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In my country, people rarely turn to a psychologist. We are used to cope with their own feelings or friends can always help. In the U.S., probably every other person has a psychologist. People in the United States alone can not overcome their problems.Studies have been conducted in Russia and the United States. The results were. Most people in the U.S. are depressed. People can not alone solve this problem. Most people in Russia are not likely to be depressed. They can independently deal with this problem without consequences. The conclusion was unequivocal. Culture influences the genetics and susceptibility to surrounding circumstances. Why do people in the U.S. so depressed? How many people on this forum can do to cope with depression and if you are prone to depression?
The only people who can have somewhat objective conversation on this topic are the ones who lived in both countries (not visited, but lived and worked), otherwise it'll just be an exchange of stereotypes that will offend people on both sides.
These are many, many, many reasons WHY people react differently to stress in US and in Russia.
It has a lot to do with upbringing, every day life and struggles, un/realistic expectations, child worshiping (or not), cultural values, the state of family units, emphasis on education (or not), critical thinking, life skills, level of dependency vs independence in young adults, role of religion/spirituality, etc, etc. Too many factors to list, but they all form people as individuals.
No one is right or wrong, simply different, simply a product of their environment.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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With capitalism in the USA going back many generations, those who don't have what others have become depressed. We have an economic mix of people making $200,00/year living in close proximity with people that are unemployed and/or on public assistance. Those at the lower end and middle are bombarded with advertising for things they could never afford, such as luxury cars, boats, fine restaurants, cruises and other vacations, and that tends to cause depression. For them it may be easier to go to a psychologist than to actually do something positive to improve their situation, especially if they come from a family that has been at the lower end economically for 2+ generations so they have no good example to follow.
I have no experience in Russia to be able to explain the difference other than what I have learned about their much more recent conversion to a more capitalist, or "market" economy only in the last 25 years or so. As that progresses it could result in more of this kind of depressing envy, as the children growing up now become adults.
I've had health issues over the last couple years that have convinced me without a doubt that the mind is very physical. How healthy your body is, what you eat, how much light and chemicals you are exposed to all affect the workings of the mind. It is not some separate thing above the body governed by our will like we'd like to imagine. All this leading to my answer to the OP that I believe the #1 biggest difference between how Americans handle depression differently than Russians will be found in how these external factors affecting the brain are different.
Not everyone here is depressed. The word is over used here and there is a mental health clinic in even the smallest towns. Health insurance tends to cover some of the charges. It is an easy fix for many and they crave taking a pill to "escape" rather than just getting off their butts and making necessary changes in their lives. Many are on medications that actually have depression as a side effect. They hand out medications here like candy, think "medication" nation. They start kids on them here early because it is easier to handle children at school and at home when they are medicated into oblivion. We also do that to most of our people with developmental disabilities and many of the older people. While there are people who have an a real problem with clinical depression and that is a very serious issue and biological in nature, that is not the case with most people. They can't solve their own problems because it is easier to take a pill.
One primary difference in the US is that we have many cultures, religions and immigrants. I don't know the statistics about
various nationalities in Russia. Also there are also many people in the US who cannot afford psychologists or therapy.
Sadly, for several decades help and funding for the mentally ill has decreased so now the largest Mental health
facility is our prison system.
The only people who can have somewhat objective conversation on this topic are the ones who lived in both countries (not visited, but lived and worked), otherwise it'll just be an exchange of stereotypes that will offend people on both sides.
These are many, many, many reasons WHY people react differently to stress in US and in Russia.
It has a lot to do with upbringing, every day life and struggles, un/realistic expectations, child worshiping (or not), cultural values, the state of family units, emphasis on education (or not), critical thinking, life skills, level of dependency vs independence in young adults, role of religion/spirituality, etc, etc. Too many factors to list, but they all form people as individuals.
No one is right or wrong, simply different, simply a product of their environment.
I agree with you in part. But facts are facts. In Russia rarely used by psychologists.
