Not only in the U.S. but also all over the world, young adults are facing mental health issues. A new study shows that the latest digital technology is directly or indirectly related to such mental problems.
According to the study published Thursday in the peer-reviewed Journal of Abnormal Psychology, run by the American Psychological Association, the rate of young adults reporting the symptoms consistent with major depression in the last 12 months jumped 52 percent from 2005 to 2017.
The youngsters between the age of 18 and 25 showing symptoms of depression are found rising by 63 percent from 2009 to 2017. It also showed a significant rise in the rates of adolescents who reported serious psychological distress and suicidal thoughts during similar times.
On the other side, there is no similar increase among older adults during the same times as noticed by the researchers.
Jean Twenge is a lead author of the study and also a professor of psychology at San Diego State University. In one of his findings, Jean said that increasing use of digital media might play a role in young adults suffering from mental illness.
Twenge said, “Cultural trends in the last 10 years may have had a larger effect on mood disorders and suicide-related outcomes among younger generations compared with older generations.”
Ian Gotlib, the professor of psychology at Stanford University and director of the Stanford Neurodevelopment and Psychopathology Laboratory, explained that the increase in reports of mental health issues shows that genetics can be ruled out as a potential factor of mental health problems.
“It’s correlational, but what’s increased with depression is the use of social media with kids and I don’t think that should be underestimated,” said Gotlib.
Anxiety and depression are critical issues among 70 percent of teens, as per the Pew Research survey released last month. And it is even more serious than bullying or alcohol and drug consumption cases.
Mental health is deteriorating day-by-day with the increasing use of social media among teenagers and young adults, leaving many experts to wonder how social media is the main cause of concern towards the mental illness.
Twenge added, “These results suggest a need for more research to understand how digital communication versus face-to-face social interaction influences mood disorders and suicide-related outcomes and to develop specialized interventions for younger age groups.” Professor Gotlib said parents should have regular conversations with their kids to handle the situation. They need to keep a watch on their digital media habits and prevent them from having overuse of digital platforms and social media sites. He further added, “I would just watch for what looks to be an inability to not be with your phone,” he said. “It doesn’t necessarily mean depression but it has that potential.”
