Z - Z Gen & Mental Health #AtoZ #MentalHealthAwareness

Generation Z — the group of young people born roughly between 1995 and 2015, who are currently between 4 and 24 years old. Today, one in three teens between the ages of 13 and 18 has an anxiety disorder.

Members of Generation Z are the most likely of all generations to report poor mental health. Psychologists believe what stresses today’s young people out could be a product of what their parents experienced while they were very young. Youngsters today are less hedonistic, better behaved and more lonely than ever before. Z'ers having grown up with a smartphone has led them to expect information and entertainment on-demand, instantly, and in phone-sized bites.

The American Psychological Association found that almost one-third of teens say they feel sad or depressed and overwhelmed due to stress. A report by the Association finds the rate of adolescents reporting symptoms of major depression increased 52 percent between 2005 and 2017 — from 8.7 percent to 13.2 percent — among youth from the ages of 12 and 17.

The increase was even higher — 63 percent from 2009 to 2017 — among young adults between the ages of 18 and 25. Depressive symptoms among “Generation Z” – teenagers born at the turn of the millennium – are around two-thirds higher than the “millennial generation” born in the early nineties.

They are also more likely to self-harm, suffer from poor body image, skip sleep and be overweight

School and the pressure to get good grades appears to be the leading source of stress for many young people. Work, finances and health-related concerns all stressed out more Gen Z adults than adults overall, the report says. Money was the most common source of stress, affecting 81% of Gen Z adults and 64% of adults overall.

Research has shown that a strong social network can help mitigate the effects of stress and improve mental health overall. Social media doesn’t seem to be helping, either — while about half said it was a source of support, another 45% said social media made them feel judged, and 38% said it made them feel bad about themselves.

Just like our bodies develop a biological immunity through exposure to threats, our psychological system can also develop immunity through exposure. In today’s over-protected Generation Z when parents fight too many battles for their kids, it doesn’t allow children to develop the coping skills they need to deal with adversity.

Teenagers from poorer households tended to report a wider range of behavioural problems than those from rich households, but concerns about mental health seemed to affect both groups equally.

While Generation Z might be more likely to report poor mental health, they’re also more likely than older generations to be aware of their mental health and seek out help when necessary.

DISCLAIMER: All the information being provided her has been sourced from the internet and books and some also via personal experiences. It has no medical authentication per se so suggestions if followed must be done in consultation with a trained mental health professional.

References:

https://www.voanews.com/a/mental-health-epidemic-hits-generation-z/4835910.html

https://www.ishn.com/articles/109656-generation-z-is-stressed-out-its-causing-mental-health-problems

This post is a part of April Blogging from A To Z Challenge

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