The Snowflake Temporalities: Toward a Critical Understanding of Mental Health Crisis among Young People
| Název česky | Časovost sněhových vloček: Ke kritickému chápání krize duševního zdraví u mladých lidí |
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| Autoři | |
| Rok publikování | 2025 |
| Druh | Další prezentace na konferencích |
| Citace | |
| Popis | The proportion of young people experiencing mental health difficulties has been slowly but steadily increasing over the past decade. In 2022, 22% of Czech students reported poor mental well-being, with 15% disclosing a specific mental health condition—most commonly anxiety disorders or depression (EUROSTUDENT 2022). Furthermore, rates of psychiatric hospitalization rise significantly in the 15–24 and 25–34 age groups (ČSÚ 2023). My research explores the cultural and societal factors shaping this mental health crisis, with this presentation focusing specifically on how young people conceptualize and experience temporality. Through an analysis of ten semi-structured interviews with individuals aged 20 to 28 who are affected by both diagnosed and undiagnosed conditions, I aim to map the mental health struggles of today’s youth from a critical perspective. Drawing on decolonial and post-structuralist theory—predominantly critical queer and disability studies—I examine how dominant norms around time, productivity, and success intersect with mental health experiences, shaping young people’s subjectivities. Preliminary findings highlight various manifestations of chrononormativity—standardized expectations around life trajectories—as central to participants’ accounts of distress. Additionally, issues of class, time poverty, the ideal of self-entrepreneurship, and hyper-productivity emerge as critical dimensions of their narratives. |