Depression has been on the center of the psychology field for several years now. It is one of the most relevant topics given that it affects more than 20 plus million people (Bassett, Dickerson, Jordan, " Smith, 2016). The causes of it are still under scrutiny with most researchers concluding that it cannot be pinned on one specific thing. There is a misconception that the condition is a disease of the 21st Century but data shows that this is not the case. It always existed but only became an endemic in this century. In the past, Prozac and other pills that people use to combat their emotions was not part of the culture. It was unheard off to be emotionally weak. People dealt with reality and the problems of life in general using better approaches as compared to now. This is despite the fact that the past centuries had more problems than this century and dealt with far much bigger issues such as slavery, gender discrimination, and separation of classes and so on. There are new case studies that are trying to prove that Millenials are the worst hit when it comes to depression. Millenials are also known as generation X and refers to those people who were born between 1980s and 2000s (Bassett et al., 2016). This research paper highlights depression in Millenials and the main reasons as to why the correlation exists.
Social Media and Its Psychological Impact
The hypothesis of the article is “there is a positive correlation between social media engagement (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat) and mental illnesses among Millenials,” (Bassett et al., 2016). The paper written concludes that there is no specific conclusion that can be derived from the research that suggests that social media contributes to depression but also states that it does facilitate to the symptoms that contribute to mental illnesses or endanger the mental health. The current world has come with various platform of social media that have propelled to become the main medium of communication. To evaluate the level of seriousness of the issue, the research shows that 8 out of 10 people who are active social media users use their phones to check on updates first thing in the morning before anything else (Bassett et al., 2016).. This makes it easier for social media to gain so much importance to individuals that it determines most of their feelings and lifestyle.
There are so many negative relationships that spring up from social media. There are not only negative but also unnecessary. Most of these platforms are meant to help people keep in touch with their friends and families. Some of the people on them do not even like each other or were friends from a decade ago. These are the ones prone to bring in the negativity. The negativity is also brought in by bullying. There are so many celebrities that spring up from social media nowadays because of their personalities or lifestyle. With the fame comes with a lot of bullying from a population that is currently being referred to as keyboard warriors. They hide behind the screens and know that there is no real consequence of bullying online that they can face. The negativity that comes with these platforms can easily lead to long term stress which can cause depression easily. The major problem with this is that most people do not realize that that is part of the reason they are so unhappy hence it is not an easy issue to correct (Donatone " Slate, 2014).
Additionally, there is a lot of societal pressure that comes with social media. There is a lot of false sense of success that people choose to display on these platforms. Unlike the old days, it is now very easy to show the world the kind of lifestyle you are living whether it is true or not. This adds to the pressure of succeeding especially those who see their age mates living lavish lifestyles. The pressure to succeed builds up and as much as the Millenials manage to garner as much as possible, it always seem insufficient if they compare it to the success of the social media celebrities and some of their peers. This creates a deep feeling of inadequacy which if not taken care of automatically results into depression.
All these competition and comparing of lives bring by low self-esteem and anxiety in the Millenials. Research in the article shows that most Millenials find themselves worrying about very trivial matters. They also learn to associate everything they do in their lives with social media. The problem that comes with this is that they become over-reliant on the platforms which is not very helpful. These platforms are meant to be addictive. No addiction is healthy in the long run because without it, one feels left out or in need and this causes stress and anxiety which are the top symptoms of depression. The Millenials also find it extremely difficult to have face-to-face communication since they are reliant on hiding behind their screens. This also leads to isolation which is also very unhealthy (Donatone " Slate, 2014).
The paper used interviews and survey to draw up the conclusions. The candidates of the interview were a lecturer and two psychology students, with one pursuing a Ph.D. and the other undergraduate. In the survey, qualtrics software was used for data collection of the voluntary subjects (all college students) who ranged from age 19 to 24 and were both male and female.
New Parenting Skills and Its Role in Depression
The article’s hypothesis is centered on the fact that parents are the highest contributors to the depression that Millenials are facing. The author uses one of her clients who she labels Amy. She used her as part of the statistics of the number of patients she has been receiving lately who have the same complaints. She mentions that Amy is a graduate student who has high depression because she cannot cope with the transition from childhood to adulthood. One of the major things that stresses her out is her lack of ability to manage her time in terms of doing everything on her own including laundry and keeping up with school work. She seems to be stuck in a mentality that she cannot handle the hurdles of life to the point that she sees it fit to continue with her studies instead of finding a job which will bring in a sense of responsibility. The counselor says that Amy is just one of the many Millenials that occasionally visit her office with the same complaint. She pins the causes to this struggle to many things (Donatone " Slate, 2014).
