starvation during a siege lasting years, in temperatures 30 degrees below freezing.

The people of Poland saw their homeland ripped away, as did the people of France.

It's not just Americans who know war.

Neither is it just Americans who know poverty. Economic pain. Injustice. Who lose their homes, and their jobs, and their hope.

But it IS Americans who are addicted to therapy. Americans respond to the same pressures, the same sorrows, the same challenges - but do so in a very different way.

America has an 'addiction to therapy' in the same way it has an addiction to god, and to guns. And sorry - that is, in itself, a symptom of something fundamentally wrong.

So yes - I will withdraw the word 'dingbat'. It was insensitive.

Americans seek out therapy, partly because they need it - but to a large extent because 'going to the therapist' is part of American 'cultural fashion'.

If you want therapy, go and get therapy @zeliasgrand - but for many within American culture it is fashion and entertainment, not need.

I did not mean physical therapy that is a medical treatment. As I said earlier in my replies to the comments on this post, there is no reason to believe that the rate of mental illness id higher in the US than Canada. Clinical depression is a mental illness I am glad to hear you are now coping much better. Is there a correlation between the large amount of evangelical christians and the rate of depression and/or the need for therapy? Could make an interesting study.

I hope you find those tools and get well.

Wow, I am a little taken back by your last statement as I have never heard that about living in the largest Canadian cities the rat race part yes, but not the suck the life out of you.

I don't by the society is changing rapidly argument it is changing just as fast here but, financial insecurity maybe a lot worse for many in the US. Does your private insurance usually cover therapy?

@HeathenFarmer

Changes in societal norms were once generational now the changes are within a generation. For example...verbal abuse now has a wider definition. In the workplace, you are teaching a simple three-step function and after repeating several times the person still gets it wrong and out of frustration you say something like...For F's sake, it's not rocket science. That person can accuse you of verbal abuse. Ten years ago that would not have been an issue.
Here is one that happened a couple of years ago...A father bought a phone for his 14-year-old daughter with the condition that it was not to be used after bedtime. 3 in the morning he catches her on social media and takes the phone from her, she grabs for it and the phone is dropped on the floor and the cover pops off. She calls the police to report her father and he is charged with abuse.
Here is another that I saw several years back...An accident victim is brought to emergency and the husband arrives distressed demanding answers. The nurse calls security and has the man escorted out of the hospital accusing him of verbal abuse instead of calming a worried and fearful husband.
In just the last few months complimenting a woman on her looks has changed from a pleasantry to sexual harassment.
We could get into GMO's, growth hormones, and antibiotics in animals. Once promoted as progress and now not.

What I'm saying is that these changes in what society will and will not accept have been more frequent in this generation than in previous. There are so many more examples and this post is too long as it is.

@Betty , I don't disagree about the rapidity of change but, it is no different here, it may actually be worse. The one difference I can identify is the level of fear Americans live under of the changes and the consequences of them.

@meteorshower , may I point out that most caves already have resident bears, snakes and other things you may not want to find in your bed, a cabin is probably a better choice.

@HeathenFarmer

I agree that is similar here and the increase of mental health awareness and the programs that have been implemented is a testament to it. In Canada, I think we have done more to help so there are more options and our health care is better than the States.

@meteorshower

Humans can be very complicated. Sometimes that's not a good thing.

@meteorshower , I can understand that with animals the rules are a lot simpler, humans can be frustratingly complicated attires they often have hidden agendas, emotional baggage and strange beliefs and thought patterns that make them far harder to deal with than bears. It is a challenging endeavour to deal with them but, I have never been one to back down from a challenge but, I am always glad that I have my farm to retreat to when I need to.

@HeathenFarmer

A good sanctuary that allows you to decompress is a wonderful way to maintain your sanity. I agree with your assessment of emotional baggage, strange beliefs, and thought patterns. They can make something simple into a very complicated issue that boggles the intellectual mind.

@Betty , it does the trick though is not to let it beat you.

@HeathenFarmer

That's why a sanctuary is so important, like your cabin, this site, or a hobby etc. It helps to clear the mind of all the BS and regain focus.