There is an extremely concerning trend that keeps growing and growing at an alarming rate. This trend may not be one you’d expect or encounter day to day, but it is one that is very troubling. Members of Gen Z — people ages 15 to 21 — reported the worst mental health of any generation, according to the American Psychological Association (Ducharme, 2018). This mental health crisis facing teens is one of the worst to ever be seen. It seems as if stress and anxiety are to blame for the hit taken to mental health, with 91% of Gen Z adults saying that they had felt physical or emotional effects associated with anxiety or depression (Ibid). “What is causing these elevated level of stress and anxiety?” you may ask. Teens today are growing up in a world of publicized mass shootings, dire climate change warnings, poor economic futures without a college degree and extreme political partisanship. It may be easier to ask what is not causing anxiety and stress among teens. 70% of teens reported that anxiety and depression were the greatest problems they faced in their day to day lives. Teens saw anxiety and depression as more of a concern than drug addiction, bullying, or poverty. Concern about mental health cuts across gender, race, and socio-economic class, with roughly equal shares of teens saying that anxiety and depression are a major issue in their communities.
A concerning facet of this epidemic is how young many adolescents are being afflicted with mental illness. A study in 2011 found that up to half of U.S. children and adolescents meet diagnostic criteria for at least one mental disorders by age 18 (Chamberlin, 2011). Surprisingly, many of these mental illnesses were developed at a critically young age (Ibid). The data showed that many of the mental illnesses emerged early — with an average age-of-onset of 6 for anxiety disorders, 11 for behavior disorders, 13 for mood disorders and 15 for substance use disorders (Ibid).
This is part of a greater, continual trend that has been progressing for decades. More adolescents experienced psychological distress, major depression or suicidal thoughts, and attempted suicide in the 2010s compared to the 2000s. The percentage of young Americans experiencing certain types of mental health disorders has risen significantly over the past decade, with no corresponding increase in older adults, according to research published by the American Psychological Association (Sliwa, 2019). This means there is a certain social change or observable trend that has changed how teens act and behave in direct comparison to their older counterparts. The rate of individuals reporting symptoms consistent with major depression in the last 12 months increased 52 percent in adolescents from 2005 to 2017 (from 8.7 percent to 13.2 percent) and 63 percent in young adults age 18 to 25 from 2009 to 2017 (from 8.1 percent to 13.2 percent). There was also a 71 percent increase in young adults experiencing serious psychological distress in the previous 30 days from 2008 to 2017 (from 7.7 percent to 13.1 percent). The rate of young adults with suicidal thoughts or other suicide-related outcomes increased 47 percent from 2008 to 2017 (from 7.0 percent to 10.3 percent). In all of this worry and concern, there is a pretty big silver lining. This change we are seeing in the mental health status of adolescent teens is a considerably new trend. This means that perceived factor for the change such as economic downturn and genetics can be clearly ruled out. This fact also means that the change in mental health was most probably caused by a social change that has been ushered in in the last decade or so. This is important to consider as the only factor that has changed in the way teens spend their time has been through increased use of electronic communication and digital media. This sole factor may have changed modes of social interaction enough to affect mood disorders. A parallel effect is not observed in adults. The increase in digital media use may have had a bigger impact on teens and young adults because older adults’ social lives are more stable and might have changed less than teens’ social lives have in the last ten years (Sliwa, 2019). Another observable trend may be just as or more serious than the one that was aforementioned. Teens are getting considerably less sleep than their older counterparts. This could be a great contributor to the shift seen in mental health. Young people are not sleeping as much as they did in previous generations. Backing off of the research, a reason why older adults are not suffering through as severe mental problems as teens through digital media is that digital media is affecting teenage sleep habits. Adults might be better at not staying up late on their phones or using them in the middle of the night. Researcher Jean Twenge had this to say: “Young people can’t change their genetics or the economic situation of the country, but they can choose how they spend their leisure time. First and most important is to get enough sleep. Make sure your device use doesn’t interfere with sleep — don’t keep phones or tablets in the bedroom at night, and put devices down within an hour of bedtime,” she said. “Overall, make sure digital media use doesn’t interfere with activities more beneficial to mental health such as face-to-face social interaction, exercise and sleep.”
A lot of anxiety and depression teens feel can be boiled down to the pressures teens face daily. 60% of teens say that there is overwhelming pressure to perform well in school. Likewise, 65% of teens felt pressured towards the need to look good and the need to fit in socially. All of this pressure adds up over time and can cause debilitating effects such as anxiety and depression. Another factor in the rising mental health epidemic is loneliness. Younger people from the ages of 18 to 22 are the most likely to face loneliness in America. Loneliness is a big threat to physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing and can have huge consequences for mental health. There are well-researched links between loneliness poor heart health, stress, and substance abuse. It seems that rampant social media use plays a big role in the loneliness our younger generations feel. Social media often gets substituted for a real network of friends. Furthermore, Social media can cause individuals to make negative self-comparisons to others, further exacerbating the effects of anxiety and depression.
How can we solve this issue of rising mental health problems? The first step may be to step away from social media and develop a real-life network of friends. It has been shown that a good network of friends can mitigate the onset of depression and anxiety. Another solution may be to promote therapy among young folks that need it. Gen Z is the most likely to seek therapy. This is a good indication that those who need mental help are getting it. Promoting exercise, regular sleep, and maintaining a good work-life balance may be the best way to avert this oncoming mental health epidemic.
SOURCES CITED
Chamberlin, Jamie. “New Data on Mental Illness among U.S. Youth.” Monitor on Psychology,
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Sliwa, Jim. “Mental Health Issues Increased Significantly in Young Adults Over Last
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Gourguechon, Prudy. “Gen Z Is Stressing Out: Finding Solutions For Hopelessness And
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