Rising Teen Mental Health Crisis in US Expected to Strain Economy

Mental health is an ever-evolving field that needs to be handled with utmost care. While many people like to claim that mental healthcare is a waste of money and people can deal with stress and anxiety on their own, they have a lack of understanding on the matter. Many research and medical journals show how mental health has a huge effect on a person’s well-being, their social lives as well as their workspace. With how competitive the current market has become, you need to do well both mentally as well as physically to survive, no matter what industry you are in. And a recent study has raised some valid concerns regarding teen mental health and the future economy.

Teen mental health is said to be one of the most fragile and difficult to assess. While these kids are going through mental difficulties, they are also going through major transformative years of their lives. They are almost like half-baked human beings, who have a good grasp on things, yet cannot be treated like adults as they lack that maturity and understanding. But why has this become a big concern?

Teen Mental Health Impacts the U.S. Economy

According to a study published in PLOS Medicine when teenagers are stressed, anxious, or depressed, it affects their ability to get jobs and earn money later in life. This isn't just a personal problem, but it also affects how much money the country has overall. The study shows a clear connection between teen mental health and the economic well-being of the United States. This means that helping teens feel better mentally could also help the economy.

Researchers looked at data from over 3,300 people. They checked how these people were doing mentally when they were teenagers which is between the ages of or around 15 and 17 years old and then looked at their job situations ten years later. They found that if someone had serious anxiety or depression as a teen, they were less likely to have a job as a young adult. About 6% fewer of these young adults had jobs compared to those who didn't struggle with their mental health as teens. Also, those who were stressed as teenagers earned about $5,700 less per year when they were young adults. This means that teen mental health can affect someone's income for years to come.

Economic Benefits of Mental Health Support

The researchers wanted to see what would happen if we helped more teenagers with their mental health. They estimated that if just 10% of teenagers who are at risk of stress received help, it could save the U.S. government $52 billion over 10 years. This is because if these teens get help, they are more likely to get jobs and earn more money, which means they pay more taxes. This shows that spending money on teen mental health could actually save the country money in the long run. It's like an investment that pays off.

This study shows the fragile mental state of teens and why they should be taken more seriously. While there was a rise in people educating and taking mental health seriously, almost like the pendulum effect, the effect is going backwards with people believing that there has been a major misuse of mental health sensitivity by people. The lose use of terms like depression, OCD or anxiety has taken away from people who have this diagnosed issue. So, we as a society have to make an effort and bring these issues back to spotlight to make sure that the future of our countries does not suffer.