Sudan’s Catastrophic Situation

Today, youth are more connected than ever, yet they are suffering in silence. The World Health Organization tells us that mental health conditions among adolescents are the number one cause of disability. This brings to immediate light the very real and serious mental health crisis among our youth. This storm of poor mental health is hitting our young people as never before, with up to 30 percent of high school students reporting symptoms of depression and nearly 20 percent of recent college graduates admitting to having a mental illness.

The Destructive Effect of War

To really understand this epidemic, one needs to look at the intersection of two of the most pressing issues of our time—poor mental health and our digital addiction. Youth is experiencing an overwhelming mental health crisis, and the 2021 study published in JAMA Network Open provides staggering evidence. Nearly one in three high school students reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless. One-third. What does that even mean? The best I can figure, it means this: it’s more than just a youth mental health crisis; it brings us to the doorway of a perfect storm—a situation made up of several adverse conditions that result in one devastating effect.

Humanitarian Crisis and Displacement

At the helm of this perfect storm are the rising numbers of appearances (or at least, appearances made via social media) of young people living their “best life.” On the other hand, mental health issues among adolescents are more visible than ever because youth are reporting them, sometimes using “vibes” or just saying it flat out. To grasp the full extent of this problem, one needs to look at the many sides of mental health. Adolescence is a time when young people are figuring out who they are; it’s a time when relationships with peers are beginning to take shape and when emotional regulation is being fine-tuned.

Fighting for Survival in the Midst of Chaos

The introduction of social media into the lives of today’s youth has changed the very nature of these experiences—mostly for the worse. On social media, young people are comparing themselves not just to each other but to a never-ending parade of meticulously crafted online personas. Even though social media networks have put together a good sense of community for people, they are also responsible for unrealistic appearance, achievement, and happiness standards.

Public Health England put together a “Mental Health in a Digital Age” report that recommended a few key actions to improve users’ mental health. One of the report’s key findings is that “the digital world is harming young people’s mental health.” It isn’t just Instagram and Snapchat; seemingly harmless services like Facebook and Twitter are implicated. Why worry so much about these platforms when we have a multiplying number of services at our disposal? The Meri News annotation to this report suggests that the growing obsession with putting images of ourselves online for the world to see is partly to blame.

Access to mental health resources can be scant, even when young people actively seek help. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, only half of the young people with a mental health disorder are receiving treatment. They cite several reasons for the low percentage of young people getting help: the insufficient number of mental health professionals, an overall lack of resources, and the stigma that is attached to mental illnesses. Hearing someone talk about the mental health challenges they face can still be pretty uncommon. Changing the narrative around mental health is needed now more than ever.

Some might counter that the increased incidence of disclosed mental health problems is simply a function of greater community awareness and, therefore, a newfound willingness to talk about these formerly taboo subjects. Now that our mental health discussions have been liberated—thanks, in no small part, to some very brave individuals who have led the way—society is better off for it. But are we just better off in terms of public relations? Or does the data actually support the conclusion that our collective mental health is deteriorating?

The answer is the latter. And this applies to our nation’s young people in particular. Their mental health is a leading indicator of how our society is faring in a number of key respects—valued respects, signifying both our individual and collective parenting and mentorship. The youth mental health crisis is a multifaceted problem worsened by the digital age. Social media plays a big role. So does our lack of understanding of mental health and the resources that are supposed to be available but often aren’t. Cultural stigma is a huge part of this as well, and it’s hard to heal when you’re supposed to feel ashamed about what you’re going through. The only way we can tackle this as a society is to finally prioritize the well-being of our youth; have conversations that aren’t just lip service; and ensure that the resources necessary to maintain mental health—just as with physical health—are accessible and affordable.