@papayalily, don’t forget the distinction between psychology and psychiatry. They are not synonymous, although they are closely related. “Psychology” is both an academic discipline and a field of research. Psychiatry is psychology put into practice, with the added benefit of a complete medical education and the ability to prescribe medication. I presume your question references how many people have therapists or analysts or whatever these days, in which case psychiatry or even the broader “therapy” might be more appropriate terms (since psychologists—people with academic degrees but not clinical ones—can still practice therapy).
Either way, while I’m tempted to poo-poo therapy, I think there is something to be said for the many diverse stresses of modern life. It’s possible, as much as it pains me to admit it, that more people do actually “need” therapy now. As a result of the wealth of new tasks we’ve been brought up to excel at, people are fundamentally different at the cognitive level than they were a century ago.
There’s also something to be said for emotional hypochondria or Munchausen’s. The last few generations of kids have been brought up to shy away from responsibility, and association with a vaguely defined mental disorder is a great way to absolve yourself from having to apply intellectual or emotional effort. In addition, the diagnostic criteria for broad-spectrum disorders like ADHD or Bipolar disorder have thickened the DSM-IV to such a point where it would be impressive if any doctor were able to adequately and precisely classify a set of behaviors as being normal or aberrant.