Wednesday, March 18, 2009

In the eighties a new era begun. The sixties was long gone and the right-wingers took over completely. Thatcher, Reagan and Milton Friedman's neo-liberal ideas ruled and have done so up to now. Everyone became right-wingers. And the hippie movement turned in to the self-improvement movement, the "become successful, self fulfilled, enlightened and happy as a lark movement". It is at this time period when sadness, sorrow and blues was turned into a disease. The medical industry had invented the Prozac pill and began the marketing of the drug. If you suffer from an endogenous depression you need help with medication, for sure, but the medical industry wanted to sell their new invention to all people. If your wife finds another man, get a pill. If your parents die, get a pill. If everything is just too much, get a pill. You have to be happy, always. If you’re not, something is wrong with you. You need medication. The psychotherapies didn’t work really. The pills was so much better. And those who sold self-improvement books and week-end retreats said the same thing. If you are feeling low something is wrong with you. You have to be happy, self fulfilled, fantastic and wonderful always. If you are not, something has to be done. Today ten percent of the population in northern Europe and 20 percent of the Americans are on medication against depression, the rest use illegal drugs, booze, TV or use some other escape strategy.