May 5, 2026 • 5 mins
A new survey shows nearly all Gen Z members are experiencing mental health challenges in any average month. But the good news is, 94% of all teens say mental health is important to them. Veronica Carter and Bret Burkhart learned more from the regional medical director at Blue Shield of California, Dr. Scott Flinn.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
May's Mental Health Awareness month. Though doctors say gen Z
is facing a mental health crisis, research shows the generation
is taking action.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Joining us now in studio is the regional director at
Blue Shield of California, doctor Scott Flynn.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
Doctor, thank you so much for joining.
Speaker 4 (00:16):
Us, Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Let's talk about why May has been designated such an
important day or important month when it comes to mental health.
Speaker 4 (00:24):
Yeah, it's a very important thing for us to be
aware of. It's a critical part of your overall health. Right,
you have your physical part and your mental part, and
they both are very very important. Mental health can really
affect how you go through your daily life, and of
course there are things that can lead to crises, which
we definitely want to avoid if possible.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Sounds like our younger generations are really suffering, but you know,
it sounds like they're also doing something about it.
Speaker 4 (00:49):
Yeah, it's kind of encouraging. Actually, we just did a
survey on our Blue Sky at Blue Shield of California
and looked at that and we're surprised at some of
the results. Ninety four percent of teens say mental health
is important to them. You know, I was thinking back
when I was a teenager. I thinking at all about
my mental health, not at all, So I just get
through the day in sports and things like that. So
very important that they're aware of them.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Plus, there was a stigma if you said I'm, you know,
suffering a mental health crisis, people would you know, lock
you up or not talk to you anymore.
Speaker 4 (01:17):
Yeah, it definitely had stigma to it. So they are
very aware of it. They're reporting that they are actually
willing to speak up about it and ask for help
if needed, which is a very encouraging thing.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
Really is.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
We're speaking with doctor Scott Flynn, who is a regional
medical director at Blue Shield of California. I interviewed a
guy by the name of Kevin Hines, and maybe you've
heard a story. He's made a documentary about it, and
he tried to take his own life by jumping off
a bridge and survived thanks to a sea lion who
helped save him.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Which is wildly remarkable.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
But what he talked about is when you break your arm,
when you break your leg, or you twist your ankle
and you go to the hospital, people go to visit you.
They bring your flowers, they bring you teddy bears. When
you go to fix your brain, nobody visits you, and
so hopefully that is a good sign if more people
are getting over the stigma and trying to get some help.
Speaker 4 (02:10):
Very much so, again, our survey was encouraging to me
very much so self advocacy is growing. The stress is
there and perhaps is even more stressful now with all
the social media going on. Part of the interesting part
was over fifty percent of the teenagers spent more than.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Four hours on social media a day.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
That's a lot of time. Right on the good side,
they have communities there and they get reinforcement there and
things like that, so it can actually be a positive
thing to help them. Obviously there's a stressures with a
social shaming and those kind of things and bullying and
that can happen, but it actually has some positive connotations
too from the survey we had, so we were encouraged
by that.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
You know what's really interesting how quickly things started changing.
My first two are eight and ten years older than
my last one, and they would have never considered saying
I'm having a mintatntal health issue today. By the time
my youngest came up, all of his friends talked about it.
I've got to go see the doctor for anxiety or
you know, they talked openly about it. So just in
(03:11):
that eight year gap from my daughter to my son,
things really changed.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
Yeah, and it's interesting the effects that COVID may have
helped to enable that, where people able to talk about
the stresses they were having. All Right, you know, I
really need some help with this. It's okay to seek help. Actually,
it's good to seek help. You can't fix everything yourself.
A broken arm, you go see a doctor. Right. If
you've got issues you got to deal with mentally, go
get help, be it with a psychologist or psychiatrist, but
(03:38):
certainly seek that help. Very important thing to do, and
it's actually easier now than ever to do it. If
you're having some kind of suicidal crisis like you were
talking about, you can just Dillar text nine to eight eight. Right,
it's the nine to one one for suicidal behavior, and
it's they're available. How much easier can you get than
just nine eight eight?
Speaker 2 (03:59):
But not everybody who is having challenges with their mental
health are contemplating those thoughts and so so it nine
and eight is great if you're in the a very
bad crisis. But where else can people have a resource.
Speaker 4 (04:15):
Yeah, there's a lot of other things, for example, for
Blue Shield of California, the Blue Sky Wellness and there's
a ton of resources there that can help you in
addition what you can get with your local provider.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
All right, doctor Scott Flynn from a Blue Shield, thank
you so much. I had to have to ask you.
How was your commute in? Was it raining on you?
Speaker 4 (04:32):
Yes, I still have a little bit of water here
from walking in. All right and may May Gray turned
to May Rain, Yeah about it? Yeah, all right, Well,
thank you so much for stopping by it.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Right, Thanks guys, doctor You're always welcome here at Coco
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
Yeah, I see you soon.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Cocoa News time seven forty six, and hang in there
if you are on the West eight. We do have
that bad crash and it's an investigation now in alcoholme.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
We'll get you the update in a moment. But first
we have thirteen chance for you to win some money.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Yeah, it's the grant in your hand contest. All you
have to do listen for the national keyword iner it
at cogo dot com. You can get all the contest
times at cogo dot com. Next chance to win a
thousand bucks comes up at eight o'clock on news radio
six hundred cogo.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Here's some of the stories trending right now.
