The youngest generation has fallen a long way from the Greatest Generation. While their grandparents and great grandparents fought wars and faced military drafts, Gen Z is having a mental breakdown over finances, the weather, and political differences. A new survey of 18 to 24-year-olds finds 42% have been diagnosed with a mental health condition, 57% are on regular medication, and 1-in-5 are in regular therapy.
The reasons cited for all of this mental anguish vary, from loneliness and isolation caused by the pandemic, to worries about their job and financial future, to things like climate change and political polarization in the country. Psychotherapist Mary Jo Rapini agrees with some of those factors, but also cites the failures of higher education. "These young people spend so much money on college, and then they come out of school, they're in debt, and they can't find a job that aligns with what they think they want to do," she tells KTRH.
Stress over college, student debt and getting a job is nothing new. But this generation is facing those things without the proper life skills. "This group of young people have grown up in front of screens," says Rapini. "So many of them aren't dealing with a real reality, they're dealing with a virtual reality."
Indeed, recent studies show our attention spans are getting shorter, likely due to all of the instant gratification technology we're surrounded by. For Gen Z, that's the only world they've ever known. "They're not able to handle the one-on-one interaction required in the real world, because they've been inundated with a virtual, online world," says Rapini.
The real world is proving very hard for these youngsters. One-third of those surveyed rate their overall mental health as "bad," and one-half say they don't feel ready to join the U.S. workforce. Rapini believes our society hasn't properly prepared the youngest generation for adult life. "This group just doesn't have the social skills," she says. "And when you don't have the social skills to get along and work with people, then you certainly have more trouble coping...and that leads to depression, anxiety, or one of these mental health conditions."
Photo: Cultura RF