Silicon Valley's Mental Health

Silicon Valley has been home to the booms and busts of the tech world for years. It is a modern day Gold Rush, with people from all over the world flooding here to be a part of the Next Big Thing. It is truly an incredible time and place in which we live. But, quite like the Gold Rush itself, there are real challenges that accompany the hope of tremendous opportunity and success.

Can we talk about mental health in the Valley? All of the factors that make it such an incredible place to be, also create a unique set of circumstances that can pose a challenge for even the most stable among us. The work hours are long. The schedules can be unpredictable. Funding is always an issue. Work-life balance can be elusive. Competition--for your company, your product, your job--can be fierce. Communication among colleagues can break down due to cultural differences. And what of all these problems if you struggle mood or anxiety problems?

It might seem nearly impossible to some to manage the ups and downs of the Valley. But, at least as a culture, we are beginning to talk about it. Here on this blog, I hope to post information and resources specifically geared to those in this crazy valley we call home.

Social Anxiety, More Than Normal Shyness

There is a distinction, fuzzy as it may be in the middle of the anxiety spectrum, between social anxiety and shyness. It turns out that shyness is a fairly common characteristic, shared by a large percentage of people. Nearly everyone feels shy at times or in certain situations. However, when anxiety, tension, and avoidance surrounding social situations starts to interfere with normal functioning, it may be time to assess for a social anxiety disorder. The link to the articl below does a really nice job of summarizing some recent research. This new study indicates the relatively high rate of shyness (nearly 50%!) in a sample of teenagers contrasted with the relatively low rates of clinical social anxiety (about 10%).

You can get the article here.