Twenge’s findings show that teenagers in the 2010s experience memory trouble 38 percent more often than their 1980s counterparts. Teens are also 74 percent more likely to have trouble sleeping and twice as likely to see a professional for mental health issues. College students in the study reported feeling overwhelmed by academic and personal demands 50 percent more often than their 1980s counterparts.
“Previous studies found that more people have been treated for depression in recent years, but that could be due to more awareness and less stigma,” Twenge told ScienceDaily. “This study shows an increase in symptoms most people don’t even know are connected to depression, which suggests adolescents and adults really are suffering more.”
Twenge may have some cause for concern. The World Health Organization predicts that depression will come second to heart disease as the leading cause of disability by 2020. In the United States, depression affects 9.1 percent of adults, a portion of whom will likely see their condition transform into major depressive disorder.