What Made Maddy Run: The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death of an All-American Teen

by Kate Fagan

We all have our token vulnerability, or what is perceived as vulnerability, and we all work our whole lives to be more than that one token thing.

One study found that an average high school student today likely deals with as much anxiety as did a psychiatric patient in the 1950s.

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Kids used to grow up in the neighborhood—on the block or in the parks, playing games with other kids. These games had rules, but the kids themselves determined them, flexing their imaginations. Social scientists call these activities—capture the flag, bike races, pickup baseball games—“free play,” and it’s been steadily decreasing since the 1950s. Scientists have also noted a correlation between the decreasing amount of childhood free play—any play not directed by adults—and the increasing rates of anxiety and depression among kids. As free play decreases, anxiety increases. Correlation does not equal causation, but considering that free play helps kids develop their sense of self, their problem-solving abilities, their ability to self-soothe, and their ability to play well with others, it’s not a stretch to see why scientists believe the decrease in free play is possibly affecting their mental health.

the pursuit of extrinsic goals at the expense of intrinsic goals correlates with anxiety and depression.

Our ability to change things is not increasing at the same rate as our ability to know about them.