Letter: Wanting it all

Sir: Part of the reason for increased depression is that we have increased expectations of happiness and seem to have forgotten that sadness, misery even, is a normal part of being human ("Stressed out, blissed out", 25 February).

The selfishness promoted during the 1980s made us more acquisitive, more jealous of those who have, and more likely to feel like failures if we aren't succeeding in having it all. There is more pressure on men to work all hours, to earn and keep on earning. There is more pressure on women to work all hours and earn, either to support their families single-handedly or to ensure that the family income is enough to pay the mortgage - and yet there is widespread job insecurity. Where do children fit in in all this? They don't - they are squeezed out.

HEIDI BRADSHAW

Cambridge