\n<\/p>\n
I<\/span>t was a pitta bread that finally broke Jason Wood. It arrived with hummus instead of the vegetable crudites he had preordered in a restaurant that he had painstakingly researched, as he always did, weeks before he and his husband visited. \u201cIn that moment, I just snapped,\u201d he recalls. \u201cI hit rock bottom, I got angry \u2026 I started crying, I started shaking. I just felt like I couldn\u2019t do it any more, like I had been crushed by all this pressure I put on myself.\u201d<\/p>\n Today, Wood, 40, speaks calmly. Neat and groomed, he seems orderly by nature. But at that time, his attempts to control every aspect of his life had spiralled. He painstakingly monitored what he ate (sometimes only organic, sometimes raw or unprocessed; calories painstakingly counted), his exercise regime (twice a day, seven days a week), and tracked every bodily function from his heart rate to his blood pressure, body fat and sleep \u201cschedule\u201d. He even monitored his glucose levels repeatedly throughout the day. \u201cI was living by those numbers,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n <\/span>\u2018I had been crushed by all this pressure I put on myself\u2019 \u2026. Jason Wood. <\/span> Photograph: Courtesy of Jason Wood<\/p>\n Two or three times a month he would visit wellness clinics for IV drips of vitamin cocktails, plus oxygen treatments administered through a tube in the nose \u2013 the package costing $250 to $300 (about \u00a3180 to \u00a3220) a pop for health benefits he struggles to specify. He would also request reams of blood tests every six months checking 15 to 20 biomarkers, from testosterone to creatinine to lipids. He estimates that he spent about $10,000 in total. He never deviated from his routine for social events; it had become a cage: \u201cI got up before sunrise, around 4am,\u201d he recalls. \u201cI would work out, then I\u2019d have a light breakfast, maybe a chia seed pudding, then a chickpea salad for lunch \u2026 I\u2019d get back to the gym in the afternoon \u2026\u201d A protein-based dinner would be followed by \u201ca protein drink before bed at 9pm\u201d.<\/p>\n And the motivation? Wood, who lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was clear that his ultimate goal was to extend his life. How could that be a bad thing, he reasoned. What he realised upon seeking mental health support after he had a breakdown was just how deeply he feared dying \u2013 a fear triggered by the premature loss of his parents to cancer; his dad when he was just 11, his mum when he was 19. His lifestyle had become about controlling the uncontrollable.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was just this fixation with living for as long as I possibly could,\u201d he says. \u201cThis talk around longevity plays right into insecurities and fears, and makes us want to hand over our money.\u201d<\/p>\n Wood now believes he was suffering from longevity fixation syndrome, an unofficial diagnosis for an anxiety-driven, compulsive obsession among those who are consumed by the idea of living for as long as possible. The term was recently coined by Jan Gerber, CEO and founder of the Swiss mental health rehab clinic Paracelsus Recovery, who revealed he was seeing a \u201csignificant\u201d increase in patients presenting with habits such as those outlined by Wood. Gerber notes that such behaviour is also closely aligned with the eating disorder orthorexia, a fixation with \u201cclean\u201d eating and exercise.<\/p>\n This talk around longevity plays into insecurities and fears, and makes us want to hand over our money<\/p>\n Wood agrees: \u201cI believe many of the underlying factors and desired outcomes which fuel orthorexia are the same for longevity fixation syndrome. But with the latter, there are more variables you feel like you need to control, so even more anxiety.\u201d<\/p>\n A slick Zurich clinic \u2013 which charges more than \u00a388,000 a week for a four-week individualised residential treatment programme (including a 24-hour live-in therapist) to treat mental health and addiction \u2013 coining a new disorder has raised a few eyebrows. Labels are not always helpful. Yet the issue itself does not seem manufactured: a number of therapists in the US, Europe and the UK, working with clients from all societal stratas, agree that the symptoms are a growing problem.<\/p>\n While an existential fear of death is nothing new, and nor are claims to conquer mortality with elixirs or holy grails, extending your lifespan is no longer an aspiration dependant on following a disciplined diet and exercise regime alone. Nowadays, there is also an increasingly expansive menu of biohacks purported to boost health, offered at self-styled \u201clongevity clinics\u201d. Rather than being confined to Hollywood and the uber-rich, such clinics are beginning to proliferate among the affluent mainstream. Conduct an online search for longevity and, in the UK alone, there are numerous results for longevity services or longevity medicine.<\/p>\n Groundbreaking research funded by Silicon Valley first began to make claims about life-lengthening and ageing reversal using gene manipulation and blood transfusions in the 1990s and early 00s. Fast forward to today, and the idea that biology can be tweaked to slow ageing has exploded \u2013 not only in research labs and startups but in the more mainstream nutrition and skincare industries. In 2023, the size of the global market for complementary and alternative medicine for anti-ageing and longevity was estimated to be worth $63.6bn, and projected to reach $247.9bn by 2030.