# [[We Need To Address Mental Epidemics]] #Psychology #Humanity #Mental_Wellbeing #Society #Science #Opinion We still do not take "mental pandemics" seriously enough. We are not even close. Science has advanced enough to accept, define, and diagnose mental illnesses. Science even acknowledges the concept of "mental pandemics and epidemics", some work has been done on this. So, where is the gap? It might be in the general understanding and definition of pandemics. We strictly correlate them with transmittable disease, and they are defined by the pathogen causing them. With mental illnesses, possible causes are unique to each person, and are potentially infinite (based on our current understanding). This makes it challenging to define a mental epidemic. I can argue that mental illnesses and disorders are also transmittable disease, otherwise mental health epidemics and pandemics won't be a thing (we already established that they are accepted by science). We also have a diagnosis bottleneck, since not enough people report and get diagnosed. This makes it slow and challenging to spot and observe the spread of an illness on larger scales. We need more convergence between psychology and psychiatry. And more focus on Societal Psychology. I feel that mental illnesses start on a societal level, and then spread to individuals. So preventing mental pandemics might need to begin by observing communities, not individuals. Mental epidemics are also very hard to contain, slow, and stop. Depending on their nature, a mental epidemic could take anywhere from a few years to a few decades to clear. I guess it is just not a priority right now for all those on top. BUT, this doesn't mean that the epidemics aren't already emerging and impacting our societies and the world. We are just choosing to turn a blind eye for now. Mental Epidemics are more detrimental to humanity. While biological epidemics affect humans, mental epidemics affect humanity. --- **Would I be too greedy to also hope we soon start acknowledging Social Epidemics?** Originally Shared on: [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/theali/posts/pfbid02ZDwGQNHhPar9DZL5fSbhLk56QMydKScPH6dmtBnUCAmPHsM3naN8WN6qvJrZ7qzBl) May 06, 2024 > [!multi-column] > >>[!seealso] Related Thoughts >>- [[šŸ˜· Covid Exposed Our World's Vulnerabilities]] >>- [[šŸ’Š Tips on Mental Health Medications]] >>- [[The Unknown Layers Of Health]] >>- [[Conspiracy Theory Disorder]] > >> [!idea] Related Videos >>[[ā–¶ļø We are failing to see how much better off humanity could be]] <br> >>[[ā–¶ļø The Algorithm Effect - How An Entire Population Becomes Mentally Sick]] Published: May 06, 2024