Ever Higher Expectations
Written on March 3, 2026
According to the (, 'More than 1 billion people are living with mental health disorders … with conditions such as anxiety and depression inflicting immense human and economic tolls. While many countries have bolstered their mental health policies and programmes, greater investment and action are needed globally to scale up services to protect and promote people's mental health.'
I am here thinking of the UK and wondering why it is that although governments have indeed 'bolstered their mental health policies and programmes' the figures indicate that things have become decidedly worse. Should we simply redouble our efforts and do more of the same or are we going wrong somewhere?
Let's go deeper into this puzzle. In the not-too-distant past, the hopes and expectations of most people for themselves and their loved ones were of necessity few and basic: to survive, be free of disease and injury, earn a living, have a roof over their heads and enough food on the table, be able to enjoy the company and support of their neighbours, and so on. And all too often these aspirations were thwarted, with catastrophic results.
This is not how we would represent much of the world now (note 1), and certainly not in the UK. Even over just the last eight decades, the quality of life of the UK population has improved immeasurably in so many ways (which I'm sure need not be listed here). Surely the stresses and demands of modern life are nowhere near those that our predecessors had to face (and in some countries still do). Whence, then, the seeming lack of contentment in more recent generations? Less-than-sympathetic sentiments are frequently expressed: 'Stop whinging and get on with it!'
My suggestion is this: much of it has to do with people's expectations. Let me explain.
As a result of economic and political freedom, mass affluence, and progress in human knowledge and its beneficial application, the common, and not unreasonable, expectation for most people in our society, in contrast to our ancestors, is that life will be rich and varied, with an ever increasing range of opportunities and benefits to be sampled, and that obstructions to such have in many cases a reasonable chance of being prevented, minimised or removed. 'Obstructions' may be misfortunes at the personal level, such as health problems and physical indisposition, lack of aptitudes and abilities, and insufficient mental resources. Or they may be external impediments, such as financial restrictions, the perceived ineptitude or negligence of others or their malign actions, and simply when things 'go wrong'.
The key idea here is that we are especially distressed when those things that we believe we have a right to hope for and expect in our everyday life do not materialise. And our distress may be accompanied by a strong sense of unfairness and resentment and a demand for redress.
Inevitably then the attitude evolves that adversities and misfortunes that thwart our hopes and expectations should not occur and if they do, appropriate remedies should be available. Such an attitude is an inevitable consequence of the kinds of developments and progress in our society, which promote the expectation of a life that should free not be merely from disasters, but from even relatively minor discomforts, frustrations and disappointments.
Thus, along with growing affluence and abundance of opportunities, the expectations of succeeding generations have becoming ever higher and what would have be bearable in the past now hits people harder, sometimes with much mental anguish.
And because there are so many opportunities for us, so many things that we might achieve and enjoy, there are likewise so many opportunities for things to go wrong or stand in our way, even on a daily basis.
I believe this is a significant factor in understanding the rise in the number of people being diagnosed and treated for mental health problems, despite the huge improvements in the quality of our lives and the greater efforts and resources aimed at understanding and alleviating mental suffering. But on its own the analysis does not account for this.
Note
1. Basic requirements such as these are all that many people need to lead a happy and fulfilling life. And fortunately, for many of these people, their chance of achieving them have greatly improved over time.
In previous posts I've talked about what I believe is the necessary condition for the rise in people being referred for treatment for mental health problems and diagnosed with mental disorders. I have identifed this as what is termed 'greater mental awareness' but I have also used the term 'inodctrination'. I'll explore this in greater depth next time.
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