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Physiology & Medicine / Re: Does higher education promote mental health?
« on: 12/02/2018 16:27:55 »
Well... these are complex questions.
In places like the US, I would guess that mental disorders are more common among the least educated (if you look at 10,000 25-year old US citizens who didn't finish high school, and 10,000 25-year old US citizens who have masters degrees, there will probably be more people in the first category with mental disorders than people in the second with mental disorders). But this could be entirely due to the fact that most people in the US finish high school, so those who did not were probably prevented from doing so for some reason. This reason could be a mental disorder itself (those with a mental disorder that severely interferes with learning or social interaction may not be able to complete high school), or another factor that also increases the risk of mental disorders later (like having a parent with a heritable mental disorder, or suffering a major trauma which leads to anxiety and/or depression, etc.)
On the other hand, I think there might also be an increased rate of mental disorders among the most educated as well. Some mental disorders are associated with excellent academic performance (portions of the autism spectrum, OCD, sociopathy, bipolar disorder). And many high-level education systems themselves, or the jobs taken by PhDs, MDs and JDs etc. can cause mental disorders through constant high-stress situations, and/or poor sleep/exercise/diet. In my time as a doctoral student, I saw many of my colleagues succumb to anxiety or depression or sleep deprivation. I myself met regularly with a psychologist for the better part of a year due to research and advisor related stress that was causing insomnia, depression, and even facial tics (which have thankfully remained largely dormant since my situation changed).
There may well also be some causative benefit to mental health from having certain types of education. Improved metacognition, logical thinking, and problem-solving skills might help people avoid some of the pitfalls associated with mental disorders, and there is some evidence that cognitive behavioral therapy can help those suffering from some metal disorders. But there are also plenty of mental disorders that are beyond just "willing yourself better" or "understanding how to avoid pitfalls." For various biological, chemical, physical, however you want to think about it, reasons, sometimes drugs, surgery, or other measures are needed for treatment.
All that said, I myself am not an expert, and even the experts still have much to learn.
In places like the US, I would guess that mental disorders are more common among the least educated (if you look at 10,000 25-year old US citizens who didn't finish high school, and 10,000 25-year old US citizens who have masters degrees, there will probably be more people in the first category with mental disorders than people in the second with mental disorders). But this could be entirely due to the fact that most people in the US finish high school, so those who did not were probably prevented from doing so for some reason. This reason could be a mental disorder itself (those with a mental disorder that severely interferes with learning or social interaction may not be able to complete high school), or another factor that also increases the risk of mental disorders later (like having a parent with a heritable mental disorder, or suffering a major trauma which leads to anxiety and/or depression, etc.)
On the other hand, I think there might also be an increased rate of mental disorders among the most educated as well. Some mental disorders are associated with excellent academic performance (portions of the autism spectrum, OCD, sociopathy, bipolar disorder). And many high-level education systems themselves, or the jobs taken by PhDs, MDs and JDs etc. can cause mental disorders through constant high-stress situations, and/or poor sleep/exercise/diet. In my time as a doctoral student, I saw many of my colleagues succumb to anxiety or depression or sleep deprivation. I myself met regularly with a psychologist for the better part of a year due to research and advisor related stress that was causing insomnia, depression, and even facial tics (which have thankfully remained largely dormant since my situation changed).
There may well also be some causative benefit to mental health from having certain types of education. Improved metacognition, logical thinking, and problem-solving skills might help people avoid some of the pitfalls associated with mental disorders, and there is some evidence that cognitive behavioral therapy can help those suffering from some metal disorders. But there are also plenty of mental disorders that are beyond just "willing yourself better" or "understanding how to avoid pitfalls." For various biological, chemical, physical, however you want to think about it, reasons, sometimes drugs, surgery, or other measures are needed for treatment.
All that said, I myself am not an expert, and even the experts still have much to learn.
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