The Generational Differences on Perceptions of Mental Health
Each generation has its own set of people, values, and beliefs. However, each also comes with its own set of challenges. One of these challenges that has affected Gen-Z, my generation, has been the apparent rise of mental illness over the years. Looking back on the generations through this lens, you can see that throughout the years, the stigma surrounding mental health has changed.
If we look back through the eras, at first people were thought to be crazy, sent to asylums, and were treated horribly. Now it is casual in conversation; “Hey I can’t meet up later I’m going to my therapist” or “I had a really bad panic attack last week.” Teachers have also become more understanding and have started to allow a few mental health days during the semester, understanding that sometimes students just have a bad day.
This cushion has been made by the understanding and recognition of the importance mental health has; it isn’t just our physical health that needs to be tended to. Because of this change, we have been able to open up with others about mental health in ways that were never done by older generations.
When my great-grandmother was a teen, she was told about a relative who had “disappeared” to a mental institution. This relative and her husband and family were surviving through a cold winter…
