Suicide Rates Among Adolescents and Young Adults in the United States, 2000-2017
I am a voluntary youth minister at a local low-to-middle class church in Mexico so I have a lot of contact with adolescents (Which is unusual because I&#x27;m married, almost 40 and have no kids of my own). And what I&#x27;ve seen is that it has become cool or fashonable to be depressed, anxious and to have some mild mental disorder like TOC or ADHD. Kids &quot;brag&quot; about it on social media and sometimes discuss who is more miserable and make fun on people who are &quot;wholesome&quot; or &quot;happy&quot; as being shallow. They constantly make jokes about being worthless and wanting to die and being secretly sad (even when they are broadcasting it on the internet).<p>I&#x27;m not saying that they are faking it, and I know their lives look significantly shittier than mine at their age and the future looks bleak for most, but I have a theory that when it becomes viral some people try to act depressed and end up being depressed for real. Like, when I was adolescent I knew a lot of girls with eating disorders (bulimia&#x2F;anorexia) in my immediate circle (before social media) but I don&#x27;t think I know anybody with those problems today, because having those issues became uncool, now you have others to pick from.<p>So yes, what I&#x27;m trying to say is that I had paralyzing social anxiety before it was cool.