Is older generation more mentally ill or the same?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think we are more self-aware with each generation, and are learning to be better humans. But that also means we look back on earlier generations and think, “Whoa, that was actually kinda messed up.”

Huh. I’m not seeing this at all.

Me either. Seems to be getting worse. I figure there are upswings and downswings, and society as a whole is in a downswing the last few decades.

Same for me. I’m not a Boomer but the biggest thing I see these days is that no one takes accountability or responsibility for anything and no one can do anything independently. If anything, younger adults expect help and schedules to accommodate them and their choices.

Both Boomers and most GenX have a resiliency that I’m not seeing anymore. I think what some younger people view as entitlement is simply expecting respectful behaviors and standing their ground.

[Anonymous]

I don't know where this falls within this post but my FIL used to be a normal guy. Within the last 5 years he's just become something of a crazy man embracing all of the conspiracy theories and he is constantly plugged into his phone listening to Fox News and NewsMax. I don't know if it is related to diminished mental capacity with age or just an unwillingness to think.

Sometimes I wonder if that is my future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think part of it is the more we talk about mental health issues, the more everyone wants to diagnose their relatives. Calling everyone a narcissist seems like more of a cultural trend than a health phenomenon.

+1

It’s like no here ever actually studied history either, not western civ, eastern civ and definitely not the Three Great Religions in liberal assets core. Or any good books.

The cast of characters, good and bad, and mentally ill, has been the same for 1000s of years.

Even Mice & Men or Laura Ingalls wilder touches on the mentally ill of then. Doomed to a life of crime or living in Mama’s house staying out of trouble….

Almost every regime change in China every 20 years presented a basket case leader up for vote.

Except it wasn’t very unusual or extremely undesirable for an adult child to never leave home and keep living and working on e g the family farm. I mean, everyone knew which ones are not the sharpest tools in the shed, but playing video games in the basement wasn’t an option and most people were contributing in some way and benefited from the communal living.

It’s a relatively recent expectation that a “healthy” person must be able to live and survive on his own.

[Anonymous]

mentally ill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the boomer generation is both hugely entitled and also has never been asked to be accountable for their own actions and emotions for some reason.
eg my therapist sent me a link recently to an explanation on cognitive distortions. I shared it with my mom and said something like 'helpful!' My mom has OCD/ OCPD, black and white thinking, catastrophic thinking, generalized anxiety and possible borderline personality disorder traits. She just said 'oh this doesn't apply to you or i'.
same with my dad who is clearly depressed but would never even consider thinking he is depressed.
It is hugely annoying. Why do you both get to be babies in denial? Grow up and take responsibility for your behavior.

Sending someone a link on mental health saying “helpful!” is a very passive aggressive way of communicating. Did your therapist cover it in their sessions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the boomer generation is both hugely entitled and also has never been asked to be accountable for their own actions and emotions for some reason.
eg my therapist sent me a link recently to an explanation on cognitive distortions. I shared it with my mom and said something like 'helpful!' My mom has OCD/ OCPD, black and white thinking, catastrophic thinking, generalized anxiety and possible borderline personality disorder traits. She just said 'oh this doesn't apply to you or i'.
same with my dad who is clearly depressed but would never even consider thinking he is depressed.
It is hugely annoying. Why do you both get to be babies in denial? Grow up and take responsibility for your behavior.

Did you talk to your therapist before you sent this along to your parents with the message, "very helpful?" You don't control their reactions. You are in therapy to learn how to not care about their behavior and move on. A new therapist may be in order.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think part of it is the more we talk about mental health issues, the more everyone wants to diagnose their relatives. Calling everyone a narcissist seems like more of a cultural trend than a health phenomenon.

+1

It’s like no here ever actually studied history either, not western civ, eastern civ and definitely not the Three Great Religions in liberal assets core. Or any good books.

The cast of characters, good and bad, and mentally ill, has been the same for 1000s of years.

Even Mice & Men or Laura Ingalls wilder touches on the mentally ill of then. Doomed to a life of crime or living in Mama’s house staying out of trouble….

Almost every regime change in China every 20 years presented a basket case leader up for vote.

You do knwo that "little house on the prairie" is fiction. Read Prairie Fires. There was a lot mental illness, co-dependency etc. in that family. If you think it was some sort of mental health nirvana you will get an education.

[Anonymous]

Of mice and men is fiction too BTW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think part of it is the more we talk about mental health issues, the more everyone wants to diagnose their relatives. Calling everyone a narcissist seems like more of a cultural trend than a health phenomenon.

+1

It’s like no here ever actually studied history either, not western civ, eastern civ and definitely not the Three Great Religions in liberal assets core. Or any good books.

The cast of characters, good and bad, and mentally ill, has been the same for 1000s of years.

Even Mice & Men or Laura Ingalls wilder touches on the mentally ill of then. Doomed to a life of crime or living in Mama’s house staying out of trouble….

Almost every regime change in China every 20 years presented a basket case leader up for vote.

