Furious Seasons

October 31, 2007

Bush To Blame For America's Depression?

Bob Burnett at The Smirking Chimp offered a fascinating take on depression and the American malaise yesterday. For those readers who don't follow the political blogosphere, The Smirking Chimp is one of the primary lefty blogs out there, dedicated to banging on the GOP and President Bush. Apparently, depression in America can be traced to the man in the White House.

Burnett puts it thus:

"The depression epidemic explains why Americans have been so passive in the face of the continuing outrages of the Bush Administration: It's the reason why our fellow citizens didn't protest the stolen election of 2000; or the invasion of Iraq; or Bush's subversion of the constitution - to name only three misdeeds."

Americans didn't protest the 2000 election and the Iraq invasion? That's news to me. For Burnett, it's part of a post-60s historical arc:

"[W]e became a nation of depressives. It's not only that one in four of us has a diagnosed mental disorder, but also that millions of Americans self medicate: we take prescription drugs for depression - antidepressants are now the most frequently prescribed drugs -- or use daily palliatives such as alcohol or marijuana. There are millions more who suffer from the symptoms of depression - chronic anxiety or fatigue, eating disorders, or irritability - and never seek help, who stagger through each day in a funk. And there are millions of Americans who feel chronic helplessness in the face of an Administration that doesn't listen to the cries of the average person and seems determined to implement their evil agenda regardless of the consequences."

Um, maybe I'm a bit young to remember the 60s, but weren't lots of folks drinking booze, smoking weed, taking pills and Mother's little helpers back then? I just don't think you can prove that Americans feel any more or less crappy about themselves now than in some other epoch, regardless of whether the Ds or Rs were in charge.

But there's hope on the horizon:

"The next President must preach a message of hope and invite us to make a shared sacrifice for the good of the country. And, to help cure our national depression."

So does this mean a vote for Hillary will make you feel like you just took some Ecstasy? Or will voting for Mitt cure one's foul moods? I have a hunch that our next President will be as big a downer as the current one, but perhaps in different ways. No matter what, the pharma companies will do just fine, I predict.

Election Day is only a year off, so stay tuned.

Posted by Philip Dawdy at October 31, 2007 12:37 PM

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Comments

Of course Bush's vanity war/murder spree has got to impact the national mood, war takes a toll on a people, not to mention torture, spying on citizens and the shredding of the Constitution. Even with the paltry media coverage, and regardless of the tendency toward political disengagement we all know these things are happening. You hope your country is doing the right thing, and then learn they lied about WMDs, waterboarding, white phospherous at Fallujah, are making soldiers extend their stay regardless of the toll it takes, we have no exit strategy, everybody hates us and he's talking about WWIII!
Good times.

Posted by: flawedplan at October 31, 2007 03:20 PM

President Bush did have a message. In announcing his New Freedom Commission on Mental Health on April 29, 2002 he said, Our country must make a commitment: Americans with mental illness deserve our understanding, and they deserve excellent care. They deserve a health care system that treats their illness with the same urgency as a physical illness.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/04/20020429-1.html

The New Freedom Commission members also also had a message which was included in the Letter to the President wihch accompanied their interim report, Our review for this interim report leads us to the united belief that America's mental health service delivery system is in shambles.
http://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov/reports/interim_letter.htm

Can a mental health system in shambles regularly foster outcomes that are not reflective of it? The last thing we need now are more messages. We are still digesting the old ones, The Era of Psychosocial Rehabilitation, The Era of Evidenced Based Practices, The Decade of the Brain, The Era of Recovery and Wellness. Let's have an Era of Less Words and a Few More Deeds.

Posted by: Joe at November 1, 2007 09:45 AM

I'm troubled by the name "New Freedom Commission on Mental Health." I think most of us labeled as mentally ill would be thrilled just to have the "Old Freedom." I imagine the new freedom has some new limitations. Anyone know if it grows out of the 12 step program promises of a "new freedom and a new happiness?"

Still, I'm not sure Bush is a cause of national depression as much as one of many tragic results of it. People are tired, isolated, and looking for facile promises like those of a Bush or an Abilify Commercial.

As Kurt Vonnegut suggested, "What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.”

Posted by: Sally at November 1, 2007 10:25 AM

You're right, Sally. I fear "new freedom" refers to drugs, drugs, and more drugs. Myself, I'm promoting the freedom to be left alone.

Posted by: Francesca Allan at November 2, 2007 09:31 AM