Study: Mental health issues spiking among young Americans

A new national study has found that young Americans may be more vulnerable to depression, distress and suicidal thoughts or attempts than their parents' generation (Source: “Mental Health Woes Are Rising in Young Americans -- Is Social Media to Blame?” HealthDay News, March 14, 2019).

According to the study, which reviewed a decade's worth of data on roughly 200,000 teens between the ages of 12 and 17, and 400,000 young adults over 18, those under the age of 26 started reporting a significant rise in symptoms over the past decade related to all three mental health problems. The spikes ranged from about 55 to 70 percent. No such jump was seen among adults over the age of 26.

"Other studies had also documented an increase in mental health issues among adolescents, but it was unclear whether this was a shift among people of all ages or a generational shift," explained study author Jean Twenge, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University.

The latest findings suggest a generational shift is indeed underway. These young adults "are experiencing mental health issues at a much higher rate than millennials were and are, even after accounting for year and age," Twenge said. Millennials are those born between 1981 and 1996.