You do knwo that "little house on the prairie" is fiction. Read Prairie Fires. There was a lot mental illness, co-dependency etc. in that family. If you think it was some sort of mental health nirvana you will get an education.

You both are saying the same thing: there is a long history IrL and literature of mentally disordered individuals in society and families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the boomer generation is both hugely entitled and also has never been asked to be accountable for their own actions and emotions for some reason.
eg my therapist sent me a link recently to an explanation on cognitive distortions. I shared it with my mom and said something like 'helpful!' My mom has OCD/ OCPD, black and white thinking, catastrophic thinking, generalized anxiety and possible borderline personality disorder traits. She just said 'oh this doesn't apply to you or i'.
same with my dad who is clearly depressed but would never even consider thinking he is depressed.
It is hugely annoying. Why do you both get to be babies in denial? Grow up and take responsibility for your behavior.

Did you talk to your therapist before you sent this along to your parents with the message, "very helpful?" You don't control their reactions. You are in therapy to learn how to not care about their behavior and move on. A new therapist may be in order.

Nps

This. This should be your focus in therapy. This plus venting as needed. But make sure you get some healthy coping methods and boundary setting/enforcement out of your individual therapy. Or find another therapist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think we are more self-aware with each generation, and are learning to be better humans. But that also means we look back on earlier generations and think, “Whoa, that was actually kinda messed up.”

Huh. I’m not seeing this at all.

Me either. Seems to be getting worse. I figure there are upswings and downswings, and society as a whole is in a downswing the last few decades.

Same for me. I’m not a Boomer but the biggest thing I see these days is that no one takes accountability or responsibility for anything and no one can do anything independently. If anything, younger adults expect help and schedules to accommodate them and their choices.

Both Boomers and most GenX have a resiliency that I’m not seeing anymore. I think what some younger people view as entitlement is simply expecting respectful behaviors and standing their ground.

Boomers and GenX are resilient because they were basically raised like wolves. As GenXers raised by boomers, DH and I laugh about how our parents did so little yet expect so much. I’m not seeing that our young adult Gen Z kids, nieces and nephews need help with schedules. I did note that our boomer parents were often annoyed and snarky when we would put the kids needs and wants over their needs and wants . They would ten make nasty comments how kids shouldn’t factor into the planning, shouldn’t matter what they would want or enjoy along with an attitude that everyone should cater and pamper them because they were older.

I think the boomers are struggling because their generation views themselves as the center of the universe yet they are seeing the world change around them, They’ve lived their lives through a very selfish lens and now getting a hard dose of reality.

[Anonymous]

They also didn’t have Apple Watches, the internet, smartphones, and social media to distract them from age 2 onwards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think we are more self-aware with each generation, and are learning to be better humans. But that also means we look back on earlier generations and think, “Whoa, that was actually kinda messed up.”

Huh. I’m not seeing this at all.

Me either. Seems to be getting worse. I figure there are upswings and downswings, and society as a whole is in a downswing the last few decades.

Same for me. I’m not a Boomer but the biggest thing I see these days is that no one takes accountability or responsibility for anything and no one can do anything independently. If anything, younger adults expect help and schedules to accommodate them and their choices.

Both Boomers and most GenX have a resiliency that I’m not seeing anymore. I think what some younger people view as entitlement is simply expecting respectful behaviors and standing their ground.

Boomers and GenX are resilient because they were basically raised like wolves. As GenXers raised by boomers, DH and I laugh about how our parents did so little yet expect so much. I’m not seeing that our young adult Gen Z kids, nieces and nephews need help with schedules. I did note that our boomer parents were often annoyed and snarky when we would put the kids needs and wants over their needs and wants . They would ten make nasty comments how kids shouldn’t factor into the planning, shouldn’t matter what they would want or enjoy along with an attitude that everyone should cater and pamper them because they were older.

I think the boomers are struggling because their generation views themselves as the center of the universe yet they are seeing the world change around them, They’ve lived their lives through a very selfish lens and now getting a hard dose of reality.

I just haven’t had that experience at all regarding Boomers. I’m older GenX so I was not raised by Boomers but Silent Generation parents. My parents nor my in laws have great expectations at all and totally understand when the kids schedules make us unavailable.

I have quite a few friends who are technically young Boomers and none of them are remotely like people on here say Boomers are. Now Millennials and younger? I’ve seen plenty who fit the entitled and coddled labels well.

[Anonymous]

Boomers were more often raised with a scarcity mindset. Families had more kids and therefore siblings to compete with for attention and items. Their parents may have been poorer or were frugal from the war / remembering the Great Depression when they were kids. Fast forward and the boomers were fortunate to see their own investments and real estate sky rocket, as a generation this group moved up the most. There’s a good amount of boomers running around sitting on millions of assets, waving their wills around as a weapon and still grabbing all the sugar packets at Denny’s. Their behavior seem crazy but it’s the disconnect between being raised with scarcity and amassing too much.

[Anonymous]

"Generational differences" and names like "boomers", "X", "Millennials", "zoomers" are just Russian and Chinese propaganda meant to divide the USA further.