More American teens and young adults appear to be struggling with mental health issues, and experts believe a number of cultural trends may help explain why. A new study found the percentage of teens and young adults with depression, anxiety and other mental health issues has increased sharply over the past decade. The same pattern was not seen in older adults.
"We found significant increases in major depression, serious psychological distress which includes anxiety and hopelessness and suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts among teens and young adults with smaller, more inconsistent increases among adults age 26 and older," study author Jean Twenge told CBS News. Twenge is a psychology professor and author of the book "iGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy â and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood,"
The rate of young adults with suicidal thoughts, plans, attempts, and deaths by suicide also increased from 7.0 percent in 2009 to 10.3 percent in 2017.
For the study, researchers analyzed data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a nationally representative survey that tracks drug and alcohol use, mental health and other health-related issues in individuals age 12 and over. The research was published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology.
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