From promises of grandeur to despicable nowhere near realities, a mix of confusing situations abound. Things that may induce mental problems in young adults today are so many, it is near impossible even for the most resolute to remain unscathed. Even those who remain to do so, overdo protection to a level that it becomes a pathology in itself New Delhi: Issues relating to mental health have slowly gained the prominence in our public discourse that they rightfully deserve.
Across all ages, problems that result from mental illnesses are now being recognised. They exist across all demographics, teens, older adults and young adults, no one seems safe. While many would assume, going by countless emo, punk and pop songs through the ages, that it is teens in their peak phases of rebellion which might be the most affected.
On the other hand, as poetry and literature have articulated since forever, it is those at the fag end of their lives whose burnt youth now flickers with melancholy and deep introspection. Recent scientific research though points to another demographic altogether. It is reportedly the young adults, transcending teens but unable to reach complete adulthood, that are most plagued by matters of the mind.
Currently this generation, around the world, is battling with wide ranging issues of even wider ranging influence, which makes them most susceptible to mental illnesses. Recent research points the way According to a Harvard Graduate School of Education survey on mental health in America, young adults are the ones most in crisis. Richard Weissbourd, who led the study in 2022, found that 36 per cent of participants ages 18 to 25 reported experiencing anxiety and 29 per cent reported experiencing depression.
This was about double the proportion of 14-to-17-year-olds on each measure. According to the study more than half of young adults were worried about money, felt that the pressure to achieve hurt their mental health, and believed that their lives lacked meaning or purpose. A 2023 Gallup poll also found that loneliness peaked at ages 18 to 29.
This is true not just for America but for India as well. A Lancet study in 2021 reported a 35 per cent rise in anxiety disorders in India during the pandemic. The study also found that women and younger people were impacted more by anxiety and depression, compared to men and senior citizens.
Similar findings were reported by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) data published in 2020. It said that around 9.3 per cent of India’s youth between the ages 18 to 24 years suffered from either anxiety or depression during the early days of the pandemic.
This number increased to 16.8 per cent by March 2022. Other corroborative studies also say similar things.
Depression rates are increasing among young people in India with prevalence rates ranging from 31 per cent to 57 per cent. UNICEF reported that one out of seven young people between the ages of 15 to 24 in India always feels depressed or has little interest in doing things. These numbers should induce grave fear and urgent redressal as India banks on its growth on its large population of young adults, one of the biggest in the world.
Their mental well-being is important and if such trends continue it could be detrimental to the country’s prosperity and the well-being of the citizens that would soon take command of its reigns. Young adults on a burner While these statistics might seem far-fetched or surprising to some, they reveal a lot about the current state of this generation’s young adults. It is not teen angst or elderly crises which warrant most mental stress, but it is in those that straddle the middle path.
This is more true today than ever before. A variety of factors can be attributed for this. From uncertainties around finance to marriage, there seems to be an unending amount of anxieties that plague young adults today.
One crisis after another, even for the most resolute ones, there seems no way out. A scene from the 1999 film ‘Fight Club’ perhaps encapsulates what many young adults of the current generation today feel, “We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won’t.
And we’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very, very pissed off.” From promises of grandeur to despicable nowhere near realities, a mix of confusing situations abound.
The alienation resulting from current corporate jobs in which many find themselves in, are not fulfilling either in terms of economics or aspirations. On the other hand, social obligations seem to be compounding with each passing day. Social media has people chasing more and more unattainable standards of beauty and lifestyle.
Achieving image projection and sustaining it is impossible. The virtual and real world have merged to a degree that satisfaction in any aspect of life is unattainable. A mix of all these confusing states; of finances, marriage, social hierarchies, personal freedom, artistic aspirations and familial responsibilities, are a mix that can cause a variety of mental distresses in anyone.
Especially those learning the ropes of adulthood, newly emerging from the safe haven of their teenage years of parental protection to independently manage the responsibilities the adult world throws at them. It is easy to become despondent seeing the state of things around us. It is not just personal crises, but the state of the world at large is also no better.
From the ever-worsening problem of climate change to ever-increasing regional conflicts globally, anxieties abound. It is difficult for someone even with minimal levels of awareness, both self and general, to not get introspective of the future. This has led many to seek help in different ways.
From therapy and self-medication, the rates of suicides and substance abuse are at unprecedented levels in young adults today, and it is not that difficult to understand this. In a world where people are aware of mental health issues then poses a double risk. For many, despondency surrounding their own states often puts them in a vulnerable position where even for minor issues they seek medication and therapy.
This then starts a cycle of mental trauma and relief that becomes unending. A middle way becomes difficult to reach. The variety of sensory stimulations we today possess also adds to the problem.
From states of quick, easily achievable euphoria to equally potent and abundantly found melancholy inducing situations in our vicinity, it is easy for anyone to become both over and under stimulated. With time, this gives rise to a variety of mental illnesses. The reasons that might induce states of varied mental problems in the current generation of young adults are so many that it is near impossible for anyone to remain unscathed from their terrors.
Even those who remain to do so, overdo protection from them to a level that it becomes a pathology in itself. In such an environment it is not difficult to imagine such statistics which proclaim the proclivity that the current crop of young adults has towards mental illnesses. Illnesses abound as do cures and neither awareness nor ignorance can protect one.
Fates still cannot be left to the vagaries of chance and it is imperative for the state and society as large to look at this problem with the seriousness it deserves. With time it will only become worse and to save the future of the country from this less understood ailment, we should act fast and in a wholesome manner before it is too late. (Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.
The opinions and facts in this article do not represent the stand of News9.).
