Taking on generation Z's tremendous psychological concerns

According to McKinsey's consumer questionnaire surveys, Gen Zers have the least optimistic attitude on life, with reduced levels of emotional and social well-being than previous generations.

Gen Zers, ranging from middle school children to early professionals, are reporting greater rates of anxiety, despair, and suffering than any other age group over two years after the COVID-19 epidemic began in the United States. The "youth mental health crisis" caused by the COVID-19 epidemic prompted US surgeon general Vivek Murthy to publish a bit of public health advice on December 7, 2021, to address the "youth mental health crisis."

According to a series of consumer surveys and interviews performed by McKinsey, the Gen Z group has the least optimistic viewpoint on life, with lower levels of emotional and social well-being than previous generations. One-fourth of Gen Z respondents (25%) said they were more emotionally upset, about double the levels recorded by millennial and Gen X respondents (13%) and more than three times the levels stated by baby boomer respondents (8 percent). The COVID-19 epidemic has further added to the difficulty. While consumer polls are, of course, subjective, and Gen Z is not the only generation to suffer from depression, employers, schools, and public health officials may want to take Gen Z's feelings into account as they plan for the future.

In this sample, Gen Z respondents were more likely than Gen Xers or baby boomers to have been diagnosed with a behavioral health disorder. In the 12-month period covering late 2019 to late 2020, Gen Z respondents were also two to three times more likely than previous generations to report thinking about, planning, or attempting suicide.

In addition, Gen Z reported having the most unmet social demands of any generation. Compared to 16 percent of prior generations, 58 percent of Gen Z reported two or more unfulfilled social demands. Unmet social needs, such as money, work, education, food, housing, transportation, social support, and safety, are linked to the greater prevalence of self-reported behavioral-health problems.

As future students, employees, and customers, Gen Zers may seek out the holistic approach to health that they have grown to anticipate, which covers physical, behavioral, and social requirements, as they attempt to strengthen their resilience.

Characteristics of Gen Z consumers in the healthcare ecosystem

Because of Gen Z's unique demands, stakeholders will need to expand access and provide appropriate, timely treatments in order to improve their behavioral healthcare.

Gen Z is less likely to seek help

When compared to previous generations, Gen Z respondents were more likely to have a behavioral health diagnosis but less likely to seek therapy (Exhibit 1). For example, Gen Z is 1.6 to 1.8 times more likely than millennials to say they haven't sought therapy for a mental health problem. Developmental stage, disengagement from healthcare, perceived cost, and stigma associated with mental or drug use disorders within their families and communities are all issues that may contribute to Gen Z's unwillingness to seek treatment.

When compared to previous generations, Gen Z respondents were more likely to have a behavioral health diagnosis but less likely to seek therapy (Exhibit 1). For example, Gen Z is 1.6 to 1.8 times more likely than millennials to say they haven't sought therapy for a mental health problem. Developmental stage, disengagement from healthcare, perceived cost, and stigma associated with mental or drug use disorders within their families and communities are all issues that may contribute to Gen Z's unwillingness to seek treatment.

Another factor contributing to Gen Z's limited help-seeking is the perception of mental-health treatments as being unaffordable. Mental-health services had the lowest perceived affordability of all services examined, with one out of every four Gen Z respondents saying they couldn't afford them. 9 For a variety of reasons, including the fact that many behavioral-health practitioners do not accept insurance, Americans with mental and drug use problems suffer a disproportionate amount of out-of-pocket healthcare expenditures.

Furthermore, the stigma associated with mental and drug use problems, as well as a lack of family support, may be significant barriers to obtaining mental health treatment. Many Gen Zers rely on their parents for transportation or health insurance, and they may be wary of discussing mental health issues with them. This aspect is especially important for people of color, who report experiencing a higher amount of stigma connected with mental illnesses. Children of immigrants may also experience guilt as a result of their parents' efforts, or their behavioral-health issues may be dismissed by their parents, who may claim or believe that their children "have it much easier" than they had as children.

Gen Z relies on emergency care, social media, and digital tools when they do seek help

When they do seek help for behavioral-health difficulties, Gen Z may rely on emergency care, social media, and digital technologies rather than traditional outpatient mental-health treatments.

