The idea that liberalism and the state of capitalism within neoliberalism is causing a higher rate of depression and suicide is not a new concept. The state that Neoliberalism operates in is one that puts commodities on a pedestal and puts the corporations in an exalted position. This can easily be traced back to the commodification of the human experience. In a study conducted by, The Mental Health America association, it was found that,”Youth mental health is worsening. 9.7% of youth in the U.S. have severe major depression, compared to 9.2% in last year’s dataset. This rate was highest among youth who identify as more than one race, at 12.4%.” (“The State of Mental Health in America | Mental Health America”). This drastic decrease in mental health further illustrates the problem of liberalism and how it affects people's look on life. This can be linked to a few things including capitalist realism and the inherent bipolarity of a neoliberal market economy.
The ‘Mysterious’ cause of Depression and other serious mental illnesses
In today's modern ‘reasonable’ society we often neglect clear solutions to questions liberalism would rather leave unanswered. For example, we often see depression and other mental ailments as ‘unnatural’ or abnormal, even labeling it as a ‘chemical imbalance’. While this is more than technically true-in depression the brain doesn’t produce enough serotonin (happy chemical) - however we entirely dismiss the clear causes one can identify in an individual's life. If a traumatic event happens that inevitably ends in a depressive episode a doctor is trained not to help identify that trauma but to instead treat symptoms. This treating of symptoms rather than the individual’s experiences is an ineffective method of approaching mental illnesses and leads to the degradation of a society already destined for failure. The inherent nature of capitalism is to have a bipolar socio-economic relationship that affects the mental health of a capitalistic nature. The human mind has been molded and shaped by the market ups and downs of the capitalistic system we live in today.
The Commodification of the Human Experience
The commodification of the human experience is something that has happened in a majority of capitalist countries. If we define commodification as,”individual differences in people’s long-term endorsement of values, goals, and associated beliefs that center on the importance of acquiring money and possessions that convey status” (Dittmar et al.). With this definition one can slowly start to make connections to how liberalism has allowed for the commodification of the human experience. Relating liberalism and how it allows for the commodification of the human experience. This can be shown with a review of the results of a meta-analysis on the relationship between personal well-being and materialism,”This meta-analysis demonstrates a clear, consistent negative association between a broad array of types of personal well-being and people’s belief in and prioritization of materialistic pursuits in life.” (Dittmar et al.). This conclusion and the meta-analysis more than strongly supports the correlation between well being and commidfing goods as being one of a negative association.
When an individual puts value in non-valuable concepts and ideals they waste away in their desire always forgetting what they achieved. Those who gain power and wealth must now do it through popularity contests, there's a reason that a solid amount of value is put on famous individuals who add little to society. That reason is that the human being has been reprogrammed to wish upon themselves incomparable wealth and greed and for more once they achieve this. This needs to be resolved, we put strain on the individuals we idolize by holding our standards of them and therein our standards of ourselves at an unrealistic level. The reason why many celebrities and rich individuals can still be depressed is that money brings false happiness and temporary joy, and then tells you you aren't good enough as the person richer than you, whether that be your neighbor or your friend. Money wipers to you in your sleep, talks to you in the day, manipulates you in life and will be ever controlling as long as you value it. Money can help you improve your life but it does not help you improve you. We must as a society put petty issues aside and look in the mirror and realize our potential is so much more than just monetary and materialistic impulses we perceive as ‘accomplishments’. To be free from the restraints of this capitalist hellscape, we must abolish looking for and chasing after materialistic possessions and aspirations. As a community we must encourage social cohesion and localism within our respective community, instead of relying on individualism we must acknowledge human nature. Humans are inherently collectivist individuals, thus any ideology or philosophy that applies one without the other will have ignored the inherent need for both within a healthy society.
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