Why is mental health such a problem in young people?
Scroll to see replies
Original post by MissBravo
The country is great but the facts don't lie 'Britain amongst the most depressed and anxious countries in the world, search data suggests' - http://www.itv.com/news/2017-05-10/britain-is-the-seventh-most-depressed-country-in-the-world-search-data-suggests/
how is that even possible? england is such a amazing please
or maybe its just because I've never been to england...
Original post by Airmed
Yes, there is a pressure to be perfect, to be the best, and I guess that doesn't help our generation.
My issues stem from my upbringing and psychological issues, but I don't think personally society has ****ed me over.
My issues stem from my upbringing and psychological issues, but I don't think personally society has ****ed me over.
Perhaps society is not the correct word to use.
Maybe it's the way of living nowadays. Parents work more so devote less time towards their children.
As a result, children become hesitant to ask parents advice on even the simplest of issues.
Could a poor relationship with parents also be a cause?
Original post by Airmed
Yes, there is a pressure to be perfect, to be the best, and I guess that doesn't help our generation.
My issues stem from my upbringing and psychological issues, but I don't think personally society has ****ed me over.
My issues stem from my upbringing and psychological issues, but I don't think personally society has ****ed me over.
I can definitely back this. I think a lot of issues are personal or just a huge mix of things and not for sure social media.
This generation is one that faces a pretty bleak future. The first generation predicted to be worse off than their parents. Overeducated and underpaid. Knowing they have less career opportunities, knowing they are going to face the consequences of climate change, of global conflict, of growing up under the constant threat of terrorism and war and political turbulence. That isn't exactly going to produce a particularly upbeat group of people, is it? Personally, I think the increase in hedonistic behaviour in young people is a huge, flashing red warning sign that this isn't a happy generation. Feeling the need to go out drinking, taking drugs etc. is a form of escapism perpetuated by the work hard play hard mantra that encourages people to live in a cycle of draining themselves mentally for 5 or 6 days a week and then blowing off all that steam in one big release of energy that really isn't healthy for anyone. I don't think any of that attitude is the fault of young people themselves, it's a byproduct of our situation.
Increased devaluation of the things that have, in the past, provided other outlets for that energy is only going to make things worse. Keep cutting arts programs and telling kids they can't waste time on those 'soft' subjects that give them a chance to express themselves and all that is going to happen is that they become pent up with stress and have nowhere to send it. Ask any mental health professional what unreleased stress does to a persons mental health and they'll tell you it can lead to depression, anxiety, anorexia, and a plethora of other issues. We are in a society that puts 24/7 productivity over wellbeing. And some people are suited to that. And some people aren't. And that used to be perfectly fine, but increasingly it is being seen as unacceptable and kids know that from even as young as 6. At 6 kids shouldn't be worrying about whether or not they will get into a good university, but they are, and that's insane.
At the same time though, young people are learning to be far more empathetic and far less judgemental. Most of us seem to operate on the basis of 'as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else, do whatever you want and have fun with it', and that's something to be hopeful about, because we are actively trying to not put the next generation of kids in the same situation as us. So it isn't all doom and gloom, I guess.
Increased devaluation of the things that have, in the past, provided other outlets for that energy is only going to make things worse. Keep cutting arts programs and telling kids they can't waste time on those 'soft' subjects that give them a chance to express themselves and all that is going to happen is that they become pent up with stress and have nowhere to send it. Ask any mental health professional what unreleased stress does to a persons mental health and they'll tell you it can lead to depression, anxiety, anorexia, and a plethora of other issues. We are in a society that puts 24/7 productivity over wellbeing. And some people are suited to that. And some people aren't. And that used to be perfectly fine, but increasingly it is being seen as unacceptable and kids know that from even as young as 6. At 6 kids shouldn't be worrying about whether or not they will get into a good university, but they are, and that's insane.
At the same time though, young people are learning to be far more empathetic and far less judgemental. Most of us seem to operate on the basis of 'as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else, do whatever you want and have fun with it', and that's something to be hopeful about, because we are actively trying to not put the next generation of kids in the same situation as us. So it isn't all doom and gloom, I guess.
Original post by MissBravo
I can definitely back this. I think a lot of issues are personal or just a huge mix of things and not for sure social media.
Do you think it's due to a child's poor relationship with their parents, seeing as parents nowadays work more and devote less time toward their children?
Original post by jasminev
how is that even possible? england is such a amazing please or maybe its just because I've never been to england...
or maybe its just because I've never been to england...All great places have a downfall somewhere, no place nor person are perfect.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by SGHD26716
Perhaps society is not the correct word to use.