Gen Zers use acute care more frequently than previous generations, with Gen Z respondents one to four times more likely to go to the ER and two to three times more likely to use crisis services or behavioral-health urgent care in the previous year. Nearly three-quarters of Crisis Text Line users are from Generation Z. "Seems like the only choice is an emergency hospital visit, otherwise, I have to wait weeks to see a psychiatrist," one Gen Z responder stated her dissatisfaction.

Almost one-quarter of Gen Zers also said getting treatment during a behavioral-health crisis is "very" or "very" difficult. This lack of access is troubling for a generation that is two to three times more likely than any other generation to seek treatment for suicidal thoughts or attempted suicide in the previous 12 months.

Many Gen Zers also said that seeking assistance from other young people on TikTok or Reddit, following therapists on Instagram, or installing appropriate apps was their initial step in dealing with behavioral-health issues. This dependence on social media might be related to provider shortages in many regions of the country: 64 percent of counties in the United States have a mental-health professional shortfall. Furthermore, 56 percent of counties in the United States (representing 9% of the total population) lack a psychiatrist, and 73 percent of counties lack a child and adolescent psychiatrist (corresponding to 19 percent of the total population).

Gen Z is less satisfied with the behavioral-health services they receive

Gen Zers believe that the behavioral healthcare system as a whole does not satisfy their expectations; Gen Zers who got behavioral healthcare were less likely than previous generations to be happy with the treatments they received. Gen Z, for example, shows poorer satisfaction with behavioral-health treatments acquired through outpatient counseling/therapy (3.7 out of 5.0 for Gen Z vs. 4.1 for Gen X) or intense outpatient treatment (3.7 out of 5.0 for Gen Z vs. 4.1 for Gen X) (3.1 for Gen Z, compared with 3.8 for older generations).

One Gen Z respondent said, “Struggling to find a psychologist whom I was comfortable with and cared enough to remember my name and what we did the week before” was the most significant barrier to care. Another said, “I have trust issues and find it difficult to talk with therapists about my problems. I also had a very bad experience with a therapist, which made this problem worse.”

Despite the fact that telehealth has a high adoption rate in psychiatry, Gen Z has the lowest satisfaction with tele-behavioral health and digital apps/tools. 16 Gen Zers expressed unhappiness with telemedicine treatment because it felt "less formal" or "less professional," and it was more difficult to build a trusting relationship with a therapist. In terms of applications, Gen Z respondents lamented a lack of personalisation as well as a lack of variety—both in terms of the racial and ethnic diversity of the tales given and in terms of the issues that the apps promised solutions to. It's critical to apply a user-centered design approach to produce features and experiences that Gen Zers genuinely want while developing and upgrading behavioral-health solutions.

In creating and improving behavioral-health tools, it is crucial to employ a user-centered design approach to develop functionality and experiences that Gen Zers actually want.

Gen Z cares about diversity when choosing a healthcare provider

The importance of racial and cultural diversity in the behavioral-health field cannot be overstated. According to McKinsey's COVID-19 Consumer Survey, racial and ethnic minority respondents valued racial and ethnic diversity more than White respondents when choosing a physician, identifying their physician's ethnicity as a factor more frequently than White respondents. Because Gen Z values diversity, there are potential to integrate treatment and early intervention by employing a more racially and ethnically diverse behavioral-health workforce and providing culturally relevant digital tools.

Potential stakeholder actions to address the needs of Generation Z

We offer six potential measures in our article "Unlocking whole person care through behavioral health," which are critical to increasing the quality of treatment and experience for millions of people with behavioral-health issues. Many of those levers apply to Gen Z, but more customization is required to satisfy the requirements of this new generation. The emerging role of digital and telehealth; the need for a stronger community-based response to behavioral-health crises; better meeting the needs of Gen Z where they live, work, and go to school; promoting mental-health literacy; investing in behavioral health at the same level as physical health; and supporting a holistic approach that encompasses behavioral, physical, and social aspects of health are all promising areas to investigate.

Need for action now

Gen Z is the next generation of leaders, activists, and legislators; many of them have already assumed adult responsibilities by launching climate movements, leading social justice marches, and pressuring businesses to match more closely with their beliefs. Healthcare leaders, schools, and employers all have a part in promoting Gen Z's mental health. Stakeholders can effectively enhance Gen Z's behavioral health and help them realize their full potential by employing a personalized, generational approach to crafting messaging, goods, and services. This purchase might be considered a down payment on a home.