<\/p>\n Of course, anti-ageing solutions are catnip to celebrities. Orlando Bloom has tried filtering his blood of microplastics; Jennifer Aniston reportedly swears by peptide injections for skin rejuvenation. And then there are the many ultra-disciplined influencers such as Kayla Barnes-Lentz and the human biologist Gary Brecka loudly proclaiming the benefits of adopting habits to tweak our biology, from regular bedtimes and breath work to cold plunges and supplements.<\/p>\n <\/span>Jennifer Aniston reportedly swears by peptide injections.<\/span> Photograph: Jamie McCarthy\/Getty Images<\/p>\n At the extreme end of the spectrum, there is also a significant tribe of uber-rich tech bros seemingly intent on actual immortality. The poster boy for this is Bryan Johnson, 48, the American venture capitalist who sold his company to PayPal for $800m and likes to wear a T-shirt reading \u201cDon\u2019t Die\u201d. He has been infused with his son\u2019s youthful plasma (although later admitted this didn\u2019t show benefits) and is building an algorithm around his biomarker scores. \u201cI\u2019m going to try and achieve immortality by 2039,\u201d he has said.<\/p>\n But research published last year in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that \u2013 after looking at 23 high-income, low-mortality countries \u2013 no generation born after 1939 is expected to reach an average age of 100. Whether the biohacks carry positive benefits for longevity or not is still up for debate; what seems clearer is the mental health fallout for those trying to live for ever.<\/p>\n In Assen, in the north-east of the Netherlands, Mark (not his real name), 26, says a fear of death to the point of \u201cpanic attacks\u201d led to his health \u201coptimisation\u201d five years ago. It was an attempt to \u201cextend my life expectancy\u201d, he says.<\/p>\n Mark would deliberate for weeks over having a single beer or a slice of birthday cake, and such indulgences would be \u201cfollowed by a week of guilt\u201d; he took numerous supplements daily including omega-3, zinc, magnesium and creatine, went to the gym five times a week, and had to get nine to 10 hours of sleep a night. \u201cI bought a blood pressure monitor to check daily, thinking if it was too high I might die,\u201d he says. Once, he spent the whole day consumed with bringing down what he perceived as a high number. \u201cMy social life did suffer,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n His panic attacks peaked last year and he saw a therapist. \u201cI needed to train my brain into accepting the \u2018danger\u2019 it was detecting was a false alarm,\u201d he says. \u201cTo live my life and accept any feelings of fear or panic; to let them be there without \u2018feeding\u2019 them.\u201d He came to accept that \u201cphysical health is important, but mental health is important, too\u201d.<\/p>\n Clients of the Balance Rehab Clinic, which has sites in London, Zurich, Marbella and Mallorca, are offered bespoke one-to-one residential programmes encompassing therapeutic support for issues such as chronic stress and trauma (it does not publish its prices). Its clinical director, the psychiatrist and psychotherapist Dr Sarah Boss, estimates that about half of the clinic\u2019s clients now present with some traits of longevity fixation syndrome, although most aren\u2019t aware that their habits have become problematic.<\/p>\n And the numbers have increased over the past two years. \u201cWe definitely see this [obsession around longevity] more and more, especially in wealthy people who have more access to [biohacking] and more time to spend on it,\u201d says Boss. \u201cThey are trying to measure everything, day and night,\u201d she says. Many clients arrive with their own infrared saunas and ice baths. \u201cThey\u2019re taking them around as if [they were] a bike or golf clubs.\u201d<\/p>\n We see it more and more, especially in wealthy people. They are trying to measure everything, day and night<\/p>\n Boss describes a client under 40 who arrived with a hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber, which he used daily. He was taking 15 supplements. \u201cEverything from Q10 to supplements to help with muscle mass, metabolism, to detox,\u201d she recalls. He\u2019d had stem cell injections and at one point asked to leave to have more. He also ordered regular blood tests, which is something she sees frequently. \u201cThere\u2019s such a big market around it and there are no limits,\u201d she says. \u201cPeople can spend \u20ac40,000 (\u00a335,000) on blood tests.\u201d<\/p>\n She also describes a female client in her 40s who checked in due to anxiety. She was monitoring her biomarkers and sleep with an Oura Ring (a wearable device that tracks health metrics), taking numerous supplements, and eating what she believed to be \u201canti-ageing foods\u201d \u2013 \u201ca vegetable and fruit-based diet, seeds, special powders, very little protein, no carbohydrates \u2026,\u201d says Boss. She was also taking metformin, a drug used to manage type 2 diabetes (which she did not have), and which some studies have found may slow ageing. Boss weaned her off the supplements and metrics tracking, \u201cand she completely normalised,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Boss often finds that childhood experiences drive this sort of behaviour. Many clients suffer from \u201cattachment trauma\u201d, and there is a \u201cfear of dying \u2013 not just ageing \u2026 but really the existential fear of death.\u201d She believes this fear has been exacerbated by the Covid pandemic. \u201cAll of a sudden, [people] felt threatened,\u201d she says. \u201cI think that started something in a lot of people, unconsciously.\u201d This was followed by a boom in the longevity industry. \u201cYou can buy a million things online, false promises \u2026 It\u2019s growing daily,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n <\/span>Patients are encouraged to get back in tune with their bodies with activities such as yoga and breath work.<\/span> Photograph: Posed by model; Super Scout\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Boss\u2019s patients are taught to get back in tune with their bodies instinctively, rather than through data, using activities including yoga, breath work and sport \u2013 but for fun. \u201cThe key is to regulate them again, to connect them to their own nervous system,\u201d she says. Talking therapy around acceptance of death often helps patients gain an understanding of deeper issues, too.<\/p>\n For Wood, it was ultimately this acceptance of death that helped him recover. \u201cI realised I am human, death is a part of life \u2026 it\u2019s going to happen when it happens,\u201d he says. His therapist encouraged him to quit his apps and relax his routine. \u201cIt was like somebody had ripped away my security blanket \u2026 I was very scared and sceptical,\u201d he admits. \u201c[But] I trusted their advice\u2026 so I went all in. I have a very much all-or-nothing mindset, so at that moment I needed to just cut ties with the apps and tracking.\u201d<\/p>\n Wood is now director of community engagement for the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders in the US, but he says that \u201cit\u2019s very difficult to recover in a society like this, because we see the influencers, we see all this content all the time\u201d.<\/p>\n Lina Mookerjee, senior accredited psychotherapist with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, who is based in Cumbria, believes that 75% of her clients show symptoms of longevity fixation syndrome. They may not be undertaking cryotherapy or peptide injections, but their concern about longevity, often underpinned by fears around mortality, has shot up since the pandemic. \u201cIt was an absolute step-change,\u201d she says. The fixation has run alongside increased \u201chypervigilance\u201d and \u201chyperactivity\u201d \u2013 all demonstrations of \u201cI have no control over my life,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Generally, Mookerjee says, those presenting with these symptoms are professional, university-educated people in their 30s to 50s, who have \u201clost trust in their own judgment\u201d and rely on devices.<\/p>\n <\/span>Lina Mookerjee says that as many as 75% of her clients show symptoms of longevity fixation syndrome. <\/span> Photograph: Courtesy of Lina Mookerjee<\/p>\n She has also identified a \u201csuperhero syndrome\u201d in clients trying to override a loss or illness. \u201cOnce they recognise \u2018the driver for me is coming from a deep insecurity\u2019 something starts to change.\u201d They become less hypervigilant around health and can begin to live normally again.<\/p>\n Mental health professionals are becoming increasingly aware of the damaging effects of longevity fixation. And, amid the many online proponents of tracking and hacking, there are a growing number of devotees who have begun to talk about the unhealthy side-effects of the practice \u2013 and in some cases, seek help.<\/p>\n \u201cI see the amount of pain [longevity culture] can cause, the amount of insecurity,\u201d says Wood. \u201cIt\u2019s nice to finally have a term to apply to it. With a proper name and better understanding of what they are facing, I believe more people will be able to access the treatment and support they deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It was a pitta bread that finally broke Jason Wood. It arrived with hummus instead of the vegetable crudites he had preordered in a restaurant that he had painstakingly researched, as he always did, weeks before he and his husband visited. \u201cIn that moment, I just snapped,\u201d he recalls. \u201cI hit rock bottom, I got<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44058,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[3861,22944,37,4054,4785,356,313,8027,12425],"class_list":{"0":"post-44057","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-crushed","9":"tag-fixation","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-longevity","12":"tag-pressure","13":"tag-put","14":"tag-rise","15":"tag-syndrome","16":"tag-troubling"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44057","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44057"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44057\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/44058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}