Deconstructing The Female Mental Health Crisis - Freya India - #754

**Chris Williamson** (0:00)
Hello friends, welcome back to the show. My guest today is Freya India. She's a writer and journalist focused on female mental health and modern culture. Gen Z girls are not doing okay. No matter how badly you think men have it right now, and they do, girls are doing no better. From therapy culture to advertising your antidepressant use on Instagram, it's no surprise that they're struggling and confused. Expect to learn just how bad the state of teenage girls' mental health is right now, how companies are targeting and monetizing the crisis, the glamourization of taking medication, how selfie editing has become a powerful act of self-expression, what Snapchat dysmorphia is, why girls are so risk averse in dating, and much more. You might have heard me say on a podcast recently that hold luggage is a Psyop meant to keep you poor and late. I jest a little, but not actually that much. You do not need hold luggage if you have a brilliantly designed backpack and carry on. And the 20 litre travel pack backpack from Nomatic is the best that I've ever found. It is an absolute game changer. The legitimate difference in the quality of your life when you have a world class backpack is pretty hard to describe. They are beautifully designed, not over engineered, and will literally last you a lifetime because they have a lifetime guarantee. Best of all, you can return or exchange any product within 30 days for any reason. So, right now, you can get a 20% discount and see everything that I use and recommend by going to nomatic.com/modernwisdomusing the code modern wisdom at checkout. That's nomatic.com/modernwisdom and modern wisdom at checkout. This episode is brought to you by Element. I have started my morning every single day for the last three years the same way, which is with Element in water. It tastes fantastic. It reduces muscle cramps and fatigue. It optimises your brain health. It regulates appetite and it helps to curb cravings. It's got a science-backed electrolyte ratio of sodium, potassium and magnesium. It's super simple. There is nothing fancy going on here, but it really does work. Also, they have a no BS, no questions asked refund policy, so you can buy it 100% risk free. And if you do not like it, they will give you your money back and you don't even need to return the box. That's how confident they are that you love it. They are the exclusive hydration partner to Team USA Weightlifting and rely on by tons of Olympic athletes and high performers in the NFL, NBA, NHL and FBI sniper teams plus tech leaders and everyday athletes around the world. Head to www.drinklmnt.com. Modern wisdom to get a free sample pack of all eight flavors with any purchase. That's www.drinklmnt.com.
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Is Gen Z in a mental health crisis?

**Freya India** (4:20)
Yes, yeah. Basically, since the early 2010s, our mental health has just tanked, especially for girls. So we started to see these spikes in anxiety and depression, things like eating disorders, but also rising self-harm and suicide. So for example, in the US, between 2012 and 2019, the suicide rate for white middle-aged men increased by 3%, but for girls aged between 12 and 14, it increased by 138%. And the statistics on self-harm are equally as horrific. So something happened around 2012 that is particularly affecting girls, but as a whole, it was affecting the entirety of Gen Z.