Aly N Vredenburgh
Generation Z is experiencing a mental health crisis of anxiety and depression; up until now only a few global researchers have attempted to explore the systemic root causes. Gen Z grew up with a complicated bio-psychosocial landscape, with events like mass shootings, violence, and an isolating global pandemic becoming commonplace during their upbringing; with almost 100% of school shootings since Columbine having been carried out by Gen-Z themselves. As a result of this, suicide is currently one of the leading causes of death in modern day youth, and the numbers are rapidly rising. 90% of Americans agree we are experiencing a mental health crisis, yet the solutions continue to be centered on social media and making the current treatments more widely available; with the true root causes being much deeper. While these factors are important, our system is still severely lacking the preventative and holistic approaches that would truly help mitigate the rising numbers of children and teens who lose their lives and many more that suffer from mental illness. Out of Focus is the clarion call towards bringing this mental health crisis into focus, pushing towards meaningful and systemic change for Generation Z.