Maybe it's the way of living nowadays. Parents work more so devote less time towards their children.
As a result, children become hesitant to ask parents advice on even the simplest of issues.
Could a poor relationship with parents also be a cause?
Maybe it's the way of living nowadays. Parents work more so devote less time towards their children.
As a result, children become hesitant to ask parents advice on even the simplest of issues.
Could a poor relationship with parents also be a cause?
A poor relationship, yes. But they don't exist simply because parents work more. There are other reasons too. Like divorce for example. I've not seen my mother since 2003, we have no relationship at all. She simply dropped off the face of the earth after my parents divorced, so we were raised by my daddy.
Original post by jasminev
how is that even possible? england is such a amazing please or maybe its just because I've never been to england...
or maybe its just because I've never been to england...England is not amazing. No country is 'amazing'. Every country has their problems, every person has their problems.
Original post by SGHD26716
Perhaps society is not the correct word to use.
Maybe it's the way of living nowadays. Parents work more so devote less time towards their children.
As a result, children become hesitant to ask parents advice on even the simplest of issues.
Could a poor relationship with parents also be a cause?
Maybe it's the way of living nowadays. Parents work more so devote less time towards their children.
As a result, children become hesitant to ask parents advice on even the simplest of issues.
Could a poor relationship with parents also be a cause?
A poor relationship with my parents is the root cause of my issues. But it's not just the relationship, it's the things I've heard and witnessed whilst I was growing up. I wouldn't say this is the norm though, I think it is possible to be a good parent whilst having a busy worklife, many of my friends have achieved this anyway.
Whilst my mental health problems do come for the past, individual aspects of it are triggered by different parts on lofe, one of them being social media. I've got rid of all social media except WhatsApp and TSR and I feel so much better without them. Granted barely anyone talks to me now but I take that as a sign of who is going to be in my life in the future and who probably won't.
Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by Airmed
A poor relationship, yes. But they don't exist simply because parents work more. There are other reasons too. Like divorce for example. I've not seen my mother since 2003, we have no relationship at all. She simply dropped off the face of the earth after my parents divorced, so we were raised by my daddy.
I'm sorry about your relationship with your mother.
I agree with you though. I think there needs to be a balance
Original post by Moonstruck16
A poor relationship with my parents is the root cause of my issues. But it's not just the relationship, it's the things I've heard and witnessed whilst I was growing up. I wouldn't say this is the norm though, I think it is possible to be a good parent whilst having a busy worklife, many of my friends have achieved this anyway.
Whilst my mental health problems do come for the past, individual aspects of it are triggered by different parts on lofe, one of them being social media. I've got rid of all social media except WhatsApp and TSR and I feel so much better without them. Granted barely anyone talks to me now but I take that as a sign of who is going to be in my life in the future and who probably won't.
Posted from TSR Mobile
Whilst my mental health problems do come for the past, individual aspects of it are triggered by different parts on lofe, one of them being social media. I've got rid of all social media except WhatsApp and TSR and I feel so much better without them. Granted barely anyone talks to me now but I take that as a sign of who is going to be in my life in the future and who probably won't.
Posted from TSR Mobile
One of the reasons I asked this question was because of the amount of users on this site who admit to being depressed or not happy in their lives. I'm shocked at the amount of people who actually are suffering.
I can't really relate to the social media thing because I don't have any.
Original post by SGHD26716
Do you think it's due to a child's poor relationship with their parents, seeing as parents nowadays work more and devote less time toward their children?
I don't think one thing is to blame. But after dealing with my mum and dad breaking up and court battles from like age 11 and being bullied from like 6 to 11, it really strains your mental health. Though I've been through some s**t i wouldn't change it as i wouldn't be the same person, but it's really sad to hear how many people can relate as it shouldn't be normal.
Original post by MissBravo
I don't think one thing is to blame. But after dealing with my mum and dad breaking up and court battles from like age 11 and being bullied from like 6 to 11, it really strains your mental health. Though I've been through some s**t i wouldn't change it as i wouldn't be the same person, but it's really sad to hear how many people can relate as it shouldn't be normal.
I'm not saying it is just one thing. I think it's an overload of everything from divorces of parents to exam pressure to social media.
It's strange though that it's all come about at once.
Various factors, but some that come to mind for me are:
Stress of exams, school etc. I remember being told with every set of exams (even SATs) that it was the most important thing in my life and would affect everything. That's a lot of pressure to put on a kid who can't even buy a goldfish!
