Mental Health and Generation Z
May is Mental Health Awareness month. While it is great we carve out a month to focus attention on mental health, a month isn’t enough. We need to focus on mental health issues as often as possible with the hope of making a difference in the lives of our children our employees, and our world.
Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) is experiencing a higher rate of anxiety and depression than previous generations. This comes as no surprise to most of the rest of us when we think of what has happened in their lives.
They’ve lived to see a parent be laid off. They experienced the isolation of the pandemic, and some had to give up major life events like high school graduation. They’ve watched political divisions multiply in our country and around the world. They’ve watched wars in many places.
This generation is more often diagnosed with having behavioral-health disorders and more likely to report thinking about, planning or attempting suicide than previous generations. And they are less likely to seek help.
Here’s where we come in. The reasons given by many in this generation is that they can’t afford mental health assistance IF they can even find it. It is also troubling to hear that they don’t seek help because there still is a stigma attached to admitting you need help. This is especially true in communities of color and with the families of immigrants.
As employers and as human beings, we need to step up to do our part to get help to those who need it. A considerable number of counties in the US do not have even one licensed psychiatrist. That has to change. We need to encourage young people to enter the mental health profession and make a commitment to increase that number so more people can get needed help close to home.
This will not surprise you—most people in this generation, when asked where they go for help with mental health issues, say Tik Tok or some other social medial site. They seek help from young people who have similar experiences. Many share that they follow therapists online for guidance so let’s do our best to ensure that the best and most knowledgeable therapists available have an online presence.
The members of this generation are focused on diversity—even as it applies to selecting a provider. This adds to the challenge of finding someone to help in times of crisis or just finding someone to talk to. Be aware of this as you bring in people to help your employees navigate this complex world.
Monitor your Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Talk with them about what service they provide and how they select their experts to be sure they are meeting the needs of your staff members. If you don’t have an EAP, this is the time to add one so that your Gen Z employees have access to needed help.
Gen Z is our next generation of leaders and some of them are already your key staffers. Their mental health is critical to our future so let’s all do our part.