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Welcome to The Mental Minute where our goal is to make mental health an everyday conversation. Take a few minutes to enjoy today’s news, tips, key resources and product reviews.

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🗞 Gen Z’s mental health is declining—but baby boomers are only getting happier. A recent Gallup poll reveals an interesting generational shift: while younger adults are reporting lower levels of happiness and well-being, adults 65 and older are feeling happier than ever. Factors like social disconnection, depression, financial stress, and lingering effects of the pandemic may be contributing to younger generations’ struggles. Meanwhile, older adults may be benefiting from greater financial stability and a stronger sense of contentment. Read more at Fast Company

🗞 Jenna Ortega Shared How Treating Her OCD Routines Like A Game Has Helped ‘Take The Pressure Off’.  Wednesday star Jenna Ortega gets totally real about her lifelong journey with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), sharing the specific rituals she has practiced since she was just seven years old. While navigating the condition can feel like having a bunch of different trains rolling through her brain at once, the actress revealed that turning some of her daily routines into a game has been an amazing hack to help take the pressure off along with balancing her symptoms with therapy and medication. Read more at Parade.com

🗞 Scientists Warn Shorter Fall Days May Trigger Depression, but the First Signs Are Easy to Miss. As the days get shorter and sunlight becomes harder to come by, changes in mood, energy, sleep, and motivation can be early signs of seasonal depression. Experts explain that seasonal affective disorder (SAD) doesn’t always show up as sadness—it can also look like irritability, losing interest in favorite activities, or feeling unusually tired. The good news? Getting outside during daylight, staying active, keeping a consistent sleep schedule, and connecting with friends can help support your mood. Read more at Men’s Journal

🗞 The risks of turning to AI for mental health advice, according to a psychiatrist. AI chatbots are becoming an increasingly popular place for people to turn when they’re feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or simply need someone to talk to. While these tools can offer a comforting, judgment-free space to explore emotions, experts warn that AI can sometimes provide misleading advice or reinforce unhealthy thought patterns. The key is to use AI as a tool for reflection, not a replacement for human connection or professional mental health care. Read more at The Independent

Mental Health: In Crisis? Call or Text 988

Veterans Crisis Line: Call 988 and press ‘1’ or Text 838255

Youth Helpline: 2NDFLOOR - (888) 222-2228

National Domestic Violence Hotline: (800) 799-SAFE (7233)

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: (800) 273-TALK (8255)

Addiction: Start Your Recovery - (800) 662-4357

The connection between having in-person friends and problematic social media use. Social media habits may reveal more about how we approach relationships than we realize. A new study suggests that people who crave emotional closeness but struggle to trust or rely on others may be more vulnerable to compulsive social media use, using online interactions to seek reassurance while avoiding the risks of face-to-face connection. The good news? Our relationship patterns aren’t set in stone. Read More at CNN.com

MYTH: COVID-19 started the mental health crisis.

FACT: Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, it was estimated that half of the world’s population would experience a mental health condition at some point in their lives.

The crisis was already affecting people in every country and on every continent — including health workers. In 2019, almost half of all health workers surveyed in the U.K. reported experiencing negative mental health conditions. Another study that same year found that one-quarter of all health worker sickness absences in the country were for mental health conditions.

The pandemic made things significantly worse. More than half of all health workers responding to the virus experienced mental health issues and rates of burnout skyrocketed. Among the general population, the first year of COVID-19 led to a 25% increase in the prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide.

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