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What's with all the anxiety in today's youth?


"Endless scrolls and an ever-present, triggering, red circle tucked into the corners of six or more apps sends young hands frantically reaching with Pavlovian urgency just to check: who liked, commented, shared or unfollowed."
 
Certainly not to diminish the issues and pressures this generation is facing, but they are not unique. My dad hit the working world in the middle of the Great Depression (~30% unemployment) then WWII. My generation watched as two paranoid and bellicose nuclear powers squared off at each like alley cats.

I get that employment prospects are better in large urban areas for young people, but it often comes with a high cost of living. Although it wasn't raised in the article, I understand when folks want to stay or migrate there, but when I hear statements that they will absolutely refuse to leave or consider employment elsewhere, based solely on things like friends, family |(requirements of elder care aside), the 'social life', etc. they start to lose me. My first real job took me two hours away, then 20, then 10. A friend's son just graduated university and went to Halifax because that's where the work was. Some on here have done much more including internationally. Generations before us travelled thousands of miles in an era of no social safety nets and little in the way of labour laws. This is most connected generation; we had to stay in touch via an expensive long distance phone call or a mailed letter. Great if you carve a fulfilling and adequate life in the city, but friends, bars and clubs won't pay the bills.
 

"Endless scrolls and an ever-present, triggering, red circle tucked into the corners of six or more apps sends young hands frantically reaching with Pavlovian urgency just to check: who liked, commented, shared or unfollowed."
The article also failed to mention anxiety and depression caused by losing in online video games or from reading comments in the more youth-oriented social media sites like Reddit (and both can get very toxic very quickly as well).

Here is a relevant Wikipedia article about this phenomenon
 
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The article also failed to mention anxiety and depression caused by losing in online video games or from reading comments in the more youth-oriented social media sites like Reddit (and both can get very toxic very quickly as well).

Here is a relevant Wikipedia article about this phenomenon
I’ve never played an online video game. The only console we have is the Wii. My teenage daughters still play bowling, etc.

I‘m so grateful I grew up in that period starting with no computers, to the first Commodore Pets, Vic-20, C-64 and the first PCs, with no internet until I was about 25. Yes, we has BBS on my Commodores through the old handshake modem, but that’s different. I never knew the need for social media and peer acceptance nor instant gratification. I remember waiting for 20 mins to load cassette based games on my Commodore 128. I think my bridging these three periods gives me some resistance to the social anxiety we see today. But then again, my teen kids don’t seem anxious about anything, so maybe there’s something in the water.
 
I would say lack of purpose, lack of responsibility and kids never dealing with any failure and how to deal with it.

I see how many of my relatives raise their kids and they raise them in such a bubble of never facing any hardship or adversity, of course when they get older they are unable to deal with any hardship.

I would say I was a spoiled kid but not much so, but lets i did not grow up till i was 20.
 
Our 15 year old is often on his PS4 chatting with friends and our 10 year old plays Roblox all the time and video chats with her friends too. I am pretty good with technology, but I don't understand how consoles work or what a Roblox is. The 10 year old has always been more anxious then her older brother, but it could just be the whole middle child thing.
 
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While I agree that excessive anxiety is a problem I still maintain that it is not well understood or thoughtfully interpreted

I feel anxiety is a fundamental component of decision-making which lies at the core of what it means to be alive. More specifically to humans it is at the core of consciousness and awareness. I suspect increasingly that excessive awareness of the universe is debilitating and so much of human behaviour revolves around blunting this force with actions and systems of belief constructed to defend the minds competency. Some of this is biologically programmed and some of it is learned. Minds are organically grown and have different strengths and weaknesses. Anxiety is an imbalance but it’s insufficient to judge such an imbalance as good or bad. It could as easily signify a deficiency in awareness as a failure of the mind to control response to awareness.
 
While I agree that excessive anxiety is a problem I still maintain that it is not well understood or thoughtfully interpreted

I feel anxiety is a fundamental component of decision-making which lies at the core of what it means to be alive. More specifically to humans it is at the core of consciousness and awareness. I suspect increasingly that excessive awareness of the universe is debilitating and so much of human behaviour revolves around blunting this force with actions and systems of belief constructed to defend the minds competency. Some of this is biologically programmed and some of it is learned. Minds are organically grown and have different strengths and weaknesses. Anxiety is an imbalance but it’s insufficient to judge such an imbalance as good or bad. It could as easily signify a deficiency in awareness as a failure of the mind to control response to awareness.