Poor home life, abuse, bullying etc: Young people are vulnerable and don't have a whole lot of independence. Home and school each account for like 50% of their lives so any issues at either are going to have a big impact.
"You're only young"- this is something I have heard with both physical and mental health conditions and is very painful to hear. It's making the assumption that because you are young your life must be wonderful and you couldn't possibly have any problems. It's also why growing mh issues in young people often go unnoticed until they are serious. Young people often rely on parents to take them to a dr (or tell them when it's appropriate) so if a parent doesn't understand that they are struggling they will often go un-helped until late stages.
And unfortunately, young people often care a lot about what parents think so will test the waters before bringing something up with parents. If teachers, peers and the general public are dismissive of their issues they will be unlikely to open up to parents, even if they would actually be supportive. And obviously parents often don't understand the extent of mh issues either.
Bottling it up- similar to above really. Young people often don't realise that they have an actual issue for a long time. They may think it's puberty or just normal adult stresses and won't want to be seen as weak so bottle it up. Bottling up mh issues just means they fester and get worse. A bit of exam stress can turn into being suicidal in a really short time if situations are right.
Being old and young: You have pressures from adult life along with restrictions from childhood. You're expected to know what direction to take your life in with no experience. You're expected to be a mature person while your parents still cook your food. It's an awkward position to be in.
Trauma- This applies to adults too, but young people often haven't experienced much trauma before and don't necessarily know how to cope with it. This can be made even worse by adults wanting to protect kids and not having serious conversations. That and trauma is just plain... well traumatic and can trigger mh issues in the best of people.
In my case, my depression and OCD developed from a "perfect storm" of stress. Unknown health issues meaning I was overexerting myself, multiple people I was close to dying, GCSEs along with a countdown timer to exams and constant pressure from school, undiagnosed LDs meaning work suddenly became harder (when independent learning became important) etc etc. That wasn't helped when I eventually built the courage to talk to a counsellor about my concerns. They instantly shot me down saying I didn't have OCD without even asking why I though I might. A few months and some difficult thoughts later I decided I should see a doctor and was diagnosed with depression and OCD.
Basically I was worn down by various things and didn't get any support until it had already developed significantly.
Edit: I would also think that one reason for the statistical increase is more people being diagnosed. There were probably a lot of people in earlier times who went undiagnosed due to less understanding of mh issues.
Stress of exams, school etc. I remember being told with every set of exams (even SATs) that it was the most important thing in my life and would affect everything. That's a lot of pressure to put on a kid who can't even buy a goldfish!
Poor home life, abuse, bullying etc: Young people are vulnerable and don't have a whole lot of independence. Home and school each account for like 50% of their lives so any issues at either are going to have a big impact.
"You're only young"- this is something I have heard with both physical and mental health conditions and is very painful to hear. It's making the assumption that because you are young your life must be wonderful and you couldn't possibly have any problems. It's also why growing mh issues in young people often go unnoticed until they are serious. Young people often rely on parents to take them to a dr (or tell them when it's appropriate) so if a parent doesn't understand that they are struggling they will often go un-helped until late stages.
And unfortunately, young people often care a lot about what parents think so will test the waters before bringing something up with parents. If teachers, peers and the general public are dismissive of their issues they will be unlikely to open up to parents, even if they would actually be supportive. And obviously parents often don't understand the extent of mh issues either.
Bottling it up- similar to above really. Young people often don't realise that they have an actual issue for a long time. They may think it's puberty or just normal adult stresses and won't want to be seen as weak so bottle it up. Bottling up mh issues just means they fester and get worse. A bit of exam stress can turn into being suicidal in a really short time if situations are right.
Being old and young: You have pressures from adult life along with restrictions from childhood. You're expected to know what direction to take your life in with no experience. You're expected to be a mature person while your parents still cook your food. It's an awkward position to be in.
Trauma- This applies to adults too, but young people often haven't experienced much trauma before and don't necessarily know how to cope with it. This can be made even worse by adults wanting to protect kids and not having serious conversations. That and trauma is just plain... well traumatic and can trigger mh issues in the best of people.
In my case, my depression and OCD developed from a "perfect storm" of stress. Unknown health issues meaning I was overexerting myself, multiple people I was close to dying, GCSEs along with a countdown timer to exams and constant pressure from school, undiagnosed LDs meaning work suddenly became harder (when independent learning became important) etc etc. That wasn't helped when I eventually built the courage to talk to a counsellor about my concerns. They instantly shot me down saying I didn't have OCD without even asking why I though I might. A few months and some difficult thoughts later I decided I should see a doctor and was diagnosed with depression and OCD.
