Modern society, technology exacerbates mental health challenges

ELIOT ZEDD contributing columnist

Depression is one of the greatest challenges in modern society. According to the World Health Organization, it’s among the leading causes of disability worldwide and contributes greatly to global health problems.

College students are especially affected.

An annual study done by the University of Michigan found that 47% of college students surveyed deal with symptoms of depression. The reasons for this crisis can be attributed to many changes in habits as a result of a modernized society.

Professor Brandon Hidaka from the University of Kansas Medical Center said in an article published in the National Library of Medicine that there are certain diseases of modernity as a product of “drastic changes in daily life over the past century [that] are fueling the growing burden of chronic diseases, including atherosclerosis, hormone-related and gastrointestinal cancers, osteoporosis, and type 2 diabetes.” He adds that if diseases of modernity arise because of change in “contemporary and historic lifestyles,” then depression should be considered a disease of modernity as well. Westernization, secularization, consumerism and urbanization are all aspects of modernization, especially in the past century. from MODERNITY, page 25 also develop eating disorders. It’s almost impossible to escape popular culture these days with the domination of smartphones and social media.

Depression is a problem sweeping across the nation, but it’s difficult to measure how it’s changed over the years. Kerry Dobransky, a professor of sociology at JMU, noted that even though we can discuss these issues and make educated theories, it’s difficult to divulge empirical data regarding the increases in mental health problems over the centuries because the way they’re defined and characterized has drastically changed over time. It may be difficult to compare psychiatric health statistics to the past; nevertheless, there’s still plenty of evidence that shows how modernity plays a role in this current epidemic of depression epidemic.

Professor Andrea Mechelli, from King’s College in London, said the risk of developing depression is 20% higher among urban dwellers than those who live in rural areas. Mechelli said this is a result of different epidemiological factors, including air pollution or inadequate access to green spaces. Additionally, there are various social factors, such as inequality and lack of fulfillment.

Many American universities are the epitome of urban centers. Because Harrisonburg is in the Shenandoah Valley, it has great access to clean air and loads of green space, but the social factors of modernity are still prevalent.

A lack of exercise is one of these factors. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study revealed in a 2021 Forbes article that only 28% of Americans are meeting physical activity guidelines. This is astonishingly low. Harvard Medical School illustrated in the same article that there are certain neurological components when it comes to exercise that greatly improve mental health. A runner’s high is a great example of the positive emotional impact of exercise.

Another factor that plays a role in depression among students is a lack of vitamin D. About 42% of U.S. adults were reported to have vitamin D deficiency, according to the National Institutes of Health database. Angelos Halaris, professor of psychiatry at Loyola University, said based on existing research, vitamin D deficiency is heavily associated with depressive disorders.

College students are spending loads of time inside doing work rather than in the sun. Especially in Harrisonburg, where temperatures are often either too cold or hot to be outdoors most of the school year. This can lead to seasonal affective disorder (SAD) among college-aged students, who are 27% more likely to develop SAD. In addition, with easy access to air conditioning and heating, students often chose to spend the majority of their time indoors, which is a direct product of urbanization and modernity.

47% of college students deal with symptoms of depression according to a 2020 University of Michigan study

There are also introspective reasons that cause depression as a result of modernization, one being the decrease in faith among college students. The number of college students who don’t align with a religion has changed drastically since the 1980s, from 10% in 1986 to 31% in 2016, based on data from the CIRP Freshman Survey. One of the most renowned philosophers of the past three centuries, Friedrich Nietzsche, believed the decrease in faith leaves people without answers to fundamental questions about ourselves and others that religion had answered for thousands of years.

According to the CDC, we should be walking at least five miles a day, yet Americans tend to walk only an approximate 2 1/2 miles a day, explained by a study published in the Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise journal. Some JMU students only get their steps in when walking to classes, and that’s if they’re not taking the free buses.

While exercise plays a vital role in psychiatric health, body image is a struggle that many college students deal with. Per research done by Illinois State University, 80%-90% of women and around 70%-80% of men reporting being unhappy with their appearance. This can be attributed to a few different things: the idealized male or female bodies portrayed in the fashion industry, movies, TV and social media cause individuals to compare themselves to those people. This can lead people to not only fall into a depressive or anxious state but

It’s difficult to tell why this is happening, but Marc Roberts of Staffordshire University said he believes that it’s because human beings developed a greater understanding of the world around them as a result of modernization. We have formed into a more free society focused on individualism and responsibility.

It’s clear there are many different roles that modernization can play in the mental health of college students, far more than what’s mentioned. The changes in how we’ve lived over the past century have impacted the ways we view depression and what can cause it. Nevertheless, today, more than ever, the stigmas of talking about mental health are fading in the U.S. So even though depression is an affliction that we’re seeing a vast number of college students suffer from, maybe there’s a glimmer of hope we can combat this epidemic.

CONTACT Eliot Zedd at zeddej@dukes. jmu.edu. For more editorials regarding the JMU and Harrisonburg communities, follow the opinion desk on Instagram and Twitter @Breeze_Opinion.