Parents are playing a major role in causing depression in Millenials. The way that parents are raising their kids in this era is different from the old ages. The old days embraced roles, duties, and responsibility. Marriage was at a very young with the oldest girl getting married at around 22 (Bensinger, DuPont " Associates, n.d). Education was not as competitive nor was it as available as it is now. Most people went to school and the few skills acquired were enough to get them employed in the economy. Times have greatly changed and the population too has increased. Parents are now more protective about their children. The psychologist in the article labels the parenting skill as helicopter. The parents hover over their children and make sure that there are no moves that are taken without them overseeing it. Too much attention and restriction has played a huge part in toning down freedom and independence to the parent. The situation is so bad to the extent that full grown young adults cannot manage their own time when they are far from their parents because they have are used to being told what to do and when to do it. The parents, moreover shield their children from any reality and emotions that come with normal lives hence in the end, they end up highly educated but emotionally weak. These restricts the coping life mechanisms that the young adults should have so that they navigate normal life stressors with minimal or no effort at all. Intrusive parenting is the main cause of very low competence and development of autonomy. The adults are so heavily reliant on their parents to tell them what to do and also give them advice regarding everything to the point that without them they have to use anti-depressants (Donatone " Slate, 2014). There is a lot of instant gratification that has managed to totally get rid of any tolerance that people can have towards frustration. This is why the Millenials are more suicidal since they get easily frustrated. Millenials also come with the tendencies such as narcissism that are also bad for not only social relations but also key players when it comes to causing and facilitating depression.
Parents are also sheltering their children financially. This comes at a very bad time where there are no longer high paying jobs that are easy to come by making it even more difficult for young adults to find ways in which they can support themselves financially. According to the article, there is no good that can come to this. People have to learn that wealth comes from building and not being given. Most parents choose to give their children so that they would not have to go through the hurdles that come from looking for their own income (Donatone " Slate, 2014). The downside of this is once they are given the funds they cannot find ways that will help them sustain the resources since all they have learnt is to use and eventually deplete. This will worsen when they face situations such as being orphaned since they are so used to relying on the parent’s finances. Financial issues are major causes of depression. There is some growth that comes with financial independence that will often strengthen the individual since one will have to deal with the pressures of not only looking but also sustaining the income. Being given money is also linked to social immaturity since the Millenials learn to live far beyond their means. The lifestyles become addictive and causes ling term stress that can eventually lead to depression.
Depression in Work Places
The journal looks at the various generations in the workplace and how they are affected with depression. The conclusion states that Millenials are often the worst hit compared to everyone else. One of the major causes of this is the communication breakdown between them and the other generations. Millenials have a more relaxed and less formal means of communication. Another cause of this is also the lack of workplaces adapting the technology needed to make work easier and efficient. This clashes with the millennial culture is more tech savvy and over-reliant on technology for everything. The data in the study was obtained using a telephone-based assessment of all the clients or employees who came forth seeking guidance or help from the EAP service (Bensinger, DuPont " Associates, n.d). The purpose of the paper was to establish a relationship between all those reports that have been made in regards to depression and work performance decline.
Conclusion
There have been a lot of significant changes over the last few decades that have affected all parts of the human life. With the changes have come difference in the way people parent their children, economical changes, education availability, technological changes, and so on. Unfortunately some of these changes have brought about new cause of depression. This explains why Millenials are the biggest hit when it comes to depression as compared to other generations. A lot of things can be done to mitigate the situation but will take a lot of community education and time.
References
Bassett, L., Dickerson, E., Jordan, T., " Smith, L. (2016). Millennials’ Social Media Engagement " its Effect on Mental Health. Public Relation Research, 1-40. doi:10.3726/b13233
Bensinger, DuPont " Associates. (n.d.). Depression and Work. The Impact of Depression on Different Generations of Employees. Retrieved January 1, 2017, from https://www.bensingerdupont.com/filebin/pdfpublic/BDA_White_Paper-Depression_and_Work_5_13.pdf.
Donatone, B., " Slate. (2014, January 6). Why are so many millennials depressed? A therapist points the finger at Mom and Dad. Washington Post.
