Mental health is an issue. Big issue, apparently affecting up to 40% of 14 year olds, particularly girls. Who, let’s face it, have never exactly been the most stable of genders. Yet 40% is a massive number of kids worried about social pressures, body images or life in general.

So the first question is: was it always this way for adolescents and we’ve just never quantified it or labelled it as a ‘condition’, rather than just the negativity and misery we expect from that demographic? Or does this represent an increase in mental problems, rather than an increase in the testing?

About 1 in 3 kids (so it seems) is ‘dyslexic’. Whereas in ‘the old days’ one in 3 kids was just thick. Or a shit speller. (I’m a bit dyslexic myslef so can cast nasturtiums at this grupe). Then they invented testing for it and created a whole new class of ultra-bright, multi-talented individuals who share a ‘condition’. Which is liberating.

So is mental health the same? Have they just become better at ‘diagnosing’ it, classifying it and making a nice, safe comfortable ‘condition’ into which the young can find solace?

Adolescence is a particularly difficult time of life for everyone except me. My only problem during that fabulous time of expansion, growth and world awareness, was spelling ‘adolescence’. But for everyone else, apparently, its now a problem. But the world has changed. Mainly in that there are no delays in information. I just bought some new shoes; here they are (7 photos attached to this message). No graphic descriptions, no waiting for the great unveiling on Saturday night; here they are. They haven’t even made it out of Zara but you’ve seen them already.

And people post images all the time on social media. Which fall into 2 groups: gorgeous thin people with muscles and smooth skin to make everyone go ‘wow!’ And slobbering fat people with spots put up to make people laugh. Its cruel but that’s what they do. Thus increasing the entire ‘body image’ shit that has always, to some degree, affected particularly young girls. You do get anorexic boys but very very few relative to girls.

Now they want to counsel ‘freshers week’ students to keep them ‘sober and sane’. Good luck with that. Both of ‘that’. Particularly the sober bit. Its in an effort to try and improve mental health. Which inversely correlates with drunkedness, regardless of how it feels during your 7th tequila shot.

If the testing for mental health is now sufficiently good that it can help, then fine. If its just an umbrella to hide under, another grouping to share misery with, not quite so good. I would say ‘avoid social media’ but for this generation its just too late. Lila’s not getting a smartphone until she’s at least 21. Unless she wants one, of course.

Happy New Year (the Jewish version)

A xxxx