Scott Alexander argues that depression and suicide rates are not reliable indicators of societal well-being, critiquing simplistic interpretations of mental health statistics in social comparisons.
Longer summary
Scott Alexander critiques articles that use higher depression and suicide rates in Scandinavian countries to argue against their social success. He points out that depression is not synonymous with sadness or social dysfunction, offering several potential explanations for higher rates in Scandinavia unrelated to societal well-being. He then demonstrates how depression and suicide rates don't always correlate with social dysfunction by comparing white and black Americans. Finally, he discusses a study showing that happier places tend to have higher suicide rates, challenging simplistic interpretations of mental health statistics in societal comparisons.
Shorter summary