Basically I was worn down by various things and didn't get any support until it had already developed significantly.
Edit: I would also think that one reason for the statistical increase is more people being diagnosed. There were probably a lot of people in earlier times who went undiagnosed due to less understanding of mh issues.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by SGHD26716
One of the reasons I asked this question was because of the amount of users on this site who admit to being depressed or not happy in their lives. I'm shocked at the amount of people who actually are suffering.
I can't really relate to the social media thing because I don't have any.
I can't really relate to the social media thing because I don't have any.
My father is a narcissist and I haven't seen my mother since I was 18 - no idea where she is. I'm pretty miserable when I'm away from university but I can't really change anything now, not before I graduate. Hopefully, this will be my last summer holiday at home.
Consider yourself very lucky.
Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by SGHD26716
I'm not saying it is just one thing. I think it's an overload of everything from divorces of parents to exam pressure to social media.
It's strange though that it's all come about at once.
It's strange though that it's all come about at once.
i get what you're saying and do agree its an overload of everything.
Personally i think it's because we don't talk about it and we're scared to. So we just build and build on the rubbish feelings until we can't take it anymore.
Unfortunately I've got more than enough friends who don't speak to people who can help them, personally i would be so scared to tell my mum as i would feel and do feel ashamed. One of my closest friends is an online friend as i feel like i can trust them and only tell them things really and some close friends. Like i said previously the negative stigma and labels don'y help people talk.
Original post by Moonstruck16
My father is a narcissist and I haven't seen my mother since I was 18 - no idea where she is. I'm pretty miserable when I'm away from university but I can't really change anything now, not before I graduate. Hopefully, this will be my last summer holiday at home.
Consider yourself very lucky.
Posted from TSR Mobile
Consider yourself very lucky.
Posted from TSR Mobile
Unfortunately I can't do anything for you but wish you the best for the future. Good luck.
Original post by Kindred
Various factors, but some that come to mind for me are:
Stress of exams, school etc. I remember being told with every set of exams (even SATs) that it was the most important thing in my life and would affect everything. That's a lot of pressure to put on a kid who can't even buy a goldfish!
Poor home life, abuse, bullying etc: Young people are vulnerable and don't have a whole lot of independence. Home and school each account for like 50% of their lives so any issues at either are going to have a big impact.
"You're only young"- this is something I have heard with both physical and mental health conditions and is very painful to hear. It's making the assumption that because you are young your life must be wonderful and you couldn't possibly have any problems. It's also why growing mh issues in young people often go unnoticed until they are serious. Young people often rely on parents to take them to a dr (or tell them when it's appropriate) so if a parent doesn't understand that they are struggling they will often go un-helped until late stages.
And unfortunately, young people often care a lot about what parents think so will test the waters before bringing something up with parents. If teachers, peers and the general public are dismissive of their issues they will be unlikely to open up to parents, even if they would actually be supportive. And obviously parents often don't understand the extent of mh issues either.
Bottling it up- similar to above really. Young people often don't realise that they have an actual issue for a long time. They may think it's puberty or just normal adult stresses and won't want to be seen as weak so bottle it up. Bottling up mh issues just means they fester and get worse. A bit of exam stress can turn into being suicidal in a really short time if situations are right.
Being old and young: You have pressures from adult life along with restrictions from childhood. You're expected to know what direction to take your life in with no experience. You're expected to be a mature person while your parents still cook your food. It's an awkward position to be in.
Trauma- This applies to adults too, but young people often haven't experienced much trauma before and don't necessarily know how to cope with it. This can be made even worse by adults wanting to protect kids and not having serious conversations. That and trauma is just plain... well traumatic and can trigger mh issues in the best of people.
In my case, my depression and OCD developed from a "perfect storm" of stress. Unknown health issues meaning I was overexerting myself, multiple people I was close to dying, GCSEs along with a countdown timer to exams and constant pressure from school, undiagnosed LDs meaning work suddenly became harder (when independent learning became important) etc etc. That wasn't helped when I eventually built the courage to talk to a counsellor about my concerns. They instantly shot me down saying I didn't have OCD without even asking why I though I might. A few months and some difficult thoughts later I decided I should see a doctor and was diagnosed with depression and OCD.
Basically I was worn down by various things and didn't get any support until it had already developed significantly.
Stress of exams, school etc. I remember being told with every set of exams (even SATs) that it was the most important thing in my life and would affect everything. That's a lot of pressure to put on a kid who can't even buy a goldfish!
