Youth mental health crisis

In their words

“Rates of autism, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and personality disorders are increasing significantly, and this is not just due to better recognition but a real rise in incidence.”

a Harvard Medical School psychiatrist specializing in metabolic psychiatry

• Without building healthy communities, social media and online mob culture will fill the void and promote chaos among youth.

  a media host and psychologist with a lapsed clinical license

• True depression is defined as a mismatch between your actual competence and your self-perceived competence, rather than simply having a terrible life situation.

  a clinical psychologist and Professor Emeritus of psychology

• Lower position in social hierarchy correlates with less serotonin production, leading to hypersensitivity to negative emotion and suppression of positive emotion, contributing to depression.

  a clinical psychologist and Professor Emeritus of psychology

• Clinical depression is distinguished from everyday sadness by the persistence and severity of symptoms without a clear external cause, typically lasting unrelentingly for a year or more.

  a Harvard Medical School psychiatrist specializing in metabolic psychiatry

• Social media has caused a sharp increase in anxiety, depression, and loneliness among youth, especially pre-teen girls, by rewiring childhood and replacing essential developmental activities with screen time.

  a social psychologist and NYU Stern professor

• The expert emphasizes the significant role of contagion in behaviors such as self-harm, comparing it to historical phenomena like dance plagues, suggesting awareness of social influence is crucial in understanding mental health trends.

  a social psychologist and NYU Stern professor

• Teenage girls are more prone to social contagion of anxiety and self-harm behaviors amplified by social media platforms that incentivize sharing extreme suffering and anxiety.

  a clinical psychologist and Professor Emeritus of psychology

• The expert asserts that clinicians must explain the biological and psychological changes at puberty that increase anxiety and depression in girls, including body image concerns, as foundational knowledge for any treatment or counseling.

  a clinical psychologist and Professor Emeritus of psychologysponsored

• Peterson emphasizes that susceptibility to peer pressure in adolescence is normative and necessary for socialization but can lead to problematic identity explorations if peer groups are maladaptive

  a clinical psychologist and Professor Emeritus of psychologysponsored

• He states that increased negative emotions and bodily discomfort during puberty are common and typically transient, and should be communicated to adolescents to reduce distress

  a clinical psychologist and Professor Emeritus of psychologysponsored

• Standing up against tyrannical authoritarianism like mask mandates and lockdowns is commendable, especially when it involves organizing walkouts and protests to restore freedoms.

  a clinical psychologist and Professor Emeritus of psychology

• Men's elevated suicide risk is tied to complex social, cultural, and individual factors including emotional suppression and lack of empathetic societal response, requiring collective community action to create bearable conditions for men in distress.

  the founder of ManTalks

• There is a significant empathy gap where society tends to see men as powerful and privileged rather than recognizing the ways men are harmed, which constrains compassion and understanding of male suicidal distress.

  the founder of ManTalks

• Understanding male suicide requires qualitative research involving direct dialogue with men experiencing suicidal ideation to capture their lived experiences and language, which is currently lacking.

  the founder of ManTalks

• Emotional suppression is a major contributing factor to increased suicide risk in men, as identified in 92% of studies reviewed.

  the founder of ManTalks

• The 20s are a transformative time for mental health with a typical low point but also a turning point where mental health trends upward as people gain more certainty and stability.

  a human connection specialistsponsored

• The prolonged uncertainty in the 20s about career, relationships, and identity creates significant mental health challenges because the brain dislikes uncertainty and lack of external and internal safety.

  a human connection specialistsponsored

• Struggles in the 20s such as loneliness, job uncertainty, and relationship challenges should be understood as normal responses to developmental challenges rather than immediately pathologized or medicated.

  a human connection specialistsponsored

• Depression is not a sign that something is wrong with you but a wise emotional response to your environment and life experiences, inviting you to learn from your feelings and make choices accordingly.

  a human connection specialist

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With care

Some of the minds attach conditions. These are worth reading before you begin.

• Rates of autism, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and personality disorders are increasing significantly, and this is not just due to better recognition but a real rise in incidence.

  a Harvard Medical School psychiatrist specializing in metabolic psychiatry

• Many young adults are breaking down mentally and are incapable of nurturing empathy, commitment, or putting aside selfish desires, indicating a crisis that demands immediate attention.

  a psychoanalyst and author of Being There

• Gen Z shows improvements in many self-destructive behaviors like lower teen pregnancy and less drinking, but their social isolation linked to heavy social media use may explain reduced social activities rather than wisdom alone.

  a social psychologist and NYU Stern professor

• Rising rates of suicide, anxiety, and depression are linked to systemic issues in organizational and social structures rather than solely social media, requiring systemic cultural change.

  a University of Toronto cognitive scientist

• Millennials generally have better mental health because they got smartphones and social media after puberty, unlike Gen Z who had it during puberty, correlating with higher anxiety and depression.

  a social psychologist and NYU Stern professor

• Therapy can be important and curative but treating kids who don't have severe problems exposes them to high risk of harm and iatrogenic effects, worsening mental health outcomes.

  a clinical psychologist and Professor Emeritus of psychologysponsored

• Girls experience sharper increases in internalizing disorders due to greater social connectedness, susceptibility to negative emotion, and social appearance pressures, while boys are more affected by video games and porn but show different mental health trajectories.

  a clinical psychologist and Professor Emeritus of psychology

• Depression is fundamentally a biochemical disorder but antidepressants alone will not fix a life that is catastrophically out of order.

  a clinical psychologist and Professor Emeritus of psychology

• Depression is fundamentally a biochemical disorder but antidepressants alone cannot fix life catastrophes; voluntary confrontation with problems through exposure therapy helps build resilience and bravery.

  a clinical psychologist and Professor Emeritus of psychologysponsored

• Depression is fundamentally a biochemical disorder but antidepressants alone cannot fix a life that is catastrophically out of order; unstable life circumstances reduce serotonin and increase sensitivity to negative emotions, so addressing life problems through exposure therapy and voluntary confrontation with chaos is essential.

  a clinical psychologist and Professor Emeritus of psychologysponsored

• Jordan Peterson highlights that gender identity questioning in early adolescence can be influenced by social pressures, trauma, and developmental challenges rather than being a straightforward biological reality

  a clinical psychologist and Professor Emeritus of psychologysponsored

• Peterson supports counseling that explores underlying trauma and social issues rather than affirming gender transition without thorough assessment

  a clinical psychologist and Professor Emeritus of psychologysponsored

• Depression is fundamentally a biochemical disorder influenced by life instability, and antidepressants alone cannot fix catastrophically disordered lives; exposure therapy and voluntary confrontation with adversity help build resilience.

  a clinical psychologist and Professor Emeritus of psychology

• Approximately 50 to 60% of liberal young women between 18 and 34 suffer from at least one diagnosable mental disorder, with a decline in self-reported happiness since the 1960s.

  a clinical psychologist and Professor Emeritus of psychology

• Current therapy often focuses heavily on talking about problems without providing direct guidance or actionable steps, which may be less effective for men who benefit from more directive approaches that help move from story to direct experience.

  the founder of ManTalks

• Technology is not villainized but should be used with choice and autonomy to transform lives while maintaining presence in real relationships.

  a human connection specialist

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