Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025

‘It took a year to get help’: generation Z on mental health decline

‘It took a year to get help’: generation Z on mental health decline

Technology and Covid lockdowns blamed for rise in eating disorders and insomnia among young
It was while browsing on social media at the age of 13 that Hannah realised she had an eating disorder. Seeing other girls and women talking about their experiences, she thought: “This is me.”

Since that moment, the now 17-year-old has been on a path to recovery, which includes recently relapsing during the Covid-19 pandemic. She said that after initially seeking support via her GP, it took “about a year to get help”, despite “seeing three different doctors”.

The rise of eating disorders among young people has been highlighted in a recent report showing that the number experiencing problems has doubled in recent years.

It comes amid a general decline in mental health among those aged six to 23, with more than half of young people aged 17 to 23 struggling with insomnia.

Hannah puts the rise in eating disorders down to a lack of control among her generation.

“I think that is the main thing and there is also a huge misconception about balance and what is healthy,” she said, adding that during consecutive lockdowns, people were bombarded with messages that they needed to “exercise” and “lose weight”.

She finds social media more helpful than damaging, saying it has allowed her to connect with people who share her experiences. She has also struggled to get help, saying she often felt dismissed by doctors.

When she first approached her family practitioner, they seemed uninterested, despite the fact that her period had stopped.

Eventually, she was referred to children’s mental health services and received outpatient support, which continued until the first coronavirus pandemic lockdown in March 2020. As soon support was withdrawn, she relapsed and is now back in the care system.

Rebecca, a mother of two, agrees that getting support for young people is challenging. She has struggled to get help via the NHS for her 11-year-old son, who has anxiety-induced insomnia that leaves him lying awake in the middle of the night. She eventually paid for a private counsellor.

There is not enough recognition for mental health problems in young children, she said, adding that her son’s problems really “came to a head during lockdown”.

“[He] is an overthinker,” she said. As well as the pandemic, his insomnia has also been affected by starting at a new school and moving house. After trying home remedies, such as spraying lavender on her son’s pillow, she sought professional help.

The boy believes the rise in sleeplessness is due to the pressure his generation is under, all made worse by coronavirus.

“In lockdown, people were stuck inside all the time and could not see friends. That made things worse,” he said. He added that social media does not help, as it magnifies problems for children.

It is for this reason that Rebecca tries to keep her sons away from platforms such as WhatsApp, and she thinks that not being able to sleep is inherently linked to a rise in anxiety and the fact that young people are exposed to much more than previous generations. “They have also endured a lot in the past 18 months,” she said.

Rebecca’s nine-year-old son is exhibiting the same symptoms as his brother, although she has yet to explore whether he too has anxiety.

“I think there should be more recognition of mental health problems in young children. If the pandemic had not happened, I think there would be less awareness,” she said.

Hannah agrees that education is key and said she would love to see schools talk more about eating disorders. “There is so much taught about the obesity crisis, but no one is talking about those dying of eating disorders every year,” she said.

“The intervention also needs to be quicker because the longer an eating disorder is left untreated, the harder it is for someone to get better.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
×