The mental health matters more and more. Beyond age and generations, we all face personal and collective challenges that are much more similar than we thought.
From the youngest who were born in the era of social networks, through Generation Z to the Baby Boomers, various age groups seek (and find) in therapy a space to address their deeper concernsranging from the anxiety management until adaptation to the life transitions.
What is the common theme? Everyone is struggling with their mental health and dealing with something that is bothering them.
According to a survey conducted by Gallupabout 25% of adults in the United States have gone to a psychologisttherapist or psychiatrist, which represents a 10% increase since 2004 in consultations.
As pointed out Israa NasirNew York-based psychotherapist and author of the book Toxic Productivity: Reclaim Your Time and Emotional Energy in a World That Always Demands Moreto Business Insider: “Every generation is really struggling to make sense of what their life should be like right now. What it looks like for different age groups is different.”
Millennials, the generation of those who are between 20 and 40 years old, live the pressure to equate the “perfection” seen on social networks with their reality. As he warns Jill Owen, a clinical psychologist in the United Kingdom, compare perfect lives with their own and “feel insecure.” But it doesn’t end there.
For the expert, this generation navigates parenthood while reflecting on parenting styles and how it could impact the health of their children, an aspect that was not addressed by parents of this age group.
“Millennials think more about how their upbringing affected them emotionally and how they can avoid harming their children,” Nasir explains.
Furthermore, millennials raise a crucial issue. If I don’t have property, I don’t have children, I don’t have a career and I chose a different path. How do you deal with societal expectations and choose to reach traditional milestones later?
In that sense, the reference of the mindfulness and meditation expert, Silvio Raijpointed out the reasons for frequent consultation in recent years in a note with Infobae: “I have a lot noise in my mind. My thoughts don’t stop. I don’t know what to do”. In turn, experts maintain that millennials are a generation that is willing to “look inward” to unravel family traumas from childhood or their relationship with their parents.
in a report prepared by the HLA Group, entitled: “How do different generations talk about mental health?”, concludes that 65% of the total volume of conversation on social networks on this topic was generated by millennials and generation Z.
According to the report, the most prominent topics that these generations publicly debate are mental health as a general concept, depression and deterioration of mental health; anxiety and stress; seeking professional help and support; ED, and the relationship between mental health and suicide.
Meanwhile, for those who are part of the so-called Generation ―people aged between 44 and 59 years―, the reasons for consulting with the therapist are diverse.
For example, dealing with financial responsibilities, care for older generations and the pressure of being community pillars, in the midst of a context of significant personal changes, and helping children with their mental health are some of the most frequent concerns of this group.
“It is a perfect storm of financial, emotional stress and time pressure,” Gallup defines in a report.
As required Georgina Sturmera UK-based counselor registered with the British Association for Counseling and Psychotherapy, see “tired, overwhelmed and stressed parents who are doing everything they can to help their children navigate mental health services, while also dealing with everything going on in their own lives.”
The expert, in turn, works mostly with womenthat is why he points out that all these pressures add to the menopause, which generates an additional emotional impact. Although it is generally believed that this natural period of life triggers changes in mood, and that alterations in female hormone levels contribute to anxiety, depression and stressnew research gives other answers.
According to a new study published by The Lancetsays some women are more at risk than others for mental health problems related to menopause, and many escape them altogether.
As for those between 60 and 78 years old – the Baby Boomers – they experience economic and emotional insecurities when facing changes in their life roles, demystifying the widespread perception of its stability and success. Rather, the concern is the relationship between retirement and identity.
“Retirement can bring with it a loss of identity, confidence and sense of purpose. Empty nest situations can have a similar impact,” Owen notes.
One of the most worrying issues occurs in the so-called Generation Alpha. Who are they? These are those born since 2010 who, even in their childhood, face particular mental health challenges.
According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost one in five children has a mental, emotional or behavioral disorder. The most frequent? He attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood, and anxiety They are the main ones.
According to Mayo Clinic experts, ADHD includes a combination of persistent problems, such as difficulty maintaining attention, hyperactivity, and impulsive behavior. This disorder affects millions of children around the world and can continue into adulthood.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there was an increase in ADHD diagnoses in children starting in 2003, and cases of anxiety also experienced an increase.
Between 2016 and 2019, More than 9% of children in the United States were diagnosed with anxietysince the pandemic and its consequences took their toll on those under 13 years of age.
Thai Alonsoa New Jersey-based clinical psychologist, tells Business Insider that “the most common concern among children in late elementary or middle school is conflict with their parents.”
Jonathan HaidtAmerican social psychologist and author of the book The Anxious Generation notes that children who were born in the era of smartphone They grew up and are the generation with the most mental health problems.
Haidt explains that the emergence of a “phone-centered childhood,” beginning in the late 2000s, marked a critical transition. This phenomenon, intensified by unprecedented access to high-speed internet and unlimited data plans, has significantly interfered with the social and emotional development of young people.
What are the reasons for consulting a psychologist by adolescents? The generation Zthose young people between 14 and 26 years old, focuses their concerns on the identity uncertaintiesrepeated thoughts about the body image and anxieties linked to the social acceptanceintensified by the dynamics of social networks.
“They are concerned with hierarchies and social dynamics, such as who is ‘cool’ and who is not, which can lead to distress and a feeling of not being good enough,” says Owen. A thinking mechanism about who is more popular or more attractive became worse with the use of platforms.
“Young people of Generation Z are developing their own sense of identityin the way they dress, talk and spend their time, essentially what it means to be ‘them,'” Owen adds, adding that among the concerns of becoming an adult are also the climate change and the global injustices.
