Mental Health Statistics

The mental health crisis experienced by youth and young adults has become one of the most pressing public health issues of this time.

Today’s generation of college students and young professionals, sometimes referred to as the “anxious generation,” are actually much more likely to talk about mental health than their parents or grandparents. This generation is closer than ever to ending the silence around mental illness in a time when only forty-four percent of adults—and less than twenty percent of children and adolescents—with diagnosable mental health problems receive the treatment they need

Active Minds began with the simple premise that if young adults speak openly about their mental health, we can save lives. Even so, many suffer in silence.

To reverse negative trends in youth mental health outcomes, our societal norms around mental health must improve. Research shows that in times of need, youth and young adults prefer to talk to peers rather than a professional or adult.