Remember how our parents always told us when we were in school that life would get better once we got some good marks and got into a great college? Well, sure, let's assume that has been the case and college time has arrived. However, when people get into college after high school, it almost feels like this is the peak of adulthood.
The heights have stopped increasing. There is more independence, more liberty, and, of course, one could drive and drink responsibly. Even though all of that is very much true, mentally, a person doesn't stop growing at this age. In fact, that does not happen until you are 30.
Young adults, aged 18 to 29, are still experiencing cognitive development, which can be one of the reasons why there is so much mental illness prevalent in young adults in this age bracket.
Some mental illnesses start to show when a person is in the adolescent stage. This is because, during that period of time, the teenager is going through puberty, resulting in a heightened sense of emotions and turmoil. If, along with all this, a teenager has to go through lifestyle changes, there can be more reasons for the person to have a mental illness.
While during the puberty years, a teenager could begin having a mental illness, it is the college-going years when real problems arise. Shifting to college from school is a huge transition for a person. While in school, it was mostly just the academics, there are new kinds of stress when it comes to college. There are academic challenges, increased responsibilities, and new living arrangements. Not only does a student who goes away to college have to be fully independent, but he or she also has to make sure to take care of themselves and their well-being without any support.?
A study was done by the Journal of Adolescent Health. It used Household Pulse Survey (HPS) data from the U.S. Census Bureau to determine the prevalence of anxiety and/or depression symptoms in a sample of 2,809 adults ages 18¨C25 years. The sample revealed that forty-eight percent of young adults reported mental health symptoms; of those, 39% used prescription medications and/or received counselling, while 36% reported unmet counselling needs.
A CDC study from the year 2020 indicated that 63% of young adults were experiencing depression or anxiety a year earlier, in June 2020. The level of mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression increased excessively, especially in young adults, due to various reasons. It can be attributed to disruptions in access to mental health services, the wide-ranging impacts of school closures, and a labour market crisis that is disproportionately affecting young people.
Basically, at the peak time of going out into the world, socializing, networking, and living their lives, young adults were made to isolate. This did not only create a more sheltered ecosystem but also changed the way they should be interacting. Video calls and Zoom calls became the biggest saviours for people during the pandemic, which made young adults comfortable in their home spaces.
This was also the time for a lot of transition periods for young adults. While a lot of them were supposed to graduate from school and enter a new phase, i.e., college, many were supposed to graduate from college and enter another new phase of getting a job. Both of these real-time experiences are eye-opening for an individual, but due to social distancing, isolation, zoom calls, and working from home, many people were denied these novel experiences.
During this period of time, there was a rise in unemployment as well, which caused additional pressure on all those young adults who didn't have much of an option. Many experienced a rise in mental illness since they were dealing with a dangerous global pandemic along with personal and professional dilemmas.?
About this, Priti Sridhar, CEO of Mariwala Health Initiative, said, "Young adults have been experiencing stress for a long time. During the pandemic, access to the internet has enabled them to learn more about mental health and give voice to their concerns. There are a lot of systemic pressures that young adults experience, be it the stress of exams, low prospects of jobs, pressure to look a certain way on social media, etc. This, combined with their limited agency as regards their life decisions, including their choice of a partner, adds to the mental health concerns of young adults."
While social media does keep the world connected, it is well known that it has many negative impacts. The use of social media increased dramatically during the rise of COVID-19.The use of apps such as Instagram reels, TikTok, and many other apps was all that young adults were checking out since going out was out of the picture. However, with the availability of technology and internet access, usage has steadily increased.
The more people use social media, the more it creates inadequacy among people about life and experiences. People tend to show just the happy parts of their lives rather than the low points. Most of it is a manipulation tactic. This causes envy and dissatisfaction when youĄ¯re scrolling through a friendĄ¯s airbrushed photos of their tropical beach vacation or reading about their exciting new promotion at work. It is worse among young adults because this is mostly a point where everyone is trying to settle into better jobs, relationships, and lives. Scrolling through social media can lead them to feel insecure.
A study?at the University of Pennsylvania also found that the high usage of social media caused people to feel more lonely. Through the study, it was found that reducing social media usage can actually make you feel less lonely and isolated and improve your overall well-being.
Moreover, many young adults use social media to mask the actual underlying problems, such as anxiety and depression, by scrolling for hours. This is indeed causing a higher rate of these disorders.
Therapy and activities provided by professionals are the best things recommended for these young adults to bounce back.