"Anxious Nation" with Laura Morton & Vanessa Roth

Top Docs: Award-Winning Documentary Filmmakers

Many of the issues that plagued the young people of America decades ago–binge drinking, drunken driving, teenage pregnancy, smoking, to name a few–have greatly declined in significance. But in their place we have witnessed a seemingly ever-deepening mental health crisis amongst our youth, one partly rooted, as our guests tell us, in a rise of anxiety.

The directors of “Anxious Nation,” Laura Morton and Vanessa Roth, join Mike to explain how their own family experiences drove them to engage with this essential topic. In their film they explore the deep roots of anxiety–not only on the personal level of family dynamics, but reaching far into our evolutionary past. And they explain as well many of the current accelerants of the endemic anxiety experienced by our children. Finally, they broach ways to alleviate the suffering for the kids and for their parents: While none are a magic bullet, families can find methods and tools to help manage anxiety, and ultimately can seek solace in activities that can provide a deeper meaning and a resulting perspective on their daily struggles.

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