Blue Cross Blue Shield reports a 33% increase in major depression diagnoses from 2013 to 2016 while Cigna reports that overall loneliness scores in America are alarmingly high. The news is worse for young people! Millennials have experienced a 47% increase and teenagers a 63% increase in major depression. While there are likely multiple factors a 2017 study indicates night time usage of cell phones in teens can increase depression and anxiety and reduce self-esteem. Psychologists suspect disrupted sleep is a big factor behind these emotional problems. All of us need electronic curfews and as parents we should model this. Younger people ages 18-22 were also surprisingly more likely to experience social isolation than older people ages 72 and older. Loneliness evidently has the same impact on mortality as smoking 15 cigarettes daily; more dangerous than obesity.
