The ‘Kids these days!’ mentality does not belong in mental health

On Feb. 19, the Midwest Business Group on Health in Chicago had a one-day conference on addressing mental health access and stigma in the workplace. I came out of this with one overriding takeaway based on the presentations given by various mental health experts.

I heard from many speakers about the increase of mental health disorders and suicide in “young people.” Two professionals from Alliant Insurance Services Co. spoke on the topic. Justin Hornburg is the organization’s first VP and actuary, and Kevin M. Collins is the executive vice president. 

They pulled claims data about suicide and showed us the information on younger subsets of the population, including dependents under the age of 20 and employees under the age of 35. In a nutshell, a larger percentage of total deaths in this population can be attributed to suicide. 

While I don’t doubt the significance of putting more effort and energy in talking about suicide, the numbers behind it and ways we can address it, I find it odd that any presentation would leave out so many employees — literally every employee over 35. What’s going on with them?

Also read: The mental health parity challenge

I asked Collins and Hornburg as much in the Q&A portion of their presentation: Mental health is a topic that recently has been discussed freely, but older people tended to grow up in decades where it simply wasn’t talked about. Isn’t it possible that similar trends exist with older people as with younger people, and with older generations the data just isn’t there because they don’t acknowledge mental health disorders as easily? 

Collins and Hornburg confirmed that they suspect that similar trends do exist among older populations. 

Now, I realize I keep on bringing up the terms “younger people” and “older people.” I don’t believe this is actually the best way to talk about mental health — it almost creates an “us vs. them” mentality. But it occured to me listening to speakers talk about mental health disorders in “young people” what an odd and almost patronizing way that was to describe the situation. It’s like listening to that proverbial grandparent complain about “kids these days!” 

I don’t believe any of these speakers meant anything patronizing by it. In fact, attendees and speakers at events like this are some of the people trying to make mental health care better and thoughtfully starting conversations about it. But as anyone who has been on the internet can attest, it’s not uncommon for “older people” to be condescending toward “younger people” on the internet. Millennials and Gen Z get tired of the “lazy, entitled young people” stereotype, just as baby boomers get annoyed by the “OK, boomer” meme, and we all get frustrated with each other. 

I also had the realization that the negative stereotypes people have about “young people” are very similar to the stigmatizing stereotypes some people have about individuals with mental health disorders. There’s that “snowflake” cliche of the young 20-something who doesn’t try hard enough, is offended by everything and doesn’t realize how good they have it compared to other people. Meanwhile, a mentally ill person might get the occasional, “Why aren’t you trying harder to be happy?” or the “You’re really overreacting to this!” or the “But you have nothing to be depressed about!” There’s a similar idea underlying both of these: weakness and entitlement. 

Also read: Mental illness cuts across the workplace hierarchy

I spoke to one of my tablemates about this generational topic for a minute. He told me about an adult in his life who is obviously depressed but will realistically never be convinced to get help. I doubt the numbers are out there, but I’d love to see the numbers out there of how many people could benefit from a mental illness diagnosis and treatment, even if they don’t get there until their 50s or 60s. 

I’ve written about this a little before, but how much more valuable would it be if mental health discussions included everybody? Here’s an excerpt from that story:

So much of what I’ve read has perpetuated the idea that younger generations now are mentally sicker than older generations (thanks to video games, social media, dating apps or whatever modern thing is on the chopping block that day). Offer mental health benefits to attract millennial talent! Health care costs are increasing because young people need to access mental health benefits more than any generation has had to before! Blah, blah, blah.

I would argue that this type of thinking is dangerous to both older and younger generations. The younger generations sound like the cliche “snowflakes” unable to handle the stresses of the real world, and the older generations sound totally in denial. Let’s give people more credit.

The next time your organization is communicating benefits to employees or marketing your mental health program, think about who your audience is. If you’re focusing on “young people” at the expense of everyone else, maybe it’s time to rethink your strategy.