Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents—and What They Mean for America's Future

by Jean M. Twenge

Perhaps the trends are due to Gen Z being more willing to admit to mental health problems on surveys than other generations, even though the surveys are anonymous and confidential. As some have put it, perhaps Gen Z teens “are OK with saying they are not OK,” and the increases are solely the product of less stigma around mental health issues and more comfort with admitting to problems. If so, there would be no changes in behaviors related to mental health, since behaviors can be more objectively measured and do not rely on self-reports of symptoms. However, the changes do extend to behaviors. For example, more teen and preteen girls have been admitted to the emergency room after deliberately harming themselves, with the largest increases among 10- to 14-year-old girls, where rates quadrupled (see Figure 6.36).