By Emma Pitts, Deseret News

SALT LAKE CITY — Exacerbated by the pandemic, the mental health crisis in America is growing as more and more people admit to having symptoms of anxiety and depression — and at younger ages, according to reports.

"Our nation is facing a mental health crisis among people of all ages, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only made these problems worse," a White House report said last year. "Everyone has someone in their life who is impacted by a mental health disorder or is facing such a challenge themselves."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1 in 5 American adults live with a mental illness, and the same goes for youth. In addition to that, "About 1 in 25 U.S. adults lives with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or major depression," the CDC reported.

In Utah, "from Feb. 1 to 13, 2023, 33.3% of adults in Utah reported symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorder, compared to 32.3% of adults in the U.S.," the Kaiser Family Foundation said.

Mental health affecting younger ages

Younger generations have shown they are more open to discussing their feelings and see it as a strength to do so, whereas older generations struggle with the idea, saying it would show weakness to share their struggles, per Verywell Mind.

Loneliness is a universal feeling that experts are seeing more often in Generation Z at their current age and have never seen so high in previous generations at the same age. When feelings of loneliness occur more frequently, they can do great damage to one's mental health.

"Loneliness among teens had been slowly declining or at least stable since the early 1990s, but after 2012 it suddenly shot upward," the Deseret News previously reported. "Feeling close social connections to others is crucial for mental health, especially for young people."

Studies have shown that the effects of loneliness and social isolation on health can be as detrimental as being obese or smoking 15 cigarettes daily, with a considerable influence on mental health.

https://www.ksl.com/article/50940439/study-sheds-light-on-the-gender-gap-in-youth-resilience-when-faced-with-mental-health-struggles