Socio-Psychological Diseases & Denial

There is plenty of data to prove that socio-psychological diseases are steadily increasing in our society. However, there is a flat denial of this social trend by most. Many are acting as if everything is normal, while many issues we are facing daily are far from normal. There is a need to feel alarmed and initiate action. Denial is not a solution.

I am outlining a few top socio-psychological disorders, mostly self-induced, impacting our social ecosystem adversely.

IDENTITY CRISIS

Invalidity is a powerful emotion and bears heavily on one's self-worth. Lack of self-worth negatively impacts interpersonal communication and productivity at work. It can also lead to severe personal and professional conflicts.

In a mad rush to be popular and be validated by others, many indulge in a full spectrum of 'Silly to Dangerous' acts for popular identity. In a few recent extreme scenarios, men and women are even going publicly nude to become a discussion point in the media and gain instant popularity. Insanity is being normalized through such acts. An identity crisis is a socio-psychological disease. It develops out of losing one's self-worth through constant comparison with other people's lives. Identity crisis is self-induced and socially contagious.

More people are seeking external validation for assessing their self-worth, compared to a healthy psychology of relying on self-validation. There is a mindless comparison and competition for identity at every societal level between spouses, siblings, neighbours, colleagues and even leaders.

Imagine the social fallout of unhealthy competition for identity. Lies, abuse, fake expressions, duality, manipulation, fraud, disaffection, relationship breakups, business losses, financial losses, and wasted resources are some direct consequences.

The identity crisis is spreading fast in our society. It is causing unquantifiable damage to symptomatic individuals, their families, friends, partners and the overall health quotient of society.

I strongly advocate that individuals move away from the inducement to compare and compete with others in an unhealthy manner. They can protect their uniqueness, special skills and natural identity through their actions and outcomes. An individual is emotionally healthy when his self-worth is based primarily on self-validation instead of complete dependence on external validation.

GADGET ADDICTION

Individuals of all ages and genders are hooked to Smartphones. Smartphones and not-so-smart users are all around us. If one is unmindful of their time on a phone or a tablet without assessing the consequences on their personal health, professional roles, relationships, and resource wastage, they are undoubtedly symptomatic of this disease called 'Gadget Addiction.' Parents are inadvertently addicting their own children of ages as low as 3 to 5 years to electronic gadgets for the ease of feeding, bathing, sleeping and playing without understanding the consequences of early stage addiction to the most unproductive and dangerous habit. It is very tough to get unhooked from gadget addiction in the later phases of their life. It is incredibly irresponsible of some parents to addict their children to devices for ease of performing their daily parental chores.

Even retired seniors are rapidly getting addicted to the content online and are becoming forced consumers of crappy content all day. Many fall prey to online fraud, phishing, blackmail, and honey traps. Many young adults and adults have made their lives revolve around phones and tablets, ruining their health, education, physical playtime, growth and relationships. Their inability to stay away from the gadgets for even a little time highlights their mental and emotional dependence. It graduates users into symptomatic individuals of this highly addictive socio-psychological disease. If one forgets the purpose of a gadget and uses it more for peripheral utility than the primary, one has lost partial congruence of mind. This psychological weakness leads to massive addiction and compulsive usage of these gadgets. It compels the user to consume useless and random content generated worldwide to keep them hooked on the devices fulfilling the commercial agenda of the service provider.

It is essential to stay mentally congruent and focused on the primary purpose of using a device or a gadget. If one tends to get swayed by peripheral inducement to waste resources and indulge in self-damage, it certainly indicates symptoms of psychological disease. Lack of control over one's senses and motor functions is not a tiny aberration. It is undoubtedly a full-blown psychological disease that can eventually lead to severe physical illnesses.

Millions of men and women neglect their primary roles as a father, son, mother, daughter, sister, brother, student or professional by sliding down into this bottomless pit of 'Gadget Addiction'.

SUBSTANCE-INDUCED DEPRESSION

Why has the mental disease 'Depression' become a buzzword in high schools? Why has 'Mental Health' become a compelling agenda for young social media crusaders lately? How did we arrive at this low point of highlighting these issues at the most potent life stages of youth in our society?

If even one considers this trend hypothetically accurate, why are depression and mental health issues so prevalent in our society among young people? I firmly believe, and ample data supports my conclusion, that most of what our young people call 'Depression' is not even close to the real one.

The term is being misused and exaggerated across the spectrum. There can be a few confirmed clinical cases which need heightened medical attention; the rest of the cases are mispronounced and self-induced. Loneliness, helplessness, withdrawal, anger or sadness, loss of self-worth, and suicidal thoughts can also be the outcome of a constant need to belong to a group and the result of subsequent rejection. There can be other social factors like perceptive loss of identity, loss of self-confidence, repeated experiences of failure, confusion about self-identity, invalidation, constant bullying, physical or emotional abuse and many more factors which can drive depression-like symptoms in an individual. What is more prevalent currently is 'Substance-Induced depression.'

Substance-induced depression differs from clinical depression, driven by psycho-somatic-genetic and other reasons. This new phenomenon driving more young people through similar symptoms is primarily self-induced. Either voluntarily moving away from positive, empowering emotions or inadvertently attracting negative, disempowering emotions through the choices one makes can lead to this disease. This can, at its extreme, tie oneself in knots and make an individual incapable of being emotionally and physically healthy. Illegal drugs come in various forms like depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens. Unfortunately, they are readily available through peddlers across most schools and colleges. Many young people are making hazardous choices in consuming these drugs for instant gratification. Social media influencers and wrong role models such as a few movie stars and music icons, influence young minds with their insane lifestyles exhibited online.

Excessive alcohol consumption, smoking grass, and illegal drugs induce severe mental disorders in youth; even young professionals succumb to dangerous substances.

CONCLUSION

Rapid technological advances, globalization, and weakening family and social values are brewing new socio-psychological diseases in our society. At the outset, they don't look and feel like diseases. However, they are highly potent to undermine human capabilities and impact future generations' health and resourcefulness.

(Author is a Harvard Business School certified Organizational Strategist and a Global Expert in Emotional Intelligence)