social media and smartphones often cops the blame for an increase in youth mental health issues but the reality is not so simple.
We are in the middle of a mental health crisis.
Two new studies show that Americans are more worried about their mental health than their physical health.
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In the UK, research by King's College London found people of all ages agree that young people are struggling with their mental health, with parents blaming the COVID pandemic. In Australia, mental health services are in a 'constant state of crisis'.
The trend has been around for some time, however, with significant increases in mental ill-health over the past two decades.
In Australia, these spikes in psychological distress (a general indicator of mental ill-health) are driven by «millennials» and «Gen-Zs».
The most recent Australian data shows that 40 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds (Gen Z) experienced a mental disorder in the preceding 12 months, an increase from 26 per cent in 2007.
This rise in distress among young people has parents, policymakers and researchers concerned, and young people themselves list mental health as one of their top three personal concerns.
While there isn't nationwide data in younger adolescents, a three-state survey of 6,639