Poor home life, abuse, bullying etc: Young people are vulnerable and don't have a whole lot of independence. Home and school each account for like 50% of their lives so any issues at either are going to have a big impact.
"You're only young"- this is something I have heard with both physical and mental health conditions and is very painful to hear. It's making the assumption that because you are young your life must be wonderful and you couldn't possibly have any problems. It's also why growing mh issues in young people often go unnoticed until they are serious. Young people often rely on parents to take them to a dr (or tell them when it's appropriate) so if a parent doesn't understand that they are struggling they will often go un-helped until late stages.
And unfortunately, young people often care a lot about what parents think so will test the waters before bringing something up with parents. If teachers, peers and the general public are dismissive of their issues they will be unlikely to open up to parents, even if they would actually be supportive. And obviously parents often don't understand the extent of mh issues either.
Bottling it up- similar to above really. Young people often don't realise that they have an actual issue for a long time. They may think it's puberty or just normal adult stresses and won't want to be seen as weak so bottle it up. Bottling up mh issues just means they fester and get worse. A bit of exam stress can turn into being suicidal in a really short time if situations are right.
Being old and young: You have pressures from adult life along with restrictions from childhood. You're expected to know what direction to take your life in with no experience. You're expected to be a mature person while your parents still cook your food. It's an awkward position to be in.
Trauma- This applies to adults too, but young people often haven't experienced much trauma before and don't necessarily know how to cope with it. This can be made even worse by adults wanting to protect kids and not having serious conversations. That and trauma is just plain... well traumatic and can trigger mh issues in the best of people.
In my case, my depression and OCD developed from a "perfect storm" of stress. Unknown health issues meaning I was overexerting myself, multiple people I was close to dying, GCSEs along with a countdown timer to exams and constant pressure from school, undiagnosed LDs meaning work suddenly became harder (when independent learning became important) etc etc. That wasn't helped when I eventually built the courage to talk to a counsellor about my concerns. They instantly shot me down saying I didn't have OCD without even asking why I though I might. A few months and some difficult thoughts later I decided I should see a doctor and was diagnosed with depression and OCD.
Basically I was worn down by various things and didn't get any support until it had already developed significantly.
Personally i hate it when people minimize peoples problems "oh you're only 17 you haven't seen the world" it make you feel so small and as if you don't matter. You make some great points.
If i were to advice parents id tell them to not make their kids problems seem small because to the kid or whoever at the time they are huge.
Original post by MissBravo
i get what you're saying and do agree its an overload of everything.
Personally i think it's because we don't talk about it and we're scared to. So we just build and build on the rubbish feelings until we can't take it anymore.
Unfortunately I've got more than enough friends who don't speak to people who can help them, personally i would be so scared to tell my mum as i would feel and do feel ashamed. One of my closest friends is an online friend as i feel like i can trust them and only tell them things really and some close friends. Like i said previously the negative stigma and labels don'y help people talk.
Personally i think it's because we don't talk about it and we're scared to. So we just build and build on the rubbish feelings until we can't take it anymore.
Unfortunately I've got more than enough friends who don't speak to people who can help them, personally i would be so scared to tell my mum as i would feel and do feel ashamed. One of my closest friends is an online friend as i feel like i can trust them and only tell them things really and some close friends. Like i said previously the negative stigma and labels don'y help people talk.
Still an unbelievable number though. 1 in 5 adolescents.
If that was for a physical disease, there would be an outrage.
Quick Reply
Latest
Last reply 2 minutes ago
Official University of Edinburgh Applicant Thread for 2024Last reply 2 minutes ago
Official London School of Economics and Political Science 2024 Applicant ThreadLast reply 3 minutes ago
Official: University of St Andrews A100 Offer Holders 2024 entryLast reply 9 minutes ago
Why is the political left now censorious and authoritarian??Last reply 9 minutes ago
Is anyone else more aroused/turned on when having to pee really badly?Last reply 10 minutes ago
Official UCL Offer Holders Thread for 2024 entryLast reply 10 minutes ago
LSE Economic history departmentLast reply 10 minutes ago
National Probation ServiceLast reply 11 minutes ago
Best university to study Film studies/production?Last reply 12 minutes ago
Official Dental Hygiene and Therapy (Oral Health Science) 2024 Entry ThreadDentistry
2916
Last reply 12 minutes ago
National Audit Office Apprenticeship 2024Last reply 14 minutes ago
Amazon Project management apprenticeship 2024
