Why is Mental Health Declining?
When humans think of sickness their minds immediately go to cancer, AIDS, Tuberculosis, and other major illnesses that take over people’s lives. Why are these ailments first thought of? Mostly because they’re physical illnesses that people can see the effects of. People don’t necessarily think of mental illnesses as a sickness because it’s not something that is excepted as much as physical ailments. What people aren’t realizing though, is that mental health in young adults (age 18-25) has rapidly declined over the past few decades. Studies from this previous year have shown that one in five young adults have experienced some form of mental health illness (Rtor, Emerging Young Adult Mental Health). There are many reasons why young adult's mental health has declined, and it’s leaving a huge impact on our community. One of the biggest influences on anyone’s life right now is social media. It’s something that is a great tool for advertising and keeping in contact with people you don’t get to see a lot, but it can also have a very negative impact. Social media is causing us to become more socially isolated, which brings upon the loneliness and the inability to hold a meaningful conversation (Lamon, The Effects of Social Media). Loneliness can bring upon many mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. With social media, it’s very easy to hide behind a screen and say whatever one wants. Because of this, cyberbullying has become another huge cause of mental illness. “Adolescents who experience cyberbullying are at increased risk for several mental health conditions,” (APA, Cyberbullying Linked with Mental Health). Although that quote talks about adolescents, mental health illnesses and cyberbullying can follow people all the way into adulthood. A study has shown that 1/3 of psychiatric patients around the age of 18 had experienced cyberbullying in some shape or form (APA, Cyberbul...