• Home
    • About
    • History
    • Staff Directory
  • APPLY
    • Why Campion?
    • Academy Days
    • Apply Now
    • Campus Tours
    • Campion National Statistics
    • Enrollment Forms
    • Homeschool Students
    • International Student Application
    • Request Information
    • Returning Students
  • Finance
    • Tuition & Fees
    • Scholarships & Financial Aid
    • Student Employment
    • Pay Bill Online
  • Academics
    • Agriculture
    • Classes
    • Diplomas
    • Guidance Counseling
    • International Students
    • Student Links >
      • Library Catalog
      • Online Grades: RenWeb
      • Schoology
      • Typing Club
    • Staff Links >
      • Adventist Learning Community
      • OneDrive
      • Teacher Evaluation Link
  • Life at Campion
    • COVID-19 Health & Safety Plan
    • Calendar
    • Live Streaming
    • Campus Ministries
    • Student Handbook
    • Drama
    • Music
    • Rocky Mountain Music Festival >
      • Music Fest Expectations
      • Music Festival FAQs
      • Music Fest Music
    • Outdoor Club
    • Sports >
      • Campion Spiritwear
    • News
  • Alumni
    • Alumni Weekend >
      • Alumni Honorees
      • Lodging
    • Alumni News
    • Reeder Classic
    • Chapter Reunions
    • Scholarships & Awards
  • Give
    • Give
    • Amazon.com Fundraiser
    • RERewards
Campion Academy

Fact or fiction: Gen Z and mental health

2/12/2020

1 Comment

 
Picture
Generation Z includes everyone born from about 1995 to 2015, and it’s the first generation to barely, if at all, remember a time without smartphones, the internet, social media, and 9/11. Gen Z is also known for having more anxiety and depression than any other generation. “Only 45% of Generation Z individuals say their mental health is good, or very good. That’s 11% less than the next closest generation. A whopping 91% of Gen Z said they experienced a physical or emotional symptom due to stress and mental illness in the past year” (Stress, Mental Health, and Generation Z). For previous generations, mental health may not have been a major issue in high school, so why is this new generation so different? 

“I got sick during my sophomore year, and I never realized that it was a mental illness until my doctor intervened. I’d been given so little information on it, and I’d come to stereotype people with my illness so much that I would have never guessed that I struggled with what I did,” - anonymous student.

Some claim that the mental health crisis facing Gen Z isn’t real, that Gen Z is just “softer” than other generations or seeks attention more than other generations. Others say that the explanation lies in Gen Z’s willingness to seek help. While it’s true that Gen Z is more likely than other generations to seek help for mental health, that does not explain behaviors like the rise of suicides and behaviors related to depression that can only be explained by an actual increase in poor mental health (Twenge).

“When you go to someone who is supposed to be a person who cares and they shut you down, tell you that you’re just overreacting and you’ll get over it, it makes life just that much worse,”- anonymous student.

Gen Z has the ability to constantly be connected to information from around the world, and sadly much of this information is troubling. Gun violence, school shootings, climate change, sexual harassment, and immigration are some of the issues that 75% of teens say are sources of stress which lead to symptoms such as depression or lack of motivation in 90% of teens (Bethune).

Not only is technology a way to find out about world events, but a way to stay in contact with friends and keep updated. While this may seem positive, overuse of social media leads many teens down a path of constant self comparison that can turn into poor mental health.  Social media is often labeled as the biggest culprit in the rise of the mental health crisis, and for good reason. Social media, however, is also a contributor to much good. Over half of Gen Zers say that social media is a source of support when in distress (LMSU).

In addition, technology, friends, and school work are often chosen over sleep, a lack of which can lay the groundwork for depression and anxiety (Harvard Health Publishing). Feeling the pressures to succeed academically, socially, and extracurricularly, students are sacrificing their health. A lack of sleep can cause an increased risk of injuries, illness, substance abuse, and mental illness. The body needs sleep, and without it Gen Zers can not function at peak capacity (Garey).

“My experience with mental illness began my freshman year and I’ve been dealing with it ever since. I attempted to ignore my feelings, but the more I avoided help, the worse my mental health declined. My sophomore year it became so overwhelming I had to reach out and get help,” - anonymous student.

The causes of this crisis in the rise of poor mental health can be hard to pinpoint. Genetically, environmentally, and physiologically every person is different and so every mental issue is different, but the fact that Gen Z is hugely affected by stress, anxiety, and depression can not be ignored. Luckily, advances in medicine and awareness have made help better, more easily accessible, and less taboo. If you are struggling, I encourage you to seek help. If you are a parent or teacher that is reading this, I encourage you to show kindness and openness so you can be the person that a teen can confide in. Gen Z is living in the world given them, a world greatly different from the one that past generations grew up in, and a world that we as Adventists know will continue to become more broken than ever before. 

