Depression Among Americans Growing

As we move into the "holiday season" it is alarming and sad to learn that more Americans are on anti-depressant psychotropic medication than ever before, that suicides in the US are at an all time high and reports indicate Americans of all demographic groups admit they are extremely unhappy and depressed. In a society that is  as highly advanced technologically as America is, that is extremely materialistic that has all the superficial trappings of prosperity, the question remains, why are Americans so unhappy, why is this country so depressed?

From these and others we can conclude that there are numerous forces both external (outside of ourselves) and internal (inside of ourselves) working to undermine our total well being. In essence, we are miserable because we have been taught and conditioned to seek happiness and satisfaction outside of ourselves. We are outer directed instead of focusing on the inner realms of our being: our mind, emotions and soul. We are unhappy because we acquiesce to the messages and programming of the media and authority figures who molded and controlled us when we were young and this control continued into adulthood. We have been brainwashed to believe our worth is based upon accumulating and owning things. By seeking status in our possessions, we erroneously think our social position is dependent on our ability to have stuff and mold ourselves into the notions and models Madison Avenue tells us make us somebody/something.

We have agency we have intrinsic power, we have the ability to alter our psychological, emotional, mental and physical being, to go from depressed to a life of fulfillment and happiness.   We have to move past the pattern of learned hopelessness and helplessness to a position of empowerment! We have to move from being mindless automatons and zombies (it's no coincidence a major theme on television, movies and video games is zombies). The writer of the article Eight Reasons Depression Why Depression Is So Common Today mentions Edward Bernays the mastermind behind American "public relations"; Bernays euphemism for mind control. Edward Bernays was a nephew of Sigmund Freud. Bernays was an influential figure in American business and is credited with the development of  mass psychological manipulation.  He developed a whole regime of tricking and inducing Americans to do things that weren't necessarily in their best interests such a smoking cigarettes and eating heavier breakfasts that enriched his clients and himself! "Bernays was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1891 but grew up in New York City.

The marriage of psychoanalysis and public relations, facilitated by the box of Havanas, made Bernays a very wealthy man.Intrigued by Freud's notion that irrational forces drive human behavior, Bernays sought to harness those forces to sell products for his clients. In his 1928 book, 'Propaganda,' Bernays hypothesized that by understanding the group mind, it would be possible to manipulate people's behavior without their even realizing it. To test this hypothesis, Bernays launched one of his most famous public relations campaigns: convincing women to smoke."