Three things struck me when I read the article on The Times’s Gen Z research.
First, that we should never underestimate the lasting impacts of Covid for some, particularly the 18-27 year old cohort in this research, who had to lock down rather than go to school, college or university or start work.
Second, that mental health is messy and complex. There are many who wish there was an “answer” to the youth mental health crisis. In reality, it’s Covid, it’s debt and the cost of living crisis, it’s social media and self-diagnosis, climate change, geo-political uncertainty and a combination of a whole host of other causes. The answer is different for everyone, because everyone is different.
Finally, that there is cause for optimism. After years of campaigning for less stigma, there are more young people actively asking for help - in fact a third of 18-27 year olds, according to this research. The next step in this journey is perhaps around two areas:
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the onus on all of us to push for more timely, preventative sources of support to help stop issues escalating from the manageable to the acute
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The opportunity to educate and redefine mental health, drawing a distinction between the spectrum of “normal” mental health and the disorders that require specialist treatment
Both would help relieve the immense pressures on our NHS - and may be how we finally see our way through this crisis.