How much medical care does society owe Americans that they could not otherwise afford? It’s not a philosophical question, such as how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. This question plays out every day.
Category: COVID-19 and Public Health
What is Causing the Mental Heath Crisis Among Young People?
Americans are suffering a crisis of mental health. The crisis is especially pronounced among young people. This extends beyond the Covid-19 outbreak when schools were closed, kids were taught from home and shut off from their peers. Research has found that Millennials and Generation Z experience more negative emotions (stress and anxiety) than older generations, with Gen Z worse off than Millennials. Perhaps the explanation is that younger adults are new at adult life. Beginning careers, getting married and starting families is stressful in the beginning.
Wednesday Links
- Tyler Cowen on an early study by Claudia Goldin explaining inequality: returns to education is the culprit.
- Case and Deaton: Life expectancy at age 25 for those with four-year college degrees rose to 59 years on the eve of the pandemic, up from 54 years in 1992. But for those without college degrees, life expectancy reached its peak around 2010 and has been falling ever since. (NYT)
- Matt Yglesias rejects the Case/Deaton argument for “deaths of despair.”
- 20 percent of adolescents had symptoms of major depressive disorder during the pandemic, but less than half got treatment.
- 45% of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee have conflicts of interest. That may be why the government published the food pyramid that caused so many people to get fat.
Friday Links
- “mRNA vaccines reached production despite the system, rather than because of it.”
- Fake health news on TikTok.
- To speed up drug approvals, recognize reliable approvals in other countries.
- Timothy Taylor: Update on the opioid epidemic.
- The National Portrait Gallery, which contains memorable drawings of great Americans throughout our nation’s history, is displaying a picture of Fauci????