By Sarah Holliday

The family unit, social interaction, and politics are a few of the many variables that impact a developing adolescent. When a child’s family unit is broken, social life is in shambles, or the political public square becomes unavoidable, it can have consequences on who they become as their worldview takes shape. As evidenced by previous reports, as well as one published last month, mental health concerns are exploding in the younger generation.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) conducted a July survey that analyzed the amount of counseling, medication, or other forms of mental health therapy minors underwent in 2023. According to the results, 8.3 million youth ages 12 to 17 received mental health care, which The Epoch Times noted “is equivalent to nearly one-third of the adolescents in the U.S. undergoing treatment for mental health issues.”

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), which is the title of SAMHSA’s annual survey, found that the results were in line with the trend they’ve seen since 2009, namely, that “the percentage of teenagers who receive treatment for mental health has climbed practically every year.” And as ET highlighted, “Authorities from SAMHSA said that they considered the increase to be a positive development, highlighting efforts to mainstream and remove the stigma associated with getting treatment for mental health issues.”

The survey included statistics concerning the underage and their use of alcohol and drugs, as well as the rates of suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts among adolescents. To accompany those statistics in greater detail are countless other studies accentuating what causes children to engage in such harmful behaviors and acts — all of which often lead to mental health issues.

For instance, The Washington Stand highlighted a report from last year “that compared dozens of studies conducted between 1987 and 2022,” emphasizing the way fatherlessness impacts children. In analyzing the results, the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) noted there were “clear correlations between children raised in fatherless homes and developmental challenges ranging from bad grades, anxiety, and suicide to violent behavior, drug use, and criminality.”

Additionally, the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study from 2022 examined 7,111 children “who did not identify as anything other than their biological sex, as well as 58 transgender-identifying children between the ages of 9 and 10.” As the report emphasized, “Children who identified as transgender at this young age were more likely to experience depression … anxiety … conduct problems … and suicidality.” The study also pointed out that trans-identifying children were more likely to have endured “significant psychological trauma” such as “exposure to domestic violence, mental illness, alcohol or drug use in the home, physical or emotional abuse or neglect, sexual abuse, and parental divorce.”

As a final piece of evidence for what goes into the worsening mental health crisis among youth, Common Sense Media’s (CMS) study from February urged that “the negative effects of social media on young people’s mental health is a top concern” in this discussion. And there are mounds of studies, as well as warnings from the U.S. surgeon general, all putting a spotlight on the way social media hurts adolescents.

Needless to say, there are many factors involved in the “recipe” of “despair, hopelessness, nihilism, [and] disaffection,” as Marlo Slayback, national director of Student Programs at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, previously shared with The College Fix. According to Slayback, Generation Z is surrounded by a “decaying culture,” which inevitably affects them as they try to navigate through it. But to further break down how this all relates to the most recent findings, Joseph Backholm, Family Research Council’s senior fellow for Biblical Worldview and Strategic Engagement, shared his insight with TWS.

“It’s beyond dispute at this point that social media is harming the mental health of young people,” he said. Especially among the youth, the technological realm is “creating constant comparison which leads to a lack of contentment.” Not to mention, he added, it’s replacing real-life relationships with the appearance of virtual relationships.“ But beyond social media, Backholm urged that our analysis should consider that "the way we talk and think about mental health may explain some of this as well.”

He continued, “We have destigmatized mental health in ways that are good, but we have almost glamorized certain mental health ways that make young people want a diagnosis.” There are numerous instances that prove “adults are rushing children into mental health treatments in ways that have never happened before.” As Backholm noted, “Abigail Shrier does a good job documenting this in her recent book Bad Therapy,” where she “argues that the problem isn’t the kids — it’s the mental health experts.”

It appears, Backholm stated, that “in an attempt to make sure we don’t ignore a child’s struggles, adults may inadvertently be encouraging children to fixate on them which could make things worse.” In addition to that, “if children receive special attention for having a mental health challenge, we inadvertently encourage children to have them, or at least claim to.” According to Backholm, “Mental health challenges are real, but they are also invisible, which makes diagnosing them more difficult and more susceptible to cultural and personal factors rather than scientific ones.” 

From a biblical worldview, Backholm explained how “a sinful world is full of challenges,” and really, “Christians understand why.” Ultimately, “When we live and think the way God intended, in relationship with Him and others, our minds will be better for it.” But the truth is, Backholm contended, “We live in a broken world, and no one escapes the consequences fully.” As a result, we are incapable of living completely as God intended us to live.

But “we should never surrender to the idea that we are defined by our problems,” Backholm concluded. “God defines who we are. It’s also true that the more time we spend thinking about who He is and who He has made us to be, the smaller our problems are in comparison, which is good for our mental health.”

Sarah Holliday is a reporter at The Washington Stand.