Mental Health of Youth

Published in

opensourcementorship

3 min readApr 14, 2024

Introduction

The NCRB’s 2020 data reveals that every 42 minutes, a student commits suicide. News of student suicides has become ‘the new normal’ in society, highlighting that our youth are suffering from problems like depression and anxiety. However, the irony is that society’s acknowledgment of these problems is proportionately low when compared to the rise in suicides.

To address this issue, Saurabh Nanda, along with Dr. Manoj Saraswat, a psychotherapist with over 7 years of counselling experience, organised a session on the YouTube channel of Open Source Mentorship on Youth Mental Health.

The extent of the problem is so severe that many experts are calling it a silent epidemic that is rising among the youth.

Challenges faced by Youth

During the discussion, Dr. Saraswat listed many challenges that Gen Z individuals (those born between the late 1990s and early 2010s) are facing today. He mentioned that problems related to relationships, lack of patience, and being very result-oriented are some of the major issues that youth are facing. He also discussed the causes of these problems. Let’s explore them in the structured way-

Instant Gratification

Many years ago, if anyone wanted to do research or learn about something, one needed to read a book, newspaper, or research paper. Then, after a few years, YouTube emerged, drastically reducing the time needed to search for the information. Now, one can access information via a 15 to 20-minute video, and now it has been further reduced to 60-second reels or shorts. This trend reflects a huge decline in human retention over the years, leading to an immediate desire for satisfaction, i.e. instant gratification.

Gen Z individuals are facing this challenge in every aspect of their lives, as they want to have quick results in their careers, lives, and everything else, which eventually leads to a lack of patience (our next challenge).

Lack of Patience

Dr. Manoj mentioned in the session that nowadays, youth want quick solutions to their problems. They want to become successful overnight and don’t want to wait for it. They are very result-oriented and have a lack of appreciation for the process; their focus is only on the end result.

During the session, Yashmit, a law student, shared an anecdote about a 15-year-old girl who had completed her graduation. This made him question why he couldn’t achieve the same level of success at that age and why he needs to wait for 10 to 15 years more to become successful.

This is a common phenomena among young people which not only highlights their lack of patience but also their decreasing appreciation for the journey compared to the end result. There are many day-to-day examples that show this decline in patience among young people.

Lack of good mentors

It is undeniable that every generation faces its own set of challenges. Some may argue that Gen Z will overcome these challenges, just like their predecessors, and that’s why it is unfair to criticise them for the challenges that they are facing currently. However, the reality is that today, youngsters are confronted with challenges that require a different approach. Moreover the so-called mentors which they are choosing as their idols are not able to provide the right guidance to them.

Conclusion

It is true that the pace of life has increased significantly, with plenty of options and information at our disposal. This fast-paced lifestyle and excess use of mobile phones may cause young people to lose patience and feel detached from reality, respectively. Dr. Manoj stresses the importance of getting back in touch with reality. One can do this by increasing their in-person interactions. He suggested that individuals should prioritise their unique talent and pursue it exclusively throughout their lives, as multitasking is a myth.

Thus, through this insightful session we were made aware about certain challenges faced by the youth of today in this fast paced world and what can be done to minimize them.

Watch the full video on YouTube