As you scroll through your social media sites, there are stories, posts and TikToks that either speak to mental health awareness and advocacy, or stand to make self-deprecating jokes about the state of the collective mental health of generation Z during these unfortunate circumstances. This article from Digiday goes so far as to call Gen Z “The Saddest Generation.” Aside from that, this article from Psychology Today reports that “rates of depression, anxiety, … and suicide attempts markedly increased [from 2007 to 2018], with rates doubling over the period in many cases.” This statement calls in a great question: Is Gen Z truly the most depressed generation of all time, or are we seeing higher numbers of reported cases as a result of being more open about mental health struggles?
A (Kind-Of) Very Brief Recap of the History of Mental Health
Mental health and mental disorders aren’t recent discoveries. From the beginning of recorded history, there have been reports of demonic possession or strange behaviors that have been modernly attributed to mental health disorders. In Babylon, there were incredibly well-kept, objective records about disorders and human behavior. In these records, it’s often been found that the events they describe can now be directly linked to psychiatric disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, depression and even epilepsy. Even though they maintained great records, they didn’t have the scientific knowledge that we do today and considered some of these illnesses as supernatural occurrences, as a result of an evil spirit or an angry deity enacting revenge.
In Ancient Greece and Rome, these issues were also widely attributed to the vengeance or actions of the gods. In the fifth century B.C., there began a new school of thought, one that began to see these illnesses as less to do with the Greek pantheon and more to do with an affliction of the mind. Hippocrates believed that mental disorders were no different than physical disorders and their origins were found in natural causes. This attitude was echoed by Plato, who considered the mentally ill to be a protected class of sorts — and advocated for social and familial responsibility when caring for a mentally ill person.
The progress in understanding mental illnesses set forth by Hippocrates was almost immediately reversed during the Middle Ages. The scientific basis in which Hippocrates held his beliefs were completely thrown out. Mental illness was once again seen as possession by the Devil or another demonic entity and was treated as such. This new wave of religious understanding ushered in an extensive use of exorcism, prayer, holy water and even flogging or solitary confinement as a way to rid the person of the so-believed “demonic entity” living inside them.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, the attitudes from the antiquity carried over, and mental illness became something very swept under the rug, or rather, thrown into a van and sent to an ‘insane asylum.’ If you’ve ever seen American Horror Story: Asylum, you’d be shocked to learn that the punishment doled out by Sister Jude and the treatment received by Lana Winters aren’t very far from the truth. In fact, the story behind Lana Winters’ character in AHS: Asylum is based on Nellie Bly, a journalist who sought to report the horrors found in a mental health institution and was forced to stay, without any formal causes. This article from Talkspace further outlines the history of inhumane treatment in mental health facilities.
Mental Health Today
It’s clear to see that mental health disorders have been prevalent for as long as humans have existed, but is Gen Z truly the afflicted by mental health concerns? While it is true that Gen Z reported the most mental health problems, it also comes hand-in-hand with other situations that are unique to Gen Z, such as an exponentially increased number of school shootings, which are considered to “define this generation.” Aside from this issue, there’s proof that supports that the only reason why mental illness rates seem to be so high is that around 37 percent of Gen Z’ers have reported getting counseling or mental health support. When compared to the ranges from 22 to 35 percent of other generations reporting getting these same services, it’s clear why Gen Z stands out. This generation is more willing to admit they are struggling with mental health issues, whereas other generations may still carry the stigmatized belief that there’s something wrong with people who have these conditions. Of course, when the statistics are put together in this manner it’s clear to see why Gen Z is considered the “most depressed;” they’re just willing to change the conversation around mental health and erase the stigma associated with mental illnesses. This article from the APA further solidifies the fact that, yes, Gen Z does have a higher reported mental illness rate, but only because of the candid nature of Gen Z when it comes to speaking about mental illness.
This precedent of being this powerful in advocacy and activism are echoed throughout social media, political platforms and even on the Florida State University campus. Although there is still work to be done, the so-called “most depressed” generation is taking strides to de-stigmatize and put mental health at the vanguard of society, to help humanity and themselves.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with mental health issues or other related issued, below is a list of resources that can help:
- National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
- Nacional de Prevención del Suicidio: 1-800- 628-9454
- Dating Abuse and Domestic Violence: 1-866-331-9474
- National Eating Disorder Association: 1-800-931-2237
- Crisis Support Text Line: Text SUPPORT to 741-741
- Sexual Assault/Abuse Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
- LGBTQ+ Youth Hotline: 1-866-488-7386
- Kid’s Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868
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