Why Is Anxiety Rising?

""Olivia expressed despair due to climate change." "Badge is anxious when he thinks about the future." In August, a Montana court ruled that these and other youth plaintiffs "have a fundamental constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment, which includes climate."

Anxiety is on the rise and, rightly or wrongly, is blamed for everything.

 A recent federal survey reports 27% of respondents had symptoms of an anxiety disorder, up from 8% in 2019. 

That's scary. Youth emergency-room visits for mental health have gone up significantly.

Do you suffer from anxiety? The Mayo Clinic's list of signs and symptoms includes feeling nervous, feeling a sense of impending danger or panic, increased heart rate, rapid breathing, sweating and trouble concentrating. Apart from those with nerves of steel, I'll bet we've all had at least one of these symptoms.

 A survey by KFF suggests that half of 18- to 24-year-olds report anxiety or depression symptoms. Not everyone can deal with them.

Gymnast Simone Biles and tennis player Naomi Osaka have withdrawn from competitions because of anxiety. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan took a leave of absence for anxiety right after the merger announcement with Saudi-backed LIV Golf.

This is mostly a U.S. problem -- affluenza? -- which I've seen blamed on social media, poor sleep and previous underreporting. Yes, Instagram-inflamed narcissism is a problem, but I think the rise of anxiety is about more than that. So what is it?

-- Extinction anxiety. Daily news reports question the ability of humans to survive in the near future. AI experts warn about human extinction. In February, President Biden called the "climate crisis" an "existential threat." Are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse heading our way? In 2019 Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said, "The world is going to end in 12 years if we don't address climate change." Only eight years to go. Most of us know her as a grandstanding bubble head, but some young people actually believe her. A recent New York Times op-ed was titled "Why I Bring Up Climate Change on First Dates." Because you don't want second dates?

-- Covid anxiety. Global pandemics are scary, but did we really need to pile on bad policy that amplified anxiety? Lockdowns, school closings, double masks and face shields, parents wiping down groceries, social distancing, canceled parties, closed churches, mandatory vaccination -- all made anxiety worse. This scared everyone and led to an overload of screen-based activities like Zoom, Netflix and videogames that force dopamine dependence on young minds and eliminate important and calming social cues a generation may never learn.

-- Status anxiety. For years, students have been told to study hard, take advanced-placement courses, crush the SAT and ACT, overbook extracurricular activities, show leadership and get involved in community service -- all application-essay fodder to get into top universities. Overwhelmingly, students are still rejected. This is devastating for a generation that always got participation trophies. No one ever turned them down, and now they feel shame for attending a perfectly fine state school. I blame parents.

-- Speaking anxiety. Once on campus, students have to choose their words, even pronouns, carefully if they don't want to be labeled oppressors. What should be four fun years of learning and building social skills has become full of anxiety-filled pauses as students consider what words not to use. It's an indoctrination of microaggressions, trigger warnings, safe spaces, cancellation, worrying about appearing privileged, and writing papers that bow to the current and constantly changing orthodoxy.

No one can keep up. "Primary" bedrooms, not "master." Tampons in men's bathrooms. And don't dare eat a hamburger. Then parents tell students who call home in tears that they are probably anxious and should ask for extra time for papers and exams. In an oppression-obsessed culture, anxiety becomes a form of victimhood. Thanks, educators.

-- Weed-induced anxiety. Plenty of studies show that high levels of THC can induce anxiety, paranoia and panic. In 1995 the potency or average concentration of THC of cannabis was about 4%. By 2014 it was 12%. Many dispensaries now advertise potency over 20%. The Godfather OG strain is 34%. So much for mellowing out. Strangely, some take Cannabidiol, or CBD, a non-high-inducing form of cannabis, to cure anxiety.

-- Trump anxiety. 'Nuff said. Well, except that the former president's recent mug shot looks like the anxiety-inducing chief droog from Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange."

I'm anxious just thinking about all this." [1]

1. Inside View: Why Is Anxiety Rising? Kessler, Andy. 
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 25 Sep 2023: A.17.