With capitalism in the USA going back many generations, those who don't have what others have become depressed. We have an economic mix of people making $200,00/year living in close proximity with people that are unemployed and/or on public assistance. Those at the lower end and middle are bombarded with advertising for things they could never afford, such as luxury cars, boats, fine restaurants, cruises and other vacations, and that tends to cause depression. For them it may be easier to go to a psychologist than to actually do something positive to improve their situation, especially if they come from a family that has been at the lower end economically for 2+ generations so they have no good example to follow.
I have no experience in Russia to be able to explain the difference other than what I have learned about their much more recent conversion to a more capitalist, or "market" economy only in the last 25 years or so. As that progresses it could result in more of this kind of depressing envy, as the children growing up now become adults.
Do you think it depends on the material status of a person? Perhaps this is the truth a bit. But people in Russia do not get depressed if they see that his neighbor bought a very expensive car or a house. I think the point is the independence of people. For example, in Russia almost any man can renovate your house, car or build a new one. In the West, people have less capacity for such things. You will most likely take the credit and'll hire workers for these jobs. Maybe the reason for credit? Yes. Really material component counts. But, I often see the U.S. transfer where people make a mountain out of an elephant. Small problems on which Russia did not pay attention, in the west they are catastrophic.
I've had health issues over the last couple years that have convinced me without a doubt that the mind is very physical. How healthy your body is, what you eat, how much light and chemicals you are exposed to all affect the workings of the mind. It is not some separate thing above the body governed by our will like we'd like to imagine. All this leading to my answer to the OP that I believe the #1 biggest difference between how Americans handle depression differently than Russians will be found in how these external factors affecting the brain are different.
Do you think Russia has no harmful substances in food? Recently, there are many, many artificial products as in the west. This is due to the fact that today a lot of foreign companies operating in Russia. I agree with you! The mind affects the physical condition of the person. Here's an example. I can in the winter blizzard in -20 Celsius to walk down the street in a T-shirt. It's not because I'm seasoned. Deal of thought and self-hypnosis. I think many of you know if you're inspired yourself that you are sick than that, the disease actually starts to develop.
The only people who can have somewhat objective conversation on this topic are the ones who lived in both countries (not visited, but lived and worked), otherwise it'll just be an exchange of stereotypes that will offend people on both sides.
These are many, many, many reasons WHY people react differently to stress in US and in Russia.
It has a lot to do with upbringing, every day life and struggles, un/realistic expectations, child worshiping (or not), cultural values, the state of family units, emphasis on education (or not), critical thinking, life skills, level of dependency vs independence in young adults, role of religion/spirituality, etc, etc. Too many factors to list, but they all form people as individuals.
No one is right or wrong, simply different, simply a product of their environment.
Agreed. How about 38 years there and 20 years here? With 1.5 university there and 1 here? Does that qualify? Also THERE is a country and culture that is, at least officially, well over 2 000 years old and, unofficially, stems from Hyperboreans. Vs not even 300 years of mish mush refuges that could not make it anywhere else, and came to here, some for greed, some out of desperation, some for rivers of milk and honey (at taxpayer expense), enslaved by those who own the Old World already?
Does that qualify?
So, to OP original premise. S-/he is right. I do not recall depressed people. Or total addiction to psychiatrists, antidepressants, pain clinics, and dependance on state. Everyone had job guaranteed, retirement guaranteed, and not working was punished by law. Preventive medicine was the law, and those who avoided it were chased by police. 96% of population was literate and education was superb in any respect. Health care was free, so was ANY level of education. There was no weapons or drugs problems. Obese people were rarity. Diabetes was not pandemic and grand ignorance was not heard of. Top this with tremendous love to Motherland, so strong, that no one ever conquered that country.
That people had less "stuff" didn't make them less enjoying their lives.
That's 38 years of life THERE. Until it was all f--d up by greed and "democracy" a la "Free World". But that's OK. They have saying - we survived 400 years of Mongols, we will survive anything else. Democracy included.
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