OM World Ethics: Happiness in Numbers

Living in a society that is so focused on individual flourishing often isolates people and makes them feel lonely, and loneliness often leads to or coincides with depression. Depression rates today are incredibly high; around 10 percent of people in the United States experience serious depression[1]. Because feelings of loneliness often go hand-in-hand with depression, the reason for such a high rate of depression may be because of the isolation we are faced with in society. There are ways in which this loneliness can be prevented, which may result in a happier society overall.

Philosopher John Rawls writes that, “it is a normal and necessary condition for gaining self-respect and self-esteem that one experience one’s life as respected by others one respects.”[2] In order to have a sense of self-respect and self-esteem, it is necessary for people to feel a sense of community and approval from other people. School can definitely cultivate a sense of community for children, but it often does the opposite. Many children and teens in schools are bullied to the point of feeling helpless, and despite being around plenty of people every day, they can feel incredibly alone. Because our society is mainly focused on individual flourishing, problems like these don’t usually get the attention they need.

In high school, I often overheard people making jokes about self-harm, saying that, “this person probably cuts himself” or, “this guy is so emo.” As someone who struggled with my own depression, I constantly felt ostracized, like nobody understood what I was going through. I thought that if people were making jokes about something so serious, they must have no idea what it feels like. Though I had friends, I never felt comfortable enough with them to tell them how I was feeling. I felt as if I was the only person in the world who felt the way I felt. Obviously this wasn't true; if 1 in 10 people struggle with depression, I may have known someone who was in the same boat as me, maybe even one of the people who was making jokes about it. But at the time, I didn't have anyone to turn to, and I felt completely alone.

I know that people everywhere joke about self-harm and suicide, which can make those struggling with it feel alone or embarrassed. An easy solution to this problem would be to require every person to become educated on depression and its symptoms, outcomes, and statistics. It could be taught as a class in school or be a mandatory event in every town and city, but every person should be required to attend. If more people understood about this issue, they may take it more seriously.
Some symptoms of depression:

Source: www.focuspsychotherapy.com

Obviously, medication is an option for helping people with depression; around 3 in 100 people take medication for depression [3]. But that can be an expensive and sometimes unhealthy alternative to talk therapy and should be used as a last resort. A healthier way to treating depression could be to require people who are depressed to attend regular meetings of anonymous support groups in school or work. It is important for those who are depressed to know that they aren't the only ones feeling this way, which could help them greatly. These support groups don’t have to be limited to depression; there are plenty of issues people deal with that they don’t always have a chance to talk about, and these groups would be a safe and supportive space for them to talk about their problems. Schools should be required to have more programs which bring people together for mutual support and understanding. This would result in happier lives for individuals and would promote human flourishing.