American Psyche Shows Recession Stress Fractures

Depression is up as the US economy proceeds downward, but many of those complaining are not actually facing financial problems—they simply fear they could. “Even if you do everything right, something bad can happen to you,” says a woman whose doctor prescribed therapy. Polls find the economy causing large majorities stress, with more sleepless nights and calls to suicide hotlines, the New York Times reports.

Recession blues seem to hit middle-class Americans more than the poor, whose “identity is not as caught up in how much money they have,” says a psychologist. “I felt like a neurotic middle-class, middle-aged woman too weak to deal with life on my own,” says the woman prescribed therapy. “It was simply money.” (More recession depression stories.)