Anxiety is actually an adrenal response and is therefore quite unhealthy in any chronic amount.

Happy (non-anxious!) new year/decade!
 
So I read the article.

I'm irritated with sloppy journalism, what else is new?

I see a stat that mental health visits at one university's mental health centre have risen 35% in recent years..........

How much has enrollment risen?

Can we first get an accurate benchmark please?

Second, I don't doubt visits have risen, but I'd also like to know what percentage of that is reasonably attributable to greater acceptance of admitting to mental health problems and being willing to seek out help.

Is the 35% evenly distributed even at U of T? Does it apply equally to all mental health disorders/symptoms or merely anxiety?

What of other institutions, I'd like to see a larger sample group. U of T was a great university when I attended, and likely the premier one here in Ontario; but it has continued to rise since that time; and with a higher percentage of students graduating HS and applying to post-secondary is this partly a function of a greater number of students entering a top-tier institution under-prepared?

None of which is to suggest this isn't a real problem; but the article does little to provide benchmarks against which to gauge.

The one exception to this may be the CAMH stat which suggests a 15% rise since 2013 in anxiety among youth.

But the first thing I then note is how much lower that is than the 35% increase reported at U of T in counseling requests.

If that suggests that willingness to report need and seek-out help has grown; then perhaps that also accounts for a portion of the 15%?

I really can't speak to the issue of how much more/less this is an issue as its not my field of expertise, nor is it one I have researched on my own time.

Though, in purely anecdotal terms, My 15-year old niece gives me no indication in her own life or that of her school mates that is a particularly top-of-mind issue.

Sure, she's very concerned about climate change, and a possible teacher's strike among other matters, but I wouldn't say in an inordinate or irrational way that would give me cause for concern.

****

Helicopter parents may well be a concern, though hardly a new one; this has been an issue going back at least 2 decades if not more.

Social media certainly has its perils; and I do think it dominates social contact more than it ought among younger generations.

That said; I'm not sure I see that as directly correlative to anxiety issues and would want to see further research to support that.
 
Well, I think the major issue is that a young person not taught today how to put their lives in order, they are pushed by celebrities, professors and twitter personalities that they must go change the world.

When you are 18 you should focus on getting your life in order, getting a good education, having life goals and being to be a benefit to yourself, then your family and friends and then one can become a positive force in society.


Not focusing on how to radically reshape the economic system based on your limited understanding of the world at 18.

So i think that is the issue is that many people are being pressured to solve the world's problems when they have no goals, no career, no basis of personal value and success.

Then a person is like "my life sucks and the world sucks ahhh"



I know that sounds a bit selfish as I am saying one should put themselves first then the world, but well idk lol XD
 
Sunrise, I wasn’t speaking to the internal mechanics of the body. We all want our children to be balanced well centred people but it’s also likely that almost nothing interesting about humans happens because of well balanced centred people. Being unbalanced is a behavioural strategy but it’s risky (and therefore also potentially rewarding) to operate at the boundary without going over the edge.

Although not knowing anything about adrenal function you peeked my curiosity: in what ways is excessive adrenal response bad for your health?
 
Hey, I understand.....I'm quite unbalanced myself in a lot of ways. :)

Adrenal response causes inflammation, for starters. Inflammation is unhealthy for affected cells leading to cell damage which can lead to cell death or cancer and is a major bummer. Or, never mind the worst case....it can lead to chronic pain or immune system suppression.
 
When it comes to dealing with the future, I think the boys have it worse.


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I trick-or-treated, played Barbies (okay, Cabbage Patch Dolls - I wasn't much of a Barbie kind of girl), went to Brownies/Guides, etc...
Apparently we can’t call them Brownies any longer.


I went to Beavers. I don’t think anyone‘s complained about the name being misconstrued.


Mind you the Golliwog I had as a young lad in England would probably put today’s parent in front of the HRC.
 

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