With the global pandemic in the last few years bringing mental health issues into the limelight, now more than ever before, we are looking at alternative explanations for depression, anxiety, and other psychological concerns.

Today there is more funding and support for mental health than ever before. Traditional treatment strategies might include cognitive behaviour therapy or prescribed medications. So why are the statistics revealing that the real-life impact on rates of mental health issues is so underwhelming?

Undoubtedly, the pandemic has resulted in increased stress experienced in the community. In addition, we are also dealing with inflation, supply shortages, less time connecting in real life replaced with more screen time, and sedentary behaviours. It’s no surprise that burnout, overwhelm, depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns have increased significantly in the last few years.

What’s interesting to consider is that generations past have endured extreme hardships beyond our comprehension but didn’t seem to experience long-term mental health concerns the same way. War, famine, depressions, and poverty are just a few of the stressful situations that our ancestors experienced.

However, it seems that stress, anxiety, and depression were not present at the same epidemic levels as in today’s world. The question is, why?