Is Gen Z really the "least resilient demographic alive"?

“Gen Z more likely to report mental health concerns”

“What's up with Generation Z?”?

“Generation Z: 'The Loneliest, Least Resilient Demographic Alive'”

It appears our reputation precedes us. In a quick Google search of “Gen Z and mental health,” a host of research, articles, surveys and opinions fill the screen, each touting the mental health struggles by which Gen Z has come to be known. It’s a frequent and pervasive story: Gen Z grapples with mental illness much more loudly than any previous generation, and wants mental health to be a permanent part of the conversation at work and in life. And yes, there is some truth to that.

May 1st marks the beginning of Mental Health Awareness month, but Gen Z is always in a bit of hurry, so lets kick events off a couple weeks early and dig a little deeper into exactly what Gen Z is actually up to—and by that I mean, what we’re thinking, feeling, and advocating for, when it comes to mental health.

1. Awareness is good... to a point.

I went back to the well again, tapping my Instagram circles with a poll on mental health awareness in the United States. More than 100 people chimed in with their thoughts on the matter—and with many ideas that I hadn’t quite anticipated. When I asked “What would you change about the culture of mental health/mental health awareness in the United States?” I expected most, if not all, to report what much of the research on Gen Z continually supports: heightened visibility and accommodation of mental health struggles, making therapy more accessible, and the like.?

There was certainly some of that (one respondent simply said “normalize it!”), but also some peers were critical of what such levels of awareness can bring, and have already brought, to the burgeoning mental health movement. “I like that mental health services are more accessible, and that the topic of having mental health issues can be conversational,” one respondent said. “But with that, any assignment of value to having mental health issues feels unproductive to me. Meaning, if people talk about it to appear outspoken, it can minimize the real work other people are doing. And makes me struggle to gauge how much labor I have to apply in relationships for legitimate needs, or just attention-seeking behavior.”?

Her comment struck a chord. A huge piece of the Gen Z stance on mental health grows from our ability to tap into resources like Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and every other social media platform that allows you to connect with folks over shared interests—and consequently shared struggles. We’ve seen major celebrities use their social media presences to share their mental health stories, we’ve seen brands use it as a marketing tactic, and we’ve scrolled through endless, endless, meme-ing of essentially every diagnosis under the sun. The inundation of the topic into all pieces of our online life is a good thing when it comes to destigmatizing mental illness, but it also commodifies a serious and often life-altering topic. After all, when we’re tossing around terms like “bipolar” and “anxiety” without careful reference to diagnosis, the serious tone of the conversation falls away—and fast. Take, for example, one TikTok trend where creators post videos “letting the intrusive thoughts win.” For them, the intrusive thoughts are deciding to dye their hair an unlikely color, playing a silly prank on their partner, or intentionally making a mess of something like skincare, food or makeup. In reality, TikTokers are conflating intrusive thoughts with impulsive thoughts, as the term “intrusive thoughts” is typically linked to certain mental health conditions like obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD. The intent doesn’t quite matter, though, as the effect is the same: everyone has an “intrusive thought” they want to share, while those dealing with OCD diagnoses are forced to see their symptoms as a trend.

2. Capital interest in this movement begone! (...but also don't go too far.)

Respondents to my survey also objected to the commercialization of mental health. One person wrote that improvement for mental health awareness in the United States will come when we “actually [connect] the dots between poor mental health and late stage capitalism,” while another stated that we need more sustained “discussion of structural causes of mental illness—commercialism, injustice, etc.”?

It’s not to say that we’re entirely opposed to brands taking up the call toward mental health advocacy, and in fact, many of us favor the right kind of activism: according to YPulse data, 71% of Gen-Z consumers like it when brands make mental health a part of their marketing and messaging. But crucial to that point is that brands are not doing it as part of the latest marketing trend, as performative activism can be just as harmful as staying quiet. If brands want to chip in and find a way to raise awareness without devaluing the seriousness of the issue, then we can talk.?

See, for example, Kate Spade. To honor the memory of their founder, who died by suicide, the brand promotes mental health awareness for young women by partnering with organizations such as the Crisis Text Line and Born This Way Foundation, providing crisis support resources on its website, and pledging millions towards global women’s empowerment and mental health resources. In this case, the advocacy and awareness that they’re bringing to the cause can make a meaningful difference.?

3. So then what do we need?

As one survey respondent put it: “I think Gen Z is very vocal about mental health and has helped it to become overall less stigmatized, but many still don’t handle their health. If anything, sometimes talking about it makes being in poor mental health and not taking care of yourself seem fine and normal.”?

It’s a curious point—that even though Gen Z may talk about mental health more, we’re still struggling, and in some cases, those same conversations are actually affirming our unhealthy mental state rather than challenging it. To me, I understand the issue to be in part created by too much opinion, not enough real education on the topic. A number of survey respondents suggested similar things, as more than a few indicated wanting to see mental health programmed into elementary to high school education, and others recommended “prioritizing qualified support” instead of the unvetted information you see on the Internet.?

And the idea is certainly a good one, especially to help counteract the casual tossing around of mental illness that we certainly do see on the Internet, but it also brings up the important point that for many young folks, the Internet is where we truly learn about mental illnesses for the first time. Without systemic education on the facts of the matter—i.e. that “being bipolar” is far more than being indecisive, or that “intrusive thoughts” are not actually the thing you think they are—then young folks will only continue to make these kind of sweeping, delegitimizing, and sometimes harmful statements about what living with mental illness is truly like. And while the number of schools that offer mental health services steadily ticks upward, there’s still a significant deficit in mental health curricula that can help young folks learn what these issues are, and can mean to those who are afflicted by them.