9/11 the cause of depression and anxiety amongst our generation?

[whocares]

Now that I think about it, 9/11 may have caused massive depression and anxiety amongst the Y and Z generation. Not because of the event, but because of the context behind it. If you look at the statistics, you'll find that our generation has the fastest growing addiction to prescription drugs. (link) But that's besides the point. The point I'm trying to make here is that maybe 9/11 has something to do with most of our younger generation's anxiety, especially those who experienced this at a very, very young age. Not to mention those who lost families and friends. Now I'm not saying this is the main cause, but it's probably a cause.

After writing this, I also found this article:

Stress, Depression and Drug Abuse: Fallout of September 11

A survey of New York City residents in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks found high levels of both depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among respondents and documented an increase in substance abuse. The survey, conducted by NIDA-funded researchers Dr. David Vlahov and his colleagues at the New York Academy of Medicine 5 to 8 weeks after the terrorist attacks, quantifies the relationships among stress, depression, and substance abuse. The results provide insight into public health service delivery needs as well as clues to effective treatment strategies to help individuals cope with traumatic events.

"The survey results are significant for the sheer numbers of people revealed to be affected by the disaster, the scope of the problem on a citywide scale, and challenges to the delivery of services," says Dr. Vlahov. He estimates that of the approximately 911,000 people in the area of New York under study, 67,000 had PTSD and approximately 87,000 had depression at the time of the study. Likewise, he estimates that 265,000 people increased their use of any of the substances in question:

• 89,000 smoked more cigarettes,
• 226,000 consumed more alcohol, and
• 29,000 used more marijuana.

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/ma...ticlekey=24251

[Yurpen]

It would be traumatizing if that happened in your own city. The depression and anxiety would be localized to Manhattan though.

[reggie_love]

I don't know, man. It's no Depression, no WWII, no Vietnam.

Plus plenty of people in that demographic are old enough to remember the cold war. I think growing up in a reality where you could be vaporized at any moment fucks you up far worse than some terrorist attack.

[The Pat-Man]

maybe the fact that what we did after that caused so many to despise us.

[Jerk.]

Originally Posted by whocares

Now that I think about it, 9/11 may have caused massive depression and anxiety amongst the Y and Z generation. Not because of the event, but because of the context behind it. If you look at the statistics, you'll find that our generation has the fastest growing addiction to prescription drugs.

Because prescription drug availability is growing

[Carbonbased]

Originally Posted by reggie_love

I don't know, man. It's no Depression, no WWII, no Vietnam.

Plus plenty of people in that demographic are old enough to remember the cold war. I think growing up in a reality where you could be vaporized at any moment fucks you up far worse than some terrorist attack.

Truth in your point that there were events in recent history. However not that I agree completely with OP but the those wars all had clear cut enemies, German, North Vietnamese, Russians. Todays conflict is one with a group that has no real nation, uniform or face, the wariness created by the fact that we have no idea what they look like or where they could strike I can see having a greater psychological impact than say the Germans because while they were a great threat they were an ocean away.

[Morb]

Originally Posted by Yurpen

It would be traumatizing if that happened in your own city. The depression and anxiety would be localized to Manhattan though.

It was traumatizing especially for the countless people around the country (and around the world) who lost friends among the thousands of dead. It's also pretty traumatizing for the entire country (well, for people over 20 or so anyway) who realize how close terrorists came to wiping out half the government by crashing a plane into the capital building. 9/11 could've been much, much worse than it ended up being.

[bortmackie]

Obviously it had pretty significant effects on those that were directly affected by it, but i would disagree for the rest of the population. I was a youngin when it happened and was not fazed in the slightest. 3,000 people? shit, the 2004 tsunami killed like a quarter MILLION people. Anyways, my point is that there are FAR more fucked up things in the world happening to be depressed about. My generation is completely obsessed with technology and has totally lost sight of what it means to be alive (besides the pursuit of THINGS, precious objects) as well as being oblivious to what's going on around them. Our government is run by a bunch of corrupt morons who are going to bankrupt the entire fucking world because they're so stupid. We're pissing away the last of our natural resources to avoid having to face the music, and our planet simply will not sustain life at this rate of consumption for very long. When you consider all that's going on around us, without even including some of the more extravagant conspiracy theories, 9/11 really wasn't shit.


I'm really an optimist, i swear. Mostly i have an appreciation for the precious little time we are allotted, and if we're going to be obliterated by a fucking bomb, so be it. I dont care. Even if you were directly affected by 9/11, it seems silly that you would let it control your emotional state more than ten years after the fact. I've experienced some serious grief and fucked up shit, but if anything i feel like i have a brighter perspective because of it.

[Oink The Pig]

If you mean it made the young soldiers who were talked into going over there and lose body parts depressed, yea sure.

[Struwwelpeter]

The psychological anus of America was irreparably raped on 9/11. Lol. Remember the kids' reaction to the death of OBL last year? It was like they got the boogie man.