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Paul's flippant comment at my dislike of the activity on Monday night really exposed something for me. I'm not british. I'll receive my citizenship in about a years time- provided I pass the test. Yet, I have been raised in a very anglophilic household and spent the better part of my education in schools with a large population of Brits. So yes, perhaps because of that I am not a big fan of public displays of emotion. But what does this mean about culture in terms of mental health?

When we talk about pharmacotherapy in the US something really strikes me. A great deal of American culture is based on instant gratification, fast food, fast weight loss, fast money. We like quick fixes. So maybe that is your simple answer to why pharmacology appears to be more prevelent within our society. Drugs are easily administered and require little extra effort on the part of both doctors and patients. And best of all, if you take a pill- poof! You're cured. The problem with psychotherapy is it takes a really, really long time. Years. And maybe the individual will never see the effects because for some reason or another their therapist wasn't entirely effective. 

I don't want to be anti-consumer, because I consume about as much as the next person, but I do believe that this aspect of American society in particular makes pharmacotherapy such an attractive option.