You're hungry at 2am so you order a big pizza to be delivered. You're bored and want to distract yourself with the latest drama so you download an entire season of your favourite series to watch back-to-back on the weekend. You want a particular item of clothing from your beloved boutique back home so you order it online and receive it within a few days. You've just recently come out of a long-term relationship and the emotional pain is unbearable so like everything else in life you want a quick and immediate fix - but at what cost?

"I had difficulty sleeping and would wake up feeling anxious so I called a friend of mine who was taking some kind of anti-anxiety medication and asked her if I could have a few pills to help me get through this post-break-up stage. She didn't think it was a good idea in case I was allergic to them or something so I made an appointment to see a psychiatrist" explains Dubai resident Christine as she recalls this challenging period. "I probably spoke to the doctor for only about 10 minutes and shortly after he prescribed some medication to help me 'take the edge off'" says Christine. "Of course I was happy to get what I thought was a magic solution to my problem until the reality of the situation set in. I began worrying about getting hooked onto the medication and having to take it for the rest of my life. And if I were to stop taking them wouldn't I have to face facts anyway at some point in the near future? Without proper coping mechanisms how was I going to deal with all the other issues that inevitably happen in life?"

Christine isn't alone. Unfortunately too many people around the world are over-diagnosed and incorrectly medicated for minor health concerns. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry found that more than 69 per cent of the people prescribed drugs may not have actually met the criteria for mental disorders. Furthermore the same study found that 38 per cent of those taking prescription drugs did not meet the criteria for obsessive compulsive disorder panic disorder social phobia or generalised anxiety disorder either. This generational problem is dulling our senses and numbing us to the realities of life. Worse yet overuse of psycho-stimulants can lead to a whole host of other issues like anxiety insomnia and even physical ailments such as strokes Parkinson's or heart attacks.

Dr Bernard Carroll the scientific director of the Pacific Behavioral Research Foundation adds that another example of this can be seen in the huge increase of children being diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the last two decades. "You've got all these young kids running around with this diagnosis yet many of them have never ever had a manic episode which is the hallmark of bipolar disorder. Many of these kids" he continues "have never had anything other than irritability. Yet they're exposed to anti-convulsants and anti-psychotic drugs which have serious long-term side effects in the form of obesity metabolic syndrome diabetes and some movement disorders that can leave a person extremely disfigured physically."

There's no reason to think that life is any more stressful today than ever before. On the contrary in many ways we're actually more comfortable and pampered in comparison to previous generations. So how do we account for such unprecedented numbers of people detected with psychological ailments? This epidemic of over-diagnosis probably resulted from an increased knowledge about mental health issues self-diagnosis through the Internet pharmaceuticals wanting to increase profits as well as the idea of the importance of early detection. No matter what the root causes may be the long-term implications are serious and can't be ignored.

The boundaries between what is considered normal or abnormal are fluid and often culturally/contextually-bound; however what complicates matters even more is that there are no specific tests that can definitively diagnose someone with say Attention Deficit Disorder or depression. Let's not allow the term 'depression' to replace unhappiness as they are very different and most of life's predicaments cause more bruises rather than profound wounds.

It's important to dig deep into the true cause of symptoms and to utilise other coping strategies such as exercise meditation vitamins a healthy diet and even counselling before taking medication that will interfere with your brain's natural performance. Quick fixes might offer temporary surface solutions but can actually do more harm in the long run. Instead let's seek alternative recovery methods that are sustainable and better suited to our health concerns.

Dr Samineh I. Shaheem is a professor of psychology and a learning & development specialist. Contact her on . Follow her on Twitter: saminehshaheem Instagram: wellbeing.psychology.awake