Ashley Herber, Student Editor

Campion’s journalism class is doing a research series on mental health to bring education and awareness to the impact of mental health issues on their generation. Stayed tuned to read a new article on the topic each week over the next month. We are very grateful to the staff and students who are bravely sharing their experiences. Mental health issues such as discouragement, anxiety, and depression impact everyone in one way or another. Campion Academy’s nurse is a mental health professional and encourages students to seek assistance when needed. The chaplain's office is another source of help for students.

Works cited   

“Stress, Mental Health, and Generation Z.” Western Governors University, Western Governors University, 13 Aug. 2019, https://www.wgu.edu/blog/stress-mental-health-generation-z1906.html.

Bethune, Sophie. “Gen Z More Likely to Report Mental Health Concerns.” Monitor on Psychology, American Psychological Association, Jan. 2019, https://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/01/gen-z.

Garey, Juliann, et al. “Teens and Sleep: What Happens When Teenagers Don't Get Enough?” Child Mind Institute, childmind.org/article/happens-teenagers-dont-get-enough-sleep/.

Harvard Health Publishing. “Sleep and Mental Health.” Harvard Health, https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/sleep-and-mental-health.

Twenge, Jean. “The Mental Health Crisis among America's Youth Is Real – and Staggering.” The Conversation, 8 July 2019, http://theconversation.com/the-mental-health-crisis-among-americas-youth-is-real-and-staggering-113239.

LMSW, Michael Friedman. “Is the State of the World Causing More Mental Illness?” Medical News and Free CME Online, MedpageToday, 25 Mar. 2019, https://www.medpagetoday.com/psychiatry/generalpsychiat


1 Comment
THE LATEST TREND IN GEN Z: ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION link
3/16/2021 11:22:57 pm

A 2019 Pew research study – Most U.S. Teens See Anxiety & Depression as a Major Problem Among Their Peers – found that anxiety and depression now tops the list of teen problems.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Subscribe to Newsletter

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015

    Categories

    All
    Academics
    Academy Days
    Alumni
    Athletics
    Awards
    Backpacking
    Basketball
    Campion Staff
    Church
    Class Scramble
    COVID 19
    COVID-19
    ELL
    Film
    Fun And Games
    Graduation
    International
    Library
    Literature Evangelism
    Miracles
    Mission Trip
    Mountain Church
    Music
    Outdoor
    Residence Hall Life
    Rocky Mountain
    Senior Class
    Seniors
    Soccer
    Spanish
    Spiritual
    Sports
    Student Association
    Student Testimonies
    Student Writing
    Travel
    Union College Events
    Video
    Volleyball
    Week Of Prayer
    Work Program
    Workshop

Contact Us

For grades 9-12:
300 42nd St. SW
Loveland, CO 80537

Phone: 970-667-5592
Fax: 970-667-5104
Email: info@campion.net
Picture

HMS Richards Elementary, pre-K to grade 8
Campion Seventh-day Adventist Church
© COPYRIGHT 2017. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
    • About
    • History
    • Staff Directory
  • APPLY
    • Why Campion?
    • Academy Days
    • Apply Now
    • Campus Tours
    • Campion National Statistics
    • Enrollment Forms
    • Homeschool Students
    • International Student Application
    • Request Information
    • Returning Students
  • Finance
    • Tuition & Fees
    • Scholarships & Financial Aid
    • Student Employment
    • Pay Bill Online
  • Academics
    • Agriculture
    • Classes
    • Diplomas
    • Guidance Counseling
    • International Students
    • Student Links >
      • Library Catalog
      • Online Grades: RenWeb
      • Schoology
      • Typing Club
    • Staff Links >
      • Adventist Learning Community
      • OneDrive
      • Teacher Evaluation Link
  • Life at Campion
    • COVID-19 Health & Safety Plan
    • Calendar
    • Live Streaming
    • Campus Ministries
    • Student Handbook
    • Drama
    • Music
    • Rocky Mountain Music Festival >
      • Music Fest Expectations
      • Music Festival FAQs
      • Music Fest Music
    • Outdoor Club
    • Sports >
      • Campion Spiritwear
    • News
  • Alumni
    • Alumni Weekend >
      • Alumni Honorees
      • Lodging
    • Alumni News
    • Reeder Classic
    • Chapter Reunions
    • Scholarships & Awards
  • Give
    • Give
    • Amazon.com Fundraiser
    • RERewards