Millennials have higher rates of anxiety than previous generations due to changes in the economy, uncertainty about relationships and the future, being the first to grow up with social media, and decreasing stigma around mental illness. While some argue millennials may overstate their anxiety, research shows they face challenges like economic instability that contribute to increased anxiety. Understanding the causes and prevalence of anxiety among millennials could help address the issue.

1. Why Do Millennials Have So
Much Anxiety?
EMILY BRENNAN

2. What the issue is…
 The millennial generation has been labeled young, stupid, carefree, lazy and
spoiled, but maybe these stereotypes aren’t the only way to describe them.
Research has shown that a large part of the millennial generation is anxiety due to
the changes in economy, uncertainty in relationships and the future, us being the
first to grow up with social media, and the lessening of the stigma of mental
illnesses.
 Maybe the anxiety expressed is people “overpathologizing” how they feel, as
questioned by Rachel Plata in Ocean Mental Health Services.

3. Questions
 How prevalent is anxiety in the millennial generation?
 Is this rise in statistics primarily due to people paying attention to mental illnesses
nowadays?
 What do people plan on doing about it?
 Is anxiety the only mental illness most prevalent in the millennials as opposed to
the other generations?

4. Where can I find sufficient research?
 EBSCOhost databases
 Ocean Mental Health Services
 National Alliance on Mental Illness
 Google Scholars

5. My current sources…
 Sharon, Jayson, et al. "Young and Carefree? Not So, Stress Survey Shows." USA
Today, n.d. EBSCOhost,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=J0E026846345213&s
ite=ehost-live.
 Pyrillis, Rita. "Mental Health Takes on New Meaning for Millennials at
Work." Workforce, vol. 96, no. 3, May/Jun2017, p. 18. EBSCOhost,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=122655343&site=eh
ost-live.
 Patla, Rachel. “The Mental Health of Millennials.” Ocean Mental Health Services,
Ocean Mental Health Services , 2 June 2016, oceanmhs.org/the-mental-health-of-
millennials/.

6. Potential challenges…
 It may be hard for me to stay on topic with this.
 May be hard to find a thorough argument with this topic.
 Finding sources that aren’t repetitive of each other.

7. Why this issue is relevant…
 It appears that many people these days suffer from a mental illness, and the word
is spreading about this to cut down the stigma about the topic, but what are we to
do to ease the issue?
 It could help bring to light some of the causes of the recent rise of anxiety.