A recent article in the New York Times argued that by talking too much about mental illness we are pathologizing normal emotional responses. But is that true? Normal is a relative term. It means average or typical, but that can be difficult to capture. Normal for your age, typical in your culture, average for people of your background or experience? Whether we like it or not, more people are experiencing anxiety and depression, so, arguably, that is becoming the norm.

There are any number of potential explanations. We live in a world our ancestors literally couldn’t have imagined. Our food is processed, our homes are climate-controlled, we don’t exercise or sleep enough, and we are inundated by 24-hour-a-day sensational, negative news. We spend much of our time watching other people on TV or online, all of whom seem to be more attractive, successful, and happy than we are, although that is largely an illusion created for our entertainment. The bottom line is that we are asking our brains and bodies to cope with a different set of stressors than they evolved to cope with, and it is taking a toll on us.

This is not to say that life wasn’t difficult in the past. Finding food, coping with the weather, and staying alive took most of people’s attention and energy. When life is hard, and people suffer and die young, resignation or stoicism is a coping skill. But, not talking about your........

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