42% of Gen Z diagnosed with a mental health condition, survey reveals

Are they talking about GenZ or Gator Fans?

 

A lot of factors coming into play.. it's complex and complicated. You make excellent points.

Women dressing to impress other women certainly comes into play. But even as some sort of competition to impress, I think it's still a type of confidence builder that gives the 'winner' an edge in the game.

 

What's "extreme" about it? My musing by no means excludes the beauty of being alive and interacting with my fellow man. I intentionally used seems in my second sentence because I don't interact with teenagers beyond my grandchildren and what I read. I many be wrong about the despair of youngsters. I hope I am.

I am not wrong about our planet. I read and enjoy your intelligent posts, and I think you share the same concerns about what our species is doing to our planet. Poster 36 thinks "we're working in that direction", but I think it's baby steps. Yet, I know we can't do it alone. Thus the pessimism.

 

I changed my rating on your post from friendly to agree, as I am in agreement with what you posted with the exception of your last statement. You are not a 'downer' I have found you to be a friend who has frequently offered words of encouragement and affirmation. I thank you for that, Friend.

I believe we will be 'saved' to the extent we pro-actively invest in our own salvation. Though given a lot of lip service that effort is virtually non existent, outside a few circles of people actively working towards righting the wrongs and imbalances of the world. The current madness is but an indicator of the chaotic situation. Until we learn to be kind and unselfish and find a workable balance in all things, we work against ourselves. It is my belief 'God' is not 'a' being, but rather actionable process. What and how we invest into and work with the process determines what we reap. To our detriment we have not worked harmoniously and are reaping of the greed and indifference we have sown. Is there time to right all the wrongs and save some fragment worth saving? God only knows and the world is inflamed, angry, and sick.

 

While I don't doubt the pandemic has had some impact here, and I'm absolutely sure that social media has, this is hardly a new thing. It's just become more "mainstream" (not the right word, but it'll have to do).

 

No sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that. I was just suggesting that “read the survey” doesn’t usually convince others when the surveys’ results go against their viewpoint. In this case, I was using the example of ‘unflattering to republicans’ because I know that dad holds republicans in high esteem.

 

This podcast episode dropped today. I have not listened and not sure I will because I don't have a teenager any longer. Just thought I would link to it in case anyone was interested

How To!: Parent Your Depressed Teen - Slate Daily Feed

 

I refuse to believe that only 42% of Gen Z are liberals.

 

I'm more concerned with the assertion that most people under 25 are mentally incompetent. Depression is the inevitable outcome for a species that is no longer struggling against nature. We have too much time on our hands.

 

Says every generation about the next.

 

Think I agree in part. Not sure we really have more free time. Even many kids have full calendars these days. But as a species, we definitely spend less time time outdoors in nature and less time doing manual tasks and more time readings emails and texts instead of interacting with people in person. I am not sure the human body or brain are meant for the amount of information we are receiving on a daily basis either. The collective level of stress seems higher for all age groups to me.

 

It calls to question the nature of the sampling from the study and the extent to which it may be generalized to the greater population.

 

Last night I gave a session for our student professional organization on facing anxiety and burnout - how to De-stress. I believe you have encapsulated a huge part of the issue related to mental health for youth, but also the true solution. It's near impossible for individuals to be helped if they are not willing to seek it out. I realize you may have been referring to spiritual salvation, but believe it applies widely.

I'm not that kind of doctor, but have had some experience working with young people and observing their challenges. Isolation and disengagement are major issues, largely due to the proliferation of virtual existence. Unfortunately, the kids who needed to hear the session probably were not present.

Two tips I suggested: 1) build and maintain your community of friends. They must depend upon each other for support. 2) prioritize.
I wanted to "encourage" them to stick to studying, practicing music, tending to projects, etc. but instead shared Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. The theory suggests that humans are incapable of growth/self-actualization until physiological and psychological needs are met.

 

Often your attempts at humor are successful. This one, not so much.

 

I chortled.

 

Naturally

 

I would posit that once you hit a certain awareness/intellectual level, and it’s not very high, you are naturally tormented.

Existential questions, survival of the fittest in a money grab society, etc.

If you think about life much at all, being depressed is unsurprising.

 

I bet sandermills has a subscription to cure us all.

 

There are legit reasons why strong people have mental health issues, whether younger or older. I know a lot of mentally tough combat veterans, parents, executives, etc... who are suffering right now.

 

Totally agree. A huge part of happiness is successfully distracting yourself from the unavoidable reality that eventually you and everyone you’ve ever loved will die. A lot of people cope with this inevitability with religion. Others do it by keeping themselves busy and focusing on details rather than dwelling on big picture existential concepts. It’s not always easy.