I spent two weeks in a mental facility

[Perndog]

Originally Posted by Dole

You have my sympathies Kahl, but it never ceases to amaze me how many people with major mental/personal problems there are on here...is this a good indicator of American youth generally? Do you all know this many people in real life with these kinds of problems, or people that are on anti-depressant type medication??
I am sure we have all had our fair share of unpleasantness to deal with in life (some more than pthers obviously), but geez louise...

Depression comes with intelligence in an egalitarian society. Being different, especially being superior, and getting pushed through the same educational system with the same social expectations as the lowest common denominator alienates exceptional children, juveniles, and young adults. By the time they have reached emotional maturity and are able to fully understand and cope with their mental abilities, being misunderstood and most likely frustrated for several years have created serious psychological obstacles for them, most often depression.

I know dozens of clinically depressed young adults. They are all smarter than average, and most could be diagnosed with the latest trendy fictional disorder, Asperger's Syndrome. They're also the type that would appear on an Internet message board.