The supposed aim of all this trivialization of mental illness appears to be to destigmatize mental illness, but in practice it just prevent us from helping those who really need help. When 75% of the population is labeled as having a mental illness then we can’t find those who really need help - the finding a needle in a pile of needles problem.

The reality is most people are unhappy with their lives (at times) and always have been and only a small percentage are seriously unwell.

> The reality is most people are unhappy with their lives (at times) and always have been and only a small percentage are seriously unwell.

If you ask me most people being unhappy with their lives is a problem.

Isn't that rather a symptom of modern society? As others have noted.

Still, it's certainly not that modern society is horrible. Far more people (especially in "developed" countries) live far better lives (materially, anyway) than at any time before. But maybe what's missing is meaning. Family and other social connections. Like "Why am I doing this?"

Maybe it's just an unavoidable consequence of the extreme specialization of labor in modern society. And that there are many important jobs that just aren't much fun. Or at least, aren't acknowledged or rewarded well enough. Don't come with enough status.

Why would this be a modern phenomenon? Nothing I've read of history leads me to believe this is a modern phenomenon. People in the modern world just have more of a voice.

I guess. So have people always hated their jobs? Maybe so. Even hunter-gatherers probably complain about needing to hunt and gather all the time.