The Troubling Reality Of The American Teenagers’ Mental Health

The CDC has published a comprehensive report on the mental health of American teenager. The research for the report ended in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic began, but shows a troubling rise in anxiety and depression among children. s, and the show a troubling rise in anxiety and depression in children. NBC’s Antonia Hylton reports in this week’s Sunday Spotlight.

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[Dennis-ncvw]

Stop treating teens like small children. For 99% of human history adulthood was in your early teens, and from what I've heard teens used to stereotyped as happy-go-lucky, rather than angsty. I grew up a pampered rich kid and I've seen the insidious effects of infantilizing young adults. I struggled with mental health issues and I don't know if the correlation is causation but I seemed to have stabilized around the time I got my first job. An extended childhood sounds nice, but its just an illusion.

[fencer]

Pretty sure the pandemic led me to feel emotionless. Even in high school and still in it. Freshman and sophomore year went okay; I got all A’s with a top rank. The start of junior year went ok too, still keeping good grades with rigorous courses, but it was the other half of it that I struggled and still am struggling with. May exams and SAT, college essays, and a bunch more. We are a wealthy family and my parents pay money and just say “if u go to this college and get in I’ll buy u a macan, ” but like even tho I still manage my grades, it’s the sat, college essays and feeling all alone and dead inside that I struggle with. Like I don’t talk to anyone about it because I don’t have any truly deep connections with anyone and it’s just overwhelming as I sometimes will feel so dead inside that I just cry to make things feel a bit better, but it doesn’t… I just hope that once I finally get my college apps done by the first half of senior year, things will be resolved? 😢

[daebak_hana]

Stop send kids to school to be bullied. stop letting them go in social media where they are told they are rubbish. Stop forcing unreasonable and unrealistic expectations on them. Let's finally admit our society is toxic. That might help

[llamatown]

I am a gen z trying everything I can to overcome mental health issues. This includes going outside more, exercising, socializing, eliminating all forms of social media, limiting screen time, and turning to God. I have seen tremendous progress in regards to my mental health. However, it just isn't as simple as it seems, especially to those raised in a different time period. Something fundamental is different since the smartphone and it isn't just social media. Poor mental health is the new epidemic and has taken more lives then Covid ever will. We need to prioritize helping these struggling adolescents not by punishing or blaming them to any degree, but by getting professional help, being there for them, and at least pretending to understand. I was too close for comfort to committing suicide, and I believe I have lived a better/happier than average life compared to most others my age.

It's easy to blame social media, and while that is definitely a major component, I believe a bigger one comes from the disconnect between teens and their parents. For various reasons, teenagers don't feel safe or able to talk to their parents (or anyone) about mental health because they don't believe the parents will understand. And even if they do, often the way they deal with these problems is not through support, but in telling them that they are the problem. That they need to change their life in order to be happier. This seemingly reasonable idea is actually synonymous with telling a homeless person to go buy a house. There are more factors at play and It is way more complicated than any mindset can solve.

Anyways, that's just my insight as a gen z, 16 y/o male living in the United States. It's surely different for everyone, especially those under different circumstances, but I believe it's valid nonetheless. My prayers go out to anyone struggling with depression, anxiety, or any other mental health issues.

[alexnx]

Too many people confuse normal worries with actual anxiety disorder. Just because you’re sad does not mean that you actually have clinical depression.

[Garry-yb]

My life just completely died since quarantine

[RelentlessOhiox]

Keep your kids off social media folks. It's not a coincidence this generation of teenagers, the first to grow up from birth with the Internet, also is causing this sudden spike in mental health.

Many of these kids do not have mental health issues. They need to go outside and be kids.

[Scrunchie_]

Perhaps its the pressure they feel overall: school (be well liked, good grades, the pressure to fit in) then go to college (expensive), and finally to get a good enough job that will pay you a livable wage. With prices of everything rising exponentially, this leaves the younger generation feeling helpless. They realize they have to work 3x as hard just to get by and save for retirement (not guaranteed) and also to own/rent a home. Rightfully, they're not even considering having children. I completely understand and empathize with the younger folks. They have it much much harder growing up in todays world.
To add, with the extreme political polarity and troubled economy/national debt, many just dont see a point in even trying. The odds are against them.

[Ponk_]

What we put energy into, will grow, so when everyone is focusing on mental health issues, more and more will start to think that they are getting sick, we need to focus on the good things about being alive, the stuff that we appreciate and what makes us feel great, then more people will focus on that and it will have a ripple effect on the people feeling bad, and they will also start to feel good. How many people today worry constantly because of the negative things that they see on the news, on social media and on YouTube, so instead of giving energy to that, and telling everyone about how bad a place this planet is, we should focus on how great a place this planet is. Remember the news is a business, and then known that bad news sells, so stop feeding yourself all this bad energy, and get out in nature, and get together with positive people, and you will start feeling better, and the better you feel, that bigger that feeling grows. We didn’t have all these mental issues in such a large group of humans in the past, that we have today. So look into what used to make us happy in the past, and stop doing the things that makes you sick today.

[cebedojames]

Depression comes from trying to control ones life especially have expectations on ones future. People have to learn to let that go. We have no control over our future. Just enjoy the flow. The flow of life.

[yearoldnewdriver]

I am a volunteer for NAMI. NAMI is the acronym for National Alliance on Mental Illness. I recommend NAMI an organization that is run mostly by volunteers. Spirituality and religion help me with my mental health. I listen to Star 99.1 too!

[josemama-sq]

1. HOW IMPORTANT IS MENTAL HEALTH TO YOU.

2. WHAT EFFECT YOUR MENTAL HEALTH THE MOST AND WHY.

[BlackoutO]

I was studying Mandarin Chinese in college until the plan-demic threw my time and efforts down the toilet. Now I'm just trying to make Black/Death metal to combat "The Message".

[emilyl]

This is result of bad or incompetent parenting. When you choose to procreate, it is YOUR responsibility to address whatever mental health issues your kids have. Don't foist your kids' issues onto a public school system that doesn't have the capacity to deal with them. It's mind boggling to me that so many parents aren't doing their job but expect others to do it for free.

[ronaldgood]

"First Off...There has "NEVER" been a sense of "Normalcy" when it come to (Progress)😶...Only the need to "ADAPT" to change, (Second)....THAT'S THE PARENTS RESPONSIBILITY!!, TO TEACH THEIR CHILDREN THIS 😳, ...(Third)... Unless you are (LOCKED UP IN JAIL (or) PRISON!?...There should be absolutely "NO" Reason that (BOTH) PARENT (nor) Child should even "Remotely" be Depressed, Miserable, Restless, Hopeless (or) Otherwise 😳....THINK ON THESE THINGS PEOPLE!!!"🤔

[justiceprevail]

We can all take some of the blame for our broken society. We send our kids to be brainwashed by our public schools. We have many dysfunctional families that kids grow up in. Ask any teacher what goes on in our public schools today, teaching has almost become second place because so many kids need help, both physically and mentally.
We have as a society accepted the Culture of Death, killing the unborn has become a way of life, and now it has (at least in California) it has taken a further step by passing an Infanticide bill, (sponsored by Planned Parenthood) and it was signed by Governor Newsome allowing for the killing of a baby up to 28 days after birth.
We once were a Country of Morals and Values, that has gone by the wayside, Good has been replaced by Evil, and it just keeps getting worse.
How far has it gone, well when 60% of the people have no trouble with Abortion, no trouble with Planned Parenthood selling baby body parts, then how can we expect our kids to do what's right. We have all contributed to what has happened by either inaction, acceptance, or silence, and it gets worse with each generation.

[cabdulshukuurshukuur]

This generation has 100% risk for mental health then others who born in 1900 upto 70s, thank to allah i was born jan 1st 1950

[skiphoffenflaven]

I’ve been thinking about these college kids today, those who get accommodations, who get catered to by the institution, the employer, society. Imagine being in a group of hunter-gatherers, living in a land where lions attack humans daily. All humans suffer the fear of this attack. Immensely. But to make the society work, to make it so that all can go about living, breathing, eating, reproducing, individuals in the society must take turns keeping guard with a dart gun for tranquilizing the lion(s). To use it, the darter must be in a close proximity to the lion. This increases the anxiety of the darter. Meanwhile, those safe in their homes and with the group, individuals among that group are so filled with anxiety about the lion, that society caters to them, ignoring the darter. The darters, being given less attention and resources, succumb to the lions, one by one, as resources have been allocated to quell the anxiety of the individuals who swear they can’t function, especially not as darters who practically ensure the longevity of the society. Eventually, the anxious are left and they must become darters, but cannot last more than a few hours.

[secretdivinetips]

Stop being in money earning race.u will be alright

[geraldwilansky]

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