It’s Mental Health Awareness Month.
Mental health is a crucial issue that affects millions of people worldwide. Despite the progress made in recent years, there is still a lot of work to be done to help those who suffer from mental illness.
Personally, there are several people in my family who currently struggle with some form of mental illness, it has been hard to witness and often makes me feel hopeless, as I really just want to be able to help.
One potential solution in the future could be a mind-connected society that uses crowd wisdom to address all kinds of issues that affect us on a day to day basis. In my book, “The MindSet Chronicles Book One: The Deletion”, I explore how a revolutionary technology that connects people's minds could be a tool for healing (and also a source of problems).
The State of Mental Health Today:
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in four people in the world will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives.
In the United States, an estimated 51.5 million adults (or 1 in 5) experience mental illness in a given year.
Mental illness is the leading cause of disability worldwide, with depression being the most common mental health disorder.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15-29-year-olds globally.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on mental health, with a recent survey reporting that over 40% of adults in the United States have experienced a mental or behavioral health condition related to the pandemic.
In “The Deletion,” genius Peter Eriksson develops a series of integrated implants which, when placed in the brain, can connect the minds of all who possess the device. His belief that a centuries-old concept called “Crowd Wisdom” can unite society in a way that would benefit man through the collective wisdom of the people drives this push forward in evolution – what scientists have termed “Transhumanism.”
MindSet would be considered one of the first lines of defense against mental illness, as it’s shared wisdom and emotional stability could play a part in helping to resolve many of the mental issues we face.
MindSet allows for users to literally embody the experiences and feelings of another through shared thought and extreme empathy made available through the connection.
With such a collective, detection and diagnosis of issues could be instantaneous, providing an immediate response to those who may be struggling.
While MindSet is not a reality (yet), our current system of helping those struggling with mental illness has followed a similar path: paying attention to signals; addressing concerns early; and helping to seek treatment utilizing empathy, concern and care.
We don’t possess the technology of Transhumanism yet, but an idea like MindSet – while fictional - has the potential to revolutionize the way we approach mental health. In a mind-connected society, Crowd Wisdom is a noble pursuit, based on the hope that the collective good of people will outweigh any negatives - as long as we address the negatives as we build that system.
While there are still challenges and considerations to address, the possibilities are exciting!