(Newswire.net — January 15, 2020) — New data has come to light from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) which suggests that millennials (people born between early-1980s to mid-1990s) may be much less healthy as they age. A comparison drawn between millennials—aged 34 to 36 in 2017—and generation Xers—aged 34 to 36 in 2014—found that the latter were 11 percent healthier than the former.
In fact, millennials have a much higher rate of diagnoses of top 10 health conditions, compared to other generations. Not only is the incidence of physical health conditions higher in millennials, but mental health conditions are also prevalent much more in them. Doctors and psychiatrists argue that this generation shows the highest increase in behavioural health conditions and higher rates of major depression and hyperactivity.
Read on to find out more about the health conditions that millennials face:
Health conditions in millennials:
According to the vice president of medical affairs for the BCBSA, Dr. Vincent Nelson, the prevalence rates of serious health conditions is shockingly higher in millennials when compared to previous generations. These issues are important because they pose significant health challenges in the future and they must be addressed now.
The top 10 diseases prevalent in millennials include:
- 1. Prevalence of mental health conditions in millennials—major depression
- Alcohol abuse
- 3. Substance abuse
- 4. Hypertension
- 5. Hyperactivity
- 6. Psychotic conditions
- 7. Crohn’s disease/ulcerative colitis
- 8. High cholesterol
- 9. Tobacco use disorder
- 10. Type II diabetes
Why are the millennials facing these health problems?
In comparison to the national population, prevalence of mental health conditions like major depression, is much higher in millennials. Experts suggest that the rise in mental health disorders are not surprising in this generation. Deborah Serani, PsyD, professor at Adelphi University, says that these mental disorders are the result of the circumstances in which this generation grew.
The contributing factors include:
Technological advances: millennials were the first generation to grow with the technological advances, and thus grew up without learning how to invest emotionally in relations. They did not learn how to maintain eye contact and become adept at reading facial expressions. This lack of ability to deepen awareness of the texture of emotions within others or themselves resulted in a lack of their emotional awareness. Clinically, this is known as alexithymia, which makes it hard for millennials to understand their own emotions and feelings.
Media exposure: the millennial generation has had somewhat of a media overload. The media explosion in the past decade has created a 24-hour accessible news cycle which allows millennial kids access to fearful and catastrophic news. There are stories of terrorism, natural disasters and other horrible news that creates a feeling of hopelessness, fear and helplessness. These phobias are permeated into the minds of millennials and eventually result in mental health disorders.
Isolation: with the advent of two-income households, the millennial generation experienced a change that their predecessors did not. There was less family time and predictable work hours for this generation than the previous one. As a result, the world of millennials grew more solitary, solidifying their issues of avoidance and isolation.
Less time to decompress: nowadays, many people from generation y (or millennials) work a job that doesn’t have a fixed schedule. People have jobs that allow for remote access. The downside of such a working environment is that there is exactly no ‘down time’ or time to decompress from work and stressors.
All the aforementioned reasons heighten the physical and emotional risk factors for disease. According to Dr. Jonathan Avery, director of addiction psychiatry in New York, the risk of mental illness and substance use disorder starts mostly in adolescence and affect the younger people more. The millennials these days have a horde of stressors and are more isolated than ever.
How can millennials improve these statistics?
It is important that a better understanding is gained of the decline in the mental health of generation Y. It is necessary that this issue is realised as one of great importance, and measures are taken to address it.
Experts advice that millennials should seek preventive care for their health. Out of the top 10 health conditions faced by this generation, six are related to mental health and only four with physical health. They need to cultivate relationships with health professionals and get a more streamlined care, and yet currently many do not even have primary healthcare providers.
Self-care is another way through which millennials can help themselves. They should incorporate in themselves self-care skills like good eating, healthy sleep, and exercise, not only for the short run, but also as a long-term commitment.
Another thing that can help the millennials is: unplugging from technology. A constant bombardment of information through technology at work, and home is not good for mental health. Instead, time should be invested in meaningful face-to-face time with others that can help them connect with other people on an emotional level. It is important to have a primary healthcare provider and seek preventive care.