Young adults and mental health: Kaiser psychologist says it's a 'huge issue'

MONTH. ACCORDING TO A RECENT STUDY BY THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS, NEARLY HALF OF YOUNG ADULTS AGED 18 TO 25 REPORTED SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. THAT’S COMPARED TO ABOUT A THIRD OF ADULTS OVERALL. HEALTH PROFESSIONALS ARE NOW ZEROING IN ON YOUNG ADULTS TRYING TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THEIR MENTAL HEALTH. AND JOINING US THIS MORNING IN STUDIO IS A PSYCHOLOGIST AT KAISER PERMANENTE ROSEVILLE DOCTOR EMILIO GARCIA. DOCTOR, THANKS FOR BEING HERE THIS MORNING. LET’S TALK ABOUT THE SCOPE. HOW BIG OF AN ISSUE IS THIS, REALLY? SO IT’S A IT’S A HUGE ISSUE. AND WHAT I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT IS OUR YOUNG ADULTS 18 TO 25. RECENT STUDY BY THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS REPORTED THAT 1 IN 3 YOUNG ADULTS REPORT HAVING A MENTAL ILLNESS. 1 IN 10 REPORT HAVING A SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS. 3.8 MILLION OF THOSE REPORT HAVING THOUGHTS OF SUICIDE. AND WHAT I WANT TO REALLY HIGHLIGHT THERE IS WHEN THE PATIENT COMES INTO MY OFFICE, WHEN THEY SAY THAT THE SOLUTION TO THEIR PROBLEMS IS ENDING THEIR LIFE. WHAT I’M REALLY HEARING IS THAT THEY’RE GOING THROUGH A PROFOUND AMOUNT OF PAIN. SO THE AMOUNT OF YOUNG ADULTS THAT ARE HAVING SUICIDAL THOUGHTS, WHAT THAT REALLY MEANS IS THAT THEY’RE STRUGGLING TREMENDOUSLY. AND WHAT ARE SOME OF THESE STRUGGLES? WHAT ARE SOME OF THE STRESSORS THAT YOU’RE HEARING FROM YOUR PATIENTS? YOU KNOW, THERE’S A WHOLE GAMUT OF THINGS. SOME OF THE THINGS THAT COME UP ARE THEY OFTEN HAVE BEEN NEGATIVELY AFFECTED BY THE PANDEMIC. YOU KNOW, THEY SOMETIMES FEEL THAT THEY WERE LOST IN THE PANDEMIC. WE DEDICATED QUITE A FEW OF OUR RESOURCES TO, YOU KNOW, OUR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS, RIGHTLY SO. WE NEED TO PROTECT THEM. THEY’RE THEY’RE THE MOST VULNERABLE. BUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT I’M HEARING IS THEIR STRESS ABOUT THE ECONOMY, JOBS THAT DON’T KNOW WHERE THEY’RE GOING TO WORK, THE BIPOLARIZATION OF THE NEWS MEDIA, YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE SOME OF THE THE MAIN THINGS THAT I’M HEARING. YEAH. YOU KNOW, I THINK SOME OF THOSE ARE SIMILAR STRESSORS FOR ADULTS AS WELL. AND I THINK BACK TO YEARS AGO, WITHOUT DATING MYSELF HERE, BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A TIME WHERE PARENTS OR FAMILIES WOULD JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, GET OVER IT. IT’LL BE FINE. YOU’LL FIGURE IT OUT. YOU KNOW, LIFE HAPPENS, THINGS HAPPEN. BUT BUT IT WILL WORK ITSELF OUT. WHAT DO YOU THINK HAS CHANGED NOW? THAT IS IMPACTING THESE YOUNG PEOPLE? SO MUCH MORE? YEAH, I THINK THE PANDEMIC TOOK A BITE OUT OF ALL OF US. RIGHT. AND WHAT’S DIFFERENT, I THINK, IS IT’S A DIFFERENT WORLD, RIGHT? THE WORLD THAT I GREW UP IN, YOU KNOW, TOOK A CERTAIN SET OF SKILLS AND A PERSPECTIVE TO OVERCOME. I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT FOR FOR THOSE PARENTS OF THOSE YOUNG ADULTS OR PEOPLE AROUND THEM TO KNOW, KNOW AND UNDERSTAND THAT LOOK, THEY’RE CONTINUING WITH, WITH A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WORLD, THE STATE OF THE THEY’RE OFTEN WORRIED ABOUT THE STATE OF THE COUNTRY AND THE FUTURE OF THE COUNTRY. AND, YOU KNOW, I USED TO BE ABLE TO WORK AND PAY FOR RENT AND COLLEGE TUITION. THAT’S ALMOST AN IMPOSSIBILITY NOW FOR A LOT OF YOUNG ADULTS. SO I THINK BEING AWARE OF THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN WHEN I GREW UP OR WHEN, YOU KNOW, MAYBE AS A PARENT YOU GREW UP AND WHEN YOUR CHILD, YOU KNOW, WHAT YOUR CHILD IS FACING IS JUST DIFFERENT. IT’S A DIFFERENT WORLD. AND HOW DO PARENTS AND FAMILIES HELP? WHAT WHAT CAN THEY DO? THAT’S A GREAT QUESTION. I THINK ONE OF THE MAIN THINGS IS JUST LETTING THEM KNOW THAT YOU’RE THERE FOR THEM, LETTING THEM KNOW THAT, HEY, I SEE YOU. I SEE YOU’RE STRUGGLING AND I’M HERE TO HELP. ONE OF THE EXERCISES THAT I LOVE TO DO WHEN I’M, YOU KNOW, AT MY WIT’S END WITH MY KIDDOS IS I TRY TO. REMIND MYSELF, IMAGINE WHAT I WOULD FEEL IF I WAS 50 YEARS FROM NOW. I WOULD GIVE ANYTHING TO BE BACK IN THAT MOMENT, RIGHT? AND IT PUTS THINGS INTO PERSPECTIVE FOR ME, AND IT HELPS ME UNDERSTAND THAT. LOOK, THINGS MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT CHAOTIC HERE, BUT I WOULD GIVE ANYTHING TO JUST BE BACK THERE. AND I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT FOR, FOR YOUNG ADULTS OR PARENTS OF YOUNG ADULTS TO, YOU KNOW, THINK ABOUT THE TIME WHEN YOU WERE 18 TO 25. WHAT STRUGGLES DID YOU GO THROUGH? SHARE THAT WITH YOUR CHILD. SHARE. SHARE THAT WITH YOUR SON OR DAUGHTER. WE ALSO WANT TO SHOW SOME RESOURCES AS WELL. FOR THOSE WHO ARE WATCHING THIS MORNING, THERE’S A WEBSITE HERE. FIND YOUR WORDS.ORG. YOU CAN CHECK THAT OUT. AND ALSO JUST A REMINDER THE SUICIDE AND CRISIS LIFELINE IS 988. THERE’S ALWAYS SOMEONE THERE AVAILABLE TO TALK TO IF YOU DO