Are we dealing with the youth mental health crisis wrong?…

Report shows global trends in economy, climate and technology affecting young adults, recommends reform of how care is handled Mental healthAs well as the need to focus together on environmental, social, economic and political changes

For example, the newspaper said,New York TimesIn a report translated by “Arabi 21,” Chloe Johnson, 22, has been feeling hopeless lately as she struggles to focus on classes at a local community college in Dallas, while ‘ where she also works full time, earning $18 an hour as a receptionist, according to a report in the newspaper “The New York Times” by journalist Christina Caron.

Her car broke down, so the $500 she was able to save now goes to a down payment on a used car. It was recently given away for promotion.

“Right now, I feel so overwhelmed to be in this situation. I’m not making any progress or progress,” said Johnson, who was diagnosed last year with bipolar II disorder, depression and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

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It’s an endless cycle: Johnson’s mental health declined as her financial problems grew, in part because of the cost of mental health treatment but also because her disorders made it difficult for her to get a college degree get that could lead to better work.

“I failed several classes. I burn out easily, so I gave up,” she said.

The mental health of teenagers and young adults has declined, in part due to “harmful megatrends” such as financial inequality, according to a new report published Tuesday in the scientific journal The Lancet Psychiatry. Global trends affecting younger generations also include wage theft by employers, unregulated social media, job insecurity and climate change, all of which create “immediate and a bleak future for young people in many countries,” according to the authors.

The report was prepared over five years by a committee of more than 50 people, including mental health and economic policy experts from several continents and young people who have suffered from mental illness.

The authors argue that mental health is not just an individual issue that needs to be dealt with after someone is ill; It is also necessary to focus together on the environmental, social, economic, political and technological changes that contribute to mental distress.

Although the “megatrends” mentioned in the report have been around for decades, the authors say they have gotten worse.

“We need to invest rapidly in early intervention” as well as new treatments and new ways of caring for people, said Dr. Patrick McGorry, lead author of the report and an Australian psychiatrist. If young people die, rely on benefits or even just underperform in large numbers, social cohesion and productivity are seriously affected.

Although research and public discourse tend to focus on the potential negative effects of social media and children’s screen time, the report’s authors emphasized that economic factors can play a large role and environment in the decline in young people’s mental health.

According to the Lancet Commission, economic trends in the last two decades have contributed to problems such as rising student debt, wealth differences between older and younger generations and difficulty finding and keeping work.

Young people like Chloe Johnson reported higher levels of stress than older generations, according to a 2023 study by the American Psychological Association. The study found that people between the ages of 18 and 34 are more likely than older people to report that they are “spent”. with their concerns.

Concern about climate is also becoming a more common complaint. Online searches for topics related to climate concern have increased. Professionals have created peer support groups, an online directory of therapists interested in climate, and certificate programs in climate psychology.

Michael, 38, who will use his middle name to protect his privacy, said his concern for the state of the environment began in his early 30s, and has been treated sought since then.

“It’s like we don’t care about the world around us,” said Michael, who lives in Baltimore. Little things, like seeing fleets of trucks delivering things to people’s homes or littering waterways, make him feel angry or fearful about the future. He said, “It is very difficult to deal with an irresponsible separation.”

The committee’s decision to focus on societal changes that contribute to mental health problems marks a paradigm shift in the field, said Dr. Lisa Fortuna, chair of the American Association for Child, Adolescent and Family Psychiatry’s Council.

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Dr Fortuna, who was not part of the Lancet commission, said that while it is important to ensure that one’s mental health needs are met, psychiatrists and other mental health practitioners are increasingly recognizing its importance. step back to consider the wider problems that affect people. , including: Racism, income inequality and barriers to accessing mental health services.

The new report makes a number of recommendations, including additional public funding for youth mental health, better housing and rent affordability, and educational opportunities. The authors also emphasized the need to provide continuity of mental health care between the ages of 12 to 25 years, with patients transitioning to adult services when they reach the age of 18 years.

“They were 17 years old yesterday,” said Dr. Fortuna, “They are 18 years old today, but they are not very different.” She said it is a “very sensitive age” and that teenagers can benefit from committing to a health provider who has a deep understanding of this stage of development.

Other priorities include the need to develop mental health services that are sensitive to the cultural identity of the client, and to require young people who have experienced mental illness to partner with organizations that aiming to help them.

Dr McGorry said the data clearly pointed to “an increasingly sick society. No one can claim to be in the dark anymore.”