Gen Z’s Obsession with Romanticizing Mental Illness

By Bridget Lord

Since our generation was first allowed on the internet at the ripe age of 13 (or about 9 if you could convince your parents to let you cheat and sign up early), we’ve been romanticizing and simplifying very real and complex struggles. For many, it started with anorexia and eating disorders as “pro-ana” and “thinspo” tumblr was thriving, and young girls were finding themselves in “anorexic communities” breeding competition worse than an individual’s competition with themselves could ever be. 

Next, it was depression and anxiety with poems about tears and saving your partner from their sadness. Of course, these left out the unromanticized aspects of depression, like being bedridden, and anxious sweaty feet and isolation. 

Here we are in our teenage years, with people posting videos on TikTok about how much they love popping xans and making “Euphoria tiktoks” that makes snorting coke look glamorous. The catch of it all is that Euphoria was made to show the reality of substance abuse and drug addiction. Unfortunately, it’s been taken and twisted into something used to glorify and give sex appeal to one of the most pervasive mental illnesses there is. 

There isn’t one solution to any of this, but if we keep doing what gen z does best - supporting each other with genuity and love - maybe we can work to understand rather than romanticize mental illness.