Middle of the Midlife Crisis Debate

Is there any credence to the mid-life crisis theory?

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/41667673/ns/health/

And we all nod, acknowledging the inevitable, stereotypical midlife crisis. One made Monica Lewinsky famous, another earned "American Beauty" a best picture Academy Award and the concept is as embedded in our culture as the belief in the power of positive thinking.

But the idea that midlife crises are common is a myth, experts say.

"It makes for good novels or good movies, but it is not really accurate," said psychologist Margie Lachman of Brandeis University in Massachusetts.

"There is no specific time in life that predisposes you to crisis," said Alexandra Freund, a life-span researcher at the University of Zurich in Switzerland.

"There can be times when things crystallize as very problematic, a very deep disturbance in your life," Freund told LiveScience. "People experience these types of crises, but they are not at all related to age."

Instead, Lachman said, crises are usually spurred by some event that can happen at most any age, such as a career setback, the death of a friend or relative, or an illness.