Gen Z Is Changing Mental Health For The Better

Shanique Yates July 31, 2026

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American Psychological Association APA Bebe Moore COVID pandemic Gen Z Gina Newsome Duncan mental health mental health advice mental health awareness The Steve Fund

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Mental health is at the forefront of many conversations in today’s landscape, a step up from what it used to be, with younger generations speaking up more than ever when they’re not okay.

In 2008, July was nationally declared as Bebe Moore Campbell Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, two years after the prominent author and mental health advocate’s passing.

Moore, known for her tireless work in championing the erasure of the stigma associated with mental health and the Black community, walked so that individuals like Dr. Gina Newsome Duncan could run.

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As a board-certified adult psychiatrist and the lead mental health expert for The Steve Fund’s Family Initiative and Family Corner platform, an organization dedicated specifically to the mental health and emotional well-being of young people of color, Newsome Duncan opened up about whether or not she subscribes to the sentiment that the society we live in is currently experiencing a mental health crisis.

“I say opportunity,” Newsome Duncan told Madamenoire. “We have some tremendous opportunity to guide in mental health. In terms of what the average person sees when they see crisis, I think that they are seeing that there are higher rates of being reported, like depression, anxiety disorders, concerning rates of certain groups. People are vocal about their mental health, and to some degree, we are seeing higher mental health [diagnoses], but at the same time, we’re also seeing people be more vocal about that, which, if it means that stigma is to be reduced and mental health help-seeking is starting to be more normalized.”