Young adults in the U.S. experience anxiety and depression twice as frequently as teenagers, according to a new survey report by the Harvard University Making Caring Common project. The high levels of mental illness reflect the current challenging conditions for entering adulthood. For the first time since the Great Depression, the most common living arrangement for people in their 20s is with one or both parents. “Transitioning to independence and to adulthood has been pretty hard for our young people nowadays,” said Christine Crawford, NAMI associate medical director and psychiatrist. “There are a lot of concerns that have to do with finances, as well as uncertainty about what their future could bring.”