May's Mental Health Awareness month. Though doctors say gen Z
is facing a mental health crisis, research shows the generation
is taking action.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Joining us now in studio is the regional director at
Blue Shield of California, doctor Scott Flynn.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
Doctor, thank you so much for joining.
Speaker 4 (00:16):
Us, Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Let's talk about why May has been designated such an
important day or important month when it comes to mental health.
Speaker 4 (00:24):
Yeah, it's a very important thing for us to be
aware of. It's a critical part of your overall health. Right,
you have your physical part and your mental part, and
they both are very very important. Mental health can really
affect how you go through your daily life, and of
course there are things that can lead to crises, which
we definitely want to avoid if possible.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Sounds like our younger generations are really suffering, but you know,
it sounds like they're also doing something about it.
Speaker 4 (00:49):
Yeah, it's kind of encouraging. Actually, we just did a
survey on our Blue Sky at Blue Shield of California
and looked at that and we're surprised at some of
the results. Ninety four percent of teens say mental health
is important to them. You know, I was thinking back
when I was a teenager. I thinking at all about
my mental health, not at all, So I just get
through the day in sports and things like that. So
very important that they're aware of them.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Plus, there was a stigma if you said I'm, you know,
suffering a mental health crisis, people would you know, lock
you up or not talk to you anymore.
Speaker 4 (01:17):
Yeah, it definitely had stigma to it. So they are
very aware of it. They're reporting that they are actually
willing to speak up about it and ask for help
if needed, which is a very encouraging thing.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
Really is.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
We're speaking with doctor Scott Flynn, who is a regional
medical director at Blue Shield of California. I interviewed a
guy by the name of Kevin Hines, and maybe you've
heard a story. He's made a documentary about it, and
he tried to take his own life by jumping off
a bridge and survived thanks to a sea lion who
helped save him.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Which is wildly remarkable.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
But what he talked about is when you break your arm,
when you break your leg, or you twist your ankle
and you go to the hospital, people go to visit you.
They bring your flowers, they bring you teddy bears. When
you go to fix your brain, nobody visits you, and
so hopefully that is a good sign if more people
are getting over the stigma and trying to get some help.
Speaker 4 (02:10):
Very much so, again, our survey was encouraging to me
very much so self advocacy is growing. The stress is
there and perhaps is even more stressful now with all
the social media going on. Part of the interesting part
was over fifty percent of the teenagers spent more than.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Four hours on social media a day.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
That's a lot of time. Right on the good side,
they have communities there and they get reinforcement there and
things like that, so it can actually be a positive
thing to help them. Obviously there's a stressures with a
social shaming and those kind of things and bullying and
that can happen, but it actually has some positive connotations
too from the survey we had, so we were encouraged
by that.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
You know what's really interesting how quickly things started changing.
My first two are eight and ten years older than
my last one, and they would have never considered saying
I'm having a mintatntal health issue today. By the time
my youngest came up, all of his friends talked about it.
I've got to go see the doctor for anxiety or
you know, they talked openly about it. So just in
(03:11):
that eight year gap from my daughter to my son,
things really changed.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
Yeah, and it's interesting the effects that COVID may have
helped to enable that, where people able to talk about
the stresses they were having. All Right, you know, I
really need some help with this. It's okay to seek help. Actually,
it's good to seek help. You can't fix everything yourself.
A broken arm, you go see a doctor. Right. If
you've got issues you got to deal with mentally, go
get help, be it with a psychologist or psychiatrist, but
(03:38):
certainly seek that help. Very important thing to do, and
it's actually easier now than ever to do it. If
you're having some kind of suicidal crisis like you were
talking about, you can just Dillar text nine to eight eight. Right,
it's the nine to one one for suicidal behavior, and
it's they're available. How much easier can you get than
just nine eight eight?
Speaker 2 (03:59):
But not everybody who is having challenges with their mental
health are contemplating those thoughts and so so it nine
and eight is great if you're in the a very
bad crisis. But where else can people have a resource.
Speaker 4 (04:15):
Yeah, there's a lot of other things, for example, for
Blue Shield of California, the Blue Sky Wellness and there's
a ton of resources there that can help you in
addition what you can get with your local provider.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
All right, doctor Scott Flynn from a Blue Shield, thank
you so much. I had to have to ask you.
How was your commute in? Was it raining on you?
Speaker 4 (04:32):
Yes, I still have a little bit of water here
from walking in. All right and may May Gray turned
to May Rain, Yeah about it? Yeah, all right, Well,
thank you so much for stopping by it.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Right, Thanks guys, doctor You're always welcome here at Coco
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
Yeah, I see you soon.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Cocoa News time seven forty six, and hang in there
if you are on the West eight. We do have
that bad crash and it's an investigation now in alcoholme.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
We'll get you the update in a moment. But first
we have thirteen chance for you to win some money.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Yeah, it's the grant in your hand contest. All you
have to do listen for the national keyword iner it
at cogo dot com. You can get all the contest
times at cogo dot com. Next chance to win a
thousand bucks comes up at eight o'clock on news radio
six hundred cogo.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Here's some of the stories trending right now.
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