2023-06-09 16:52:15
At least that is what psychologist Lucy Foulkes (University of Oxford) and behavioral scientist Jack Andrews (University of New South Wales) suspect. In an academic paper, published in New Ideas in Psychologythey propose with their ‘prevalence inflation’ hypothesis that the increased negotiability of mental health may contribute to an exaggerated medicalization of mental complaints.
Although social awareness of psychological well-being has increased sharply in the Western world in recent decades, the number of people with mental health problems continues to rise. There is more knowledge about mental disorders among the general population, and thanks to less stigma, the step to psychological help is also smaller than before. Despite this, the medical world is reporting more patients with anxiety and eating disorders than ever before. Scientists propose several explanations for this phenomenon. Consider, for example, increased social media use, academic pressure on young people and greater income inequality.
Overinterpretation
According to Foulkes and Andrews, another factor also plays a role here, namely a positive feedback between social awareness and the prevalence of mental problems. Media campaigns, initiatives in education and in the work environment lead to better detection, but also to so-called ‘overinterpretation’. “Awareness efforts are leading some individuals to unnecessarily label mild and transient psychological distress as mental health problems requiring reporting and treatment,” the researchers said. This increase in complaints in turn forms fuel for new awareness initiatives.
It would therefore be a cyclical, escalating process, which, according to the authors, justifies more empirical studies. “Careful research to understand how future awareness campaigns can minimize the occurrence of overinterpretation is warranted here,” conclude Foulkes